## Pi-hole®: The multi-platform, network-wide ad blocker
Block ads for **all** your devices _without_ the need to install client-side software. The Pi-hole™ blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected.
- Web Browsers
- Cell Phones
- Smart TV's
- Internet-connected home automation
- Anything that communicates with the Internet
Block ads for **all** your devices _without_ the need to install client-side software.
Digital Ocean helps with our infrastructure, but our developers are all volunteers so *your donations help keep us innovating*. Sending a donation using our links below helps us offset a portion of our monthly costs.
## Executive Summary
The Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected.
-  [Donate via PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY)
- **Easy-to-install** - our intelligent installer walks you through the process with no additional software needed on client devices
- **Universal** - ads are blocked in _non-browser locations_ such as ad-supported mobile apps and smart TVs
- **Quick** - installation takes less than ten minutes and it [_really_ is _that easy_](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/new-pi-hole-questions/3971/5?u=jacob.salmela)
- **Informative** - an administrative Web interface shows ad-blocking statistics
- **Lightweight** - designed to run on [minimal resources](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/hardware-software-requirements/273)
- **Scalable** - even in large environments, [Pi-hole can handle hundreds of millions of queries](https://pi-hole.net/2017/05/24/how-much-traffic-can-pi-hole-handle/) (with the right hardware specs)
- **Powerful** - advertisements are blocked over IPv4 _and_ IPv6
- **Fast** - it speeds up high-cost, high-latency networks by caching DNS queries and saves bandwidth by not downloading advertisement elements
- **Versatile** - Pi-hole can function also function as a DHCP server
### One-Step Automated Install
# One-Step Automated Install
1. Install a [supported operating system](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/hardware-software-requirements/273/1)
2. Run the command below (it downloads [this script](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/automated%20install/basic-install.sh) in case you want to read over it first!)
Once installed, [configure your router to have **DHCP clients use the Pi as their DNS server**](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-configure-my-devices-to-use-pi-hole-as-their-dns-server/245) and then any device that connects to your network will have ads blocked without any further configuration. Alternatively, you can manually set each device to use Pi-hole™ as their DNS server.
Once installed, [configure your router to have **DHCP clients use the Pi-hole as their DNS server**](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-configure-my-devices-to-use-pi-hole-as-their-dns-server/245) and then any device that connects to your network will have ads blocked without any further configuration.
If your router does not support setting the DNS server, you can [use Pi-hole's built in DHCP server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026); just be sure to disable DHCP on your router first.
Alternatively, you can manually set each device to use Pi-hole as their DNS server.
[Digital Ocean](http://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=344d234950e1) helps with our infrastructure, but [our developers](https://github.com/orgs/pi-hole/people) are all volunteers so *your donations help keep us innovating*.
- [](https://gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
-  [Donate via PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY)
If you'd rather not send money, there are [other ways to support us](https://pi-hole.net/donate): you can sign up for services through our affiliate links, which will also help us offset some of the costs associated with keeping Pi-hole operational; or you can support us in some non-tangible ways as listed below.
### Contributing Code Via Pull Requests
We don't work on Pi-hole for monetary reasons; we work on it because we think it's fun and we think our software is important in today's world. To that end, we welcome all contributors--from novices to masters.
If you feel you have some code to contribute, we're happy to take a look. Just make sure to fill out our template when submitting a pull request. We're all volunteers on the project and without all the information in the template, it's very difficult for us to quickly get the code merged in.
You'll find that the [install script](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/automated%20install/basic-install.sh) and the [debug script](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/advanced/Scripts/piholeDebug.sh) have an abundance of comments. These are two important scripts but we think they can also be a valuable resource to those who want to learn how to write scripts or code a program, which is why they are fully commented. So we encourage anyone who likes to tinker to read through it and submit a PR for us to review.
### Presenting About Pi-hole
## Technical Details
Word-of-mouth has immensely helped our project grow. If you are going to be presenting about Pi-hole at a conference, meetup, or even for a school project, [get a hold of us for some free swag](https://pi-hole.net/2017/05/17/giving-a-presentation-on-pi-hole-contact-us-first-for-some-goodies-and-support/) to hand out to your audience.
The Pi-hole™ is an **advertising-aware DNS/Web server**. If an ad domain is queried, a small Web page or GIF is delivered in place of the advertisement.
# Overview Of Features
### Gravity
## The Dashboard (Web Interface)
The [gravity.sh](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/gravity.sh) does most of the magic. The script pulls in ad domains from many sources and compiles them into a single list of [over 1.6 million entries](http://jacobsalmela.com/block-millions-ads-network-wide-with-a-raspberry-pi-hole-2-0) (if you decide to use the [mahakala list](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/commit/963eacfe0537a7abddf30441c754c67ca1e40965)). This script is controlled by the `pihole` command. Please run `pihole -h` to see what commands can be run via `pihole`.
The [dashboard](https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE#pi-hole-admin-dashboard) will (by default) be enabled during installation so you can view stats, change settings, and configure your Pi-hole.
There are several ways to [access the dashboard](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-access-pi-holes-dashboard-admin-interface/3168):
#### Other Operating Systems
1. `http://<IP_ADDPRESS_OF_YOUR_PI_HOLE>/admin/`
2. `http:/pi.hole/admin/` (when using Pi-hole as your DNS server)
3. `http://pi.hole/` (when using Pi-hole as your DNS server)
The automated install is only for a clean install of a Debian family or Fedora based system, such as the Raspberry Pi. However, this script will work for most UNIX-like systems, some with some slight **modifications** that we can help you work through. If you can install `dnsmasq` and a web server, it should work OK. If there are other platforms you'd like supported, let us know.
