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Pi-hole installation, blocklist management, DNS-over-HTTPS setup, DHCP integration, local DNS records, and troubleshooting broken DNS resolution on a home network.
name: homelab-pihole-dns description: Pi-hole installation, blocklist management, DNS-over-HTTPS setup, DHCP integration, local DNS records, and troubleshooting broken DNS resolution on a home network. origin: community
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
https://blocklistproject.github.io/Lists/malware.txt
# malware domains
https://blocklistproject.github.io/Lists/tracking.txt
# tracking/telemetry
# After adding a list:
Tools → Update Gravity (downloads and compiles all blocklists)
# If a site is blocked
