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Self-Hosting Pi-hole: DNS-Level Ad Blocking

Pi-hole blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level for your entire network. Set it as your DNS server and every device is protected.

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What Is Pi-hole?


Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that blocks ads and trackers at the network level. Set it as your DNS server and every device on your network gets ad blocking.


How It Works


1. Your device makes a DNS query

2. Pi-hole checks the domain against blocklists

3. Blocked domains return 0.0.0.0 (no ad loads)

4. Allowed domains resolve normally


Features


Blocking

  • Community blocklists (100,000+ domains)
  • Custom blocklists and whitelists
  • Regex-based filtering
  • Group management (different rules per device)

    • Dashboard

  • Total queries and blocked percentage
  • Top blocked domains
  • Top clients
  • Query log with live view
  • Network overview

    • DNS

  • Recursive DNS (with Unbound)
  • Custom DNS records
  • Conditional forwarding
  • DHCP server (optional)

    • Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home


  • Pi-hole: More mature, larger community, extensions
  • AdGuard Home: More DNS protocols (DoH, DoT, DoQ), better UI
  • Both: Effective DNS-level ad blocking

    • Results


    Typical Pi-hole installations block 15-30% of all DNS queries. That's 15-30% of network traffic that was ads, trackers, or telemetry.


    Deployment


    1. Deploy Pi-hole on TinyPod

    2. Set your router's DNS to Pi-hole's IP

    3. All devices automatically protected

    4. Monitor the dashboard


    Resources: 1 CPU, 128 MB RAM.


    Pi-hole is one of the most impactful self-hosted tools. One deployment protects every device on your network from ads and trackers.