On Debian (and most Linux systems), you can define a host alias without hardcoding its IP address by using the /etc/hosts file dynamically with tools like mDNS (Multicast DNS) or systemd-resolved. However, if you want to avoid hardcoding the IP and still use a static alias, the best approach is to use a local DNS resolver or systemd-hostnamed.

But the simplest and most common way is to use mDNS (Avahi) for local network hostnames (e.g., hostname.local), or to rely on DHCP and DNS for automatic resolution.

1. Using mDNS (Avahi)

If the host is on your local network and supports mDNS (e.g., most Linux, macOS, and Windows 10+ systems), you can access it using:

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hostname.local

For example, if the host is named myserver, you can access it as:

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myserver.local

No configuration is needed on your Debian machine—just ensure Avahi is installed:

bash
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sudo apt update
sudo apt install avahi-daemon

Then, you can ping or access the host using:

bash
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ping myserver.local

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2. Using systemd-resolved (for custom domains)

If you want to define a custom alias (e.g., myalias) for a host without hardcoding the IP, you can use systemd-resolved to override DNS resolution for specific domains.

Steps:

1. Edit the /etc/systemd/resolved.conf file:

   bash
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   sudo nano /etc/systemd/resolved.conf
   

2. Uncomment and set:

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   DNSStubListener=yes
   Domains=~.
   

3. Restart systemd-resolved:

   bash
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   sudo systemctl restart systemd-resolved
   

4. Use resolvectl to add a custom DNS entry (temporary, until reboot):

   bash
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   sudo resolvectl domain myalias ~.
   sudo resolvectl dns myalias 192.168.1.1  # Replace with your DNS server
   

   Or, for a permanent solution, create a systemd network file:

   bash
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   sudo nano /etc/systemd/network/99-myalias.link
   

   Add:

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   [Match]
   Name=*
   
   [Network]
   DNS=192.168.1.1  # Your DNS server
   Domains=~myalias
   

5. Restart networking:

   bash
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   sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd
   

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3. Using a Local DNS Server (dnsmasq)

If you want to resolve a custom alias (e.g., myalias) to a dynamic IP, you can set up dnsmasq to resolve it via your local network's DHCP.

Steps:

1. Install dnsmasq:

   bash
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   sudo apt install dnsmasq
   

2. Edit /etc/dnsmasq.conf:

   bash
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   sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf
   

   Add:

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   address=/myalias/192.168.1.100  # Replace with the desired IP or use DHCP
   

3. Restart dnsmasq:

   bash
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   sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq
   

4. Configure your system to use dnsmasq as the DNS resolver:

   bash
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   sudo nano /etc/resolv.conf
   

   Add:

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   nameserver 127.0.0.1
   

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4. Using /etc/hosts with a Script (Dynamic Update)

If the IP changes rarely, you can use a script to update /etc/hosts dynamically. For example:

bash
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#!/bin/bash
NEW_IP=$(dig +short myhost.example.com)
sudo sed -i "s/^.*myalias.*$/\(NEW_IP\)\tmyalias/" /etc/hosts

Run this script periodically via cron.

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Summary Table

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