Geosite

Geosite is a dataset used by certain network proxy and routing systems to classify internet domains by geography or function. By mapping domains to predefined categories, geosite enables routing rules to direct traffic differently based on the destination, supporting privacy, performance, compliance, or censorship circumvention.

The geosite dataset typically contains a collection of entries, each defining a category name and a list of domain patterns or hosts that match. Categories commonly describe geographic regions (for example, a category labeled “cn” or “china”), but may also reflect content types (streaming, social media) or other classifications (malware, advertising networks). The patterns can include exact hosts, subdomains, or wildcard matches.

Files and formats: Geosite data is distributed as a file such as geosite.dat or geosite.yaml (depending on the project) and is used together with a separate geolocation database like geoip.dat in routing configurations. The dataset is maintained by a community of developers and users and is frequently updated to reflect changes on the internet. Software projects that use it include V2Ray and Xray and related proxy tools, which load geosite data and apply routing rules to determine whether traffic should be proxied or sent directly.

Usage: In routing rules, a traffic destination is matched against geosite categories; when a match occurs, the corresponding route is applied. This enables selective proxying, access to geo-specific content, or policy enforcement.

History and related terms: Geosite emerged with advanced routing features in proxy ecosystems and is often used alongside geoip for location-based decisions. Related concepts include geoip databases, domain-based routing, and policy-based routing.