Pi-hole¶
x86-64 arm64 · 🐳 Docker · Documentation · http://<your.IP>:8811
Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that acts as a DNS (Domain Name System) sinkhole. It blocks connections to known ad servers, trackers, and malicious domains across all devices in your network, without requiring any browser extensions or client-side software.
Pi-hole Explained¶
- DNS-Based Filtering Pi-hole intercepts DNS queries made by devices on your network. When a domain is requested, Pi-hole checks it against a set of blocklists. If the domain is known to serve ads or track user activity, Pi-hole blocks the request, preventing unwanted content from loading.
- Customizable Blocklists You can choose from various community-maintained blocklists or add your own. These lists contain domains associated with ads, trackers, malware, or other undesirable content.
- Whole-Network Protection Once Pi-hole is configured as your network’s DNS server, all devices - smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, and IoT devices - are automatically protected. No additional configuration or software is required on the individual devices.
- Built-in Recursive DNS with Unbound For added privacy and full DNS resolution control, Unbound is installed and enabled by default during Pi-hole installation. Unbound functions as a local recursive DNS resolver, fetching responses directly from authoritative DNS servers rather than relying on upstream providers. This minimizes third-party exposure and can improve query performance.
- Web Interface Pi-hole includes a web-based dashboard that provides real-time visibility into DNS activity. The interface allows you to view statistics, manage blocklists, whitelist domains, and configure settings with ease.
- Privacy and Performance Benefits By blocking unwanted domains at the DNS level, Pi-hole reduces page load times, lowers bandwidth usage, and enhances user privacy by preventing tracking scripts and ads from reaching client devices.
- Platform Compatibility Pi-hole can be installed on a variety of platforms. It runs well on lightweight systems such as Armbian Minimal, but is also available as a Docker container and supports deployment on most Linux-based environments.
Pi-hole offers an effective and centralized way to enhance privacy and reduce unwanted content across your entire network.
Install from armbian-config → Software → DNS → Pi-hole
| CLI install | |
|---|---|
- Password is set on install and can be adjusted from
armbian-config
All armbian-config commands
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Install | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole install |
| Pi-hole remove | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole remove |
| Pi-hole purge with data folder | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole purge |
| Pi-hole change web admin password | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole password |
| Status | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole status |
| Help | armbian-config --api module_pi_hole help |
Part of Armbian’s Network-wide ad blockers servers software.