### The Query Log
### Web Interface
If enabled, the query log will show all of the DNS queries requested by clients using Pi-hole as their DNS server. Forwarded domains will show in green, and blocked (_Pi-holed_) domains will show in red. You can also white or black list domains from within this section.
The [Web interface](https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE#pi-hole-admin-dashboard) will be installed automatically so you can view stats and change settings. You can find it at:
The query log and graphs are what have helped people [discover what sort of traffic is traversing their networks](https://pi-hole.net/2017/07/06/round-3-what-really-happens-on-your-network/).
`http://192.168.1.x/admin/index.php` or `http://pi.hole/admin`
#### Long-term Statistics
Using our Faster-Than-Light Engine ([FTL](https://github.com/pi-hole/FTL)), Pi-hole can store all of the domains queried in a database for retrieval or analysis later on. You can view this data as a graph, individual queries, or top clients/advertisers.
Domains can be [whitelisted](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/commonly-whitelisted-domains/212) and/or [blacklisted](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/commonly-blacklisted-domains/305) using either the dashboard or [the `pihole` command](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/the-pihole-command-with-examples/738).
Domains can be whitelisted and blacklisted using either the web interface or the command line. See [the wiki page](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Whitelisting-and-Blacklisting) for more details
By default, Pi-hole blocks over 100,000 known ad-serving domains. You can expand the blocking power of your Pi-hole by [adding additional lists](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-add-additional-block-lists-to-pi-hole/259) such as the ones found on [The Big Blocklist Collection](https://wally3k.github.io/).
This runs `gravity` to download any newly-added domains from your source lists.
#### Query Ad Lists
You can find out what list a certain domain was on. This is useful for troubleshooting sites that may not work properly due to a blocked domain.
#### `tail`ing Log Files
You can [watch the log files](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-watch-and-interpret-the-pihole-log-file/276) in real time to help debug any issues, or just see what's happening with your Pi-hole.
#### Pi-hole Debugger
If you are having trouble with your Pi-hole, this is the place to go. You can run the debugger and it will attempt to diagnose any issues and then link to an FAQ with instructions on rectifying the problem.
If run [via the command line](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/the-pihole-command-with-examples/738#debug), you will see red/yellow/green text, which makes it easy to identify any problems.
After the debugger has finished, you have the option to upload it to our secure server for 48 hours. All you need to do then is provide one of our developers the unique token generated by the debugger (this is usually done via [our forums](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/c/bugs-problems-issues)).
Pi-hole ships with a [built-in DHCP server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026). This allows you to let your network devices use Pi-hole as their DNS server if your router does not let you adjust the DHCP options.
One nice feature of using Pi-hole's DHCP server if you can set hostnames and DHCP reservations so you'll [see hostnames in the query log instead of IP addresses](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-show-hostnames-instead-of-ip-addresses-in-the-dashboard/3530). You can still do this without using Pi-hole's DHCP server; it just takes a little more work. If you do plan to use Pi-hole's DHCP server, be sure to disable DHCP on your router first.
Pi-hole™ ships with a built-in DHCP server. This allows you to let your network devices use Pi-hole™ as their DNS server if your router does not let you adjust the DHCP options.
A basic read-only API can be accessed at `/admin/api.php`. It returns the following JSON:
A read-only API can be accessed at `admin/api.php` (the same output can be achieved on the CLI by running `pihole -c -j`).
It returns the following JSON:
``` json
{
"domains_being_blocked": "136708",
"dns_queries_today": "18108",
"ads_blocked_today": "14648",
"ads_percentage_today": "80.89"
}
"domains_being_blocked":111175,
"dns_queries_today":15669,
"ads_blocked_today":1752,
"ads_percentage_today":11.181314,
"unique_domains":1178,
"queries_forwarded":9177,
"queries_cached":4740,
"unique_clients":18
}
```
The same output can be achieved on the CLI by running `chronometer.sh -j`
More details on the API can be found [here](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pi-hole-api/1863) and on [the repo itself](https://github.com/pi-hole/FTL).
### Real-time Statistics, Courtesy Of The Time Cops
Using [chronometer2](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/advanced/Scripts/chronometer.sh), you can view [real-time stats](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-view-my-pi-holes-stats-over-ssh-or-on-an-lcd-using-chronometer/240) via `ssh` or on an LCD screen such as the [2.8" LCD screen from Adafruit](http://amzn.to/1P0q1Fj).
Simply run `pihole -c` for some detailed information.
- [](https://gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
# Technical Details
## Real-time Statistics
To summarize into a short sentence, the Pi-hole is an **advertising-aware DNS/Web server**. And while quite outdated at this point, [this original blog post about Pi-hole](https://jacobsalmela.com/2015/06/16/block-millions-ads-network-wide-with-a-raspberry-pi-hole-2-0/) goes into **great detail** about how it was setup and how it works. Syntactically, it's no longer accurate, but the same basic principles and logic still apply to Pi-hole's current state.
You can view [real-time stats](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-view-my-pi-holes-stats-over-ssh-or-on-an-lcd-using-chronometer/240) via `ssh` or on an [2.8" LCD screen](http://amzn.to/1P0q1Fj). This is accomplished via [`chronometer.sh`](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/advanced/Scripts/chronometer.sh). 
## Pi-hole™ Projects
# Pi-hole Projects
- [An ad blocking Magic Mirror](https://zonksec.com/blog/magic-mirror-dns-filtering/#dnssoftware)
- [Pi-hole stats in your Mac's menu bar](https://getbitbar.com/plugins/Network/pi-hole.1m.py)
@ -158,7 +300,7 @@ You can view [real-time stats](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-view-my-
- [Pi-hole Droid - open source Android client](https://github.com/friimaind/pi-hole-droid)
- [Windows DNS Swapper](https://github.com/roots84/DNS-Swapper), see [#1400](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/issues/1400)
Adam Warner
7 years ago