diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index c14dfbfe84a..af4b77cf736 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1656,6 +1656,11 @@ dependencies = [
  "webrender_traits 0.24.0 (git+https://github.com/servo/webrender)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "multistr"
+version = "0.2.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "net"
 version = "0.0.1"
@@ -1741,6 +1746,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "log 0.3.6 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "msg 0.0.1",
  "num-traits 0.1.36 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "parse-hosts 0.3.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "serde 0.9.7 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "serde_derive 0.9.7 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "servo-websocket 0.18.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
@@ -1962,6 +1968,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "winapi 0.2.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "parse-hosts"
+version = "0.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+dependencies = [
+ "multistr 0.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pdqsort"
 version = "0.1.2"
@@ -3440,6 +3454,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "checksum mozjs_sys 0.0.0 (git+https://github.com/servo/mozjs)" = "<none>"
 "checksum mp3-metadata 0.2.3 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "2f61cf32f7fc3cec83a15a255ac60bceb6cac59a7ce190cb824ca25c0fce0feb"
 "checksum mp4parse 0.7.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "7b81651f9ede53d59281b54c7eb51ae50a868ac4765dd3bdfbbc79ce3d8aca7a"
+"checksum multistr 0.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "948d1285dd39981f6a5b1a72624c323312d29e2121682a742a87a773dd723bef"
 "checksum net2 0.2.26 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "5edf9cb6be97212423aed9413dd4729d62b370b5e1c571750e882cebbbc1e3e2"
 "checksum nodrop 0.1.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "0dbbadd3f4c98dea0bd3d9b4be4c0cdaf1ab57035cb2e41fce3983db5add7cc5"
 "checksum nom 1.2.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "a5b8c256fd9471521bcb84c3cdba98921497f1a331cbc15b8030fc63b82050ce"
@@ -3464,6 +3479,7 @@ dependencies = [
 "checksum owning_ref 0.2.4 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "9d52571ddcb42e9c900c901a18d8d67e393df723fcd51dd59c5b1a85d0acb6cc"
 "checksum parking_lot 0.3.8 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "fa12d706797d42551663426a45e2db2e0364bd1dbf6aeada87e89c5f981f43e9"
 "checksum parking_lot_core 0.2.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "fb1b97670a2ffadce7c397fb80a3d687c4f3060140b885621ef1653d0e5d5068"
+"checksum parse-hosts 0.3.0 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "7626e29ef8f479f10d9a753f1fca914506663ecc9ec2dedb8cffc610a3d1f705"
 "checksum pdqsort 0.1.2 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "ceca1642c89148ca05611cc775a0c383abef355fc4907c4e95f49f7b09d6287c"
 "checksum phf 0.7.21 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "cb325642290f28ee14d8c6201159949a872f220c62af6e110a56ea914fbe42fc"
 "checksum phf_codegen 0.7.21 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)" = "d62594c0bb54c464f633175d502038177e90309daf2e0158be42ed5f023ce88f"
diff --git a/components/net_traits/Cargo.toml b/components/net_traits/Cargo.toml
index 87dc784bbd6..cc4c0327667 100644
--- a/components/net_traits/Cargo.toml
+++ b/components/net_traits/Cargo.toml
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ lazy_static = "0.2"
 log = "0.3.5"
 msg = {path = "../msg"}
 num-traits = "0.1.32"
+parse-hosts = "0.3.0"
 serde = "0.9"
 serde_derive = "0.9"
 servo_config = {path = "../config", features = ["servo"]}
diff --git a/components/net_traits/hosts.rs b/components/net_traits/hosts.rs
index 9d4acedb83e..dc81906683e 100644
--- a/components/net_traits/hosts.rs
+++ b/components/net_traits/hosts.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
+use parse_hosts::HostsFile;
 use servo_url::ServoUrl;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 use std::env;
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ fn create_host_table() -> Option<HashMap<String, IpAddr>> {
         Err(_) => return None,
     };
 
-    return Some(parse_hostsfile(&lines));
+    Some(parse_hostsfile(&lines))
 }
 
 pub fn replace_host_table(table: HashMap<String, IpAddr>) {
@@ -41,19 +42,17 @@ pub fn replace_host_table(table: HashMap<String, IpAddr>) {
 
 pub fn parse_hostsfile(hostsfile_content: &str) -> HashMap<String, IpAddr> {
     let mut host_table = HashMap::new();
-    for line in hostsfile_content.split('\n') {
-        let mut ip_host = line.trim().split(|c: char| c == ' ' || c == '\t');
-        if let Some(ip) = ip_host.next() {
-            if let Ok(address) = ip.parse::<IpAddr>() {
-                for token in ip_host {
-                    if token.as_bytes()[0] == b'#' {
-                        break;
-                    }
-                    host_table.insert((*token).to_owned(), address);
+
+    for line in HostsFile::read_buffered(hostsfile_content.as_bytes()).lines() {
+        if let Ok(ref line) = line {
+            for host in line.hosts() {
+                if let Some(ip) = line.ip() {
+                    host_table.insert(host.to_owned(), ip);
                 }
             }
         }
     }
+
     host_table
 }
 
diff --git a/components/net_traits/lib.rs b/components/net_traits/lib.rs
index d2ffee09887..f3dd1c726cf 100644
--- a/components/net_traits/lib.rs
+++ b/components/net_traits/lib.rs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ extern crate lazy_static;
 extern crate log;
 extern crate msg;
 extern crate num_traits;
+extern crate parse_hosts;
 extern crate serde;
 #[macro_use]
 extern crate serde_derive;