Homelab Pi-hole DNS

Pi-hole is a network-wide DNS ad blocker that runs on a Raspberry Pi or any Linux host. Every device on your network gets ad and malware domain blocking automatically — no browser extension needed.

When to Use

• Installing Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi or Linux host
• Configuring Pi-hole as the DNS server for a home network
• Adding or managing blocklists
• Setting up DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) upstream resolvers
• Creating local DNS records (e.g. nas.home.lan, pi.home.lan)
• Troubleshooting devices that lose internet access after Pi-hole is installed
• Running Pi-hole alongside or instead of DHCP

How Pi-hole Works

Normal flow (without Pi-hole):
  Device → requests ads.tracker.com → ISP DNS → real IP → ads load

With Pi-hole:
  Device → requests ads.tracker.com → Pi-hole DNS → blocked (returns 0.0.0.0) → no ad

All DNS queries go through Pi-hole first.
Pi-hole checks against blocklists.
Blocked domains return a null response — the ad/tracker never loads.
Allowed domains get forwarded to your upstream resolver (Cloudflare, Google, etc.).

Installation

Docker (Recommended)

Docker is the easiest way to install Pi-hole and makes updates and backups straightforward.

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  pihole:
    image: pihole/pihole:<pinned-release-tag>
    container_name: pihole
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "80:80/tcp"          # Web admin
    environment:
      TZ: "America/New_York"
      WEBPASSWORD: "${PIHOLE_WEBPASSWORD}"   # set via .env file or secret
      PIHOLE_DNS_: "1.1.1.1;1.0.0.1"
      DNSMASQ_LISTENING: "all"
    volumes:
      - "./etc-pihole:/etc/pihole"
      - "./etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d"
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN              # only needed if Pi-hole will serve DHCP

Replace <pinned-release-tag> with a current Pi-hole release tag before deploying. Avoid latest for long-lived DNS infrastructure so upgrades are deliberate and reviewable.

Set PIHOLE_WEBPASSWORD in a .env file next to docker-compose.yml, chmod it to 600, and keep it out of git — do not put the password directly in the compose file.

Access web admin at: http://<pi-ip>/admin

Bare-Metal Install (Raspberry Pi OS / Debian / Ubuntu)

Pi-hole requires a static IP before installing.

# Step 1: Assign a static IP (edit /etc/dhcpcd.conf on Pi OS)
sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf
# Add at the bottom:
interface eth0
static ip_address=192.168.3.2/24
static routers=192.168.3.1
static domain_name_servers=192.168.3.1

# Step 2: Download and inspect the installer before running it.
# Prefer the package or installer path documented by Pi-hole for your OS/version.
curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net -o pi-hole-install.sh
less pi-hole-install.sh   # review before proceeding

# Step 3: Run
bash pi-hole-install.sh

# Follow the interactive installer:
# 1. Select network interface (eth0 for wired — recommended)
# 2. Select upstream DNS (Cloudflare or leave default — can change later)
# 3. Confirm static IP
# 4. Install the web admin interface (recommended)
# 5. Note the admin password shown at the end

Pointing Your Network at Pi-hole

# Method 1: Change DNS in your router DHCP settings (recommended)
  Router admin UI → DHCP Settings → DNS Server
  Primary DNS: 192.168.3.2  (Pi-hole IP)
  Secondary DNS: leave blank for strict blocking, or use a second Pi-hole.
                 A public fallback such as 1.1.1.1 improves availability during
                 rollout but can bypass blocking because clients may query it.

  All devices get Pi-hole as DNS automatically on next DHCP renewal.
  Force renewal: reconnect Wi-Fi or run 'sudo dhclient -r && sudo dhclient' on Linux

# Method 2: Per-device DNS (useful for testing before network-wide rollout)
  Windows: Control Panel → Network Adapter → IPv4 Properties → set DNS manually
  macOS: System Settings → Network → Details → DNS → set manually
  Linux: /etc/resolv.conf or NetworkManager

# Method 3: Pi-hole as DHCP server (replaces router DHCP)
  Pi-hole admin → Settings → DHCP → Enable
  Disable DHCP on your router first — two DHCP servers on the same network cause conflicts
  Advantage: hostname resolution works automatically (devices register their names)

Blocklist Management

# Pi-hole admin → Adlists → Add new adlist

# Recommended blocklists:
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts
  # default — 200k+ domains


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