The Pi-hole blocks ads via a [DNS sinkhole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_Sinkhole), so all your devices are protected without the need to install client-side software.
- **Easy-to-install**: our versatile installer walks you through the process, and [takes less than ten minutes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKWjx1AQYgs)
- **Resolute**: ads are blocked in _non-browser locations_ such as ad-laden mobile apps and smart TVs
- **Fast**: speeds up the feel of everyday browsing by caching DNS queries, saving bandwidth
- **Lightweight**: runs smoothly and requires [minimal resources](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/hardware-software-requirements/273)
- **Robust**: a command line interface for those preferring CLI, and/or wanting to automate tasks
- **Scalable**: [capable of handling hundreds of millions of queries](https://pi-hole.net/2017/05/24/how-much-traffic-can-pi-hole-handle/) when installed on powerful hardware
- **Modern**: blocks ads over both IPv4 and IPv6
- **Free**: open source software which helps ensure _you_ are the sole person in control of your privacy
[Piping to `bash` can be dangerous](https://pi-hole.net/2016/07/25/curling-and-piping-to-bash/), so we understand the importance of giving people the option to review our code! Our installer is [found here](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/automated%20install/basic-install.sh), if you wish to read it before running.
Once the installer has been run, you will need to [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) so that any device that connects to your network will have ads blocked without any further intervention.
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 (if it has that feature available).
As a last resort, you can always manually set each device to use Pi-hole as their DNS server.
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## Pi-hole is free, but powered by your support
There are many reoccuring costs involved with maintaining free, open source and privacy respecting software; expenses which [our volunteers](https://github.com/orgs/pi-hole/people) pitch in to cover out-of-pocket. This is just one example of how strongly we feel about our software, as well as the importance of keeping it maintained.
-  [Donate via PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY)
If you have something to add - anything from a typo through to a whole new feature, we're happy to check it out! Just make sure to fill out our template when submitting your request; the questions that it asks will help the volunteers quickly understand what you're aiming to achieve.
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, which will help you better understand how Pi-hole works. They're also a valuable resource to those who want to learn how to write scripts or code a program! We encourage anyone who likes to tinker to read through it, and submit a pull request for us to review.
Word-of-mouth continues to help our project grow immensely, and we'd like to help those who are going to be presenting Pi-hole at a conference, meetup or even a school project. If you'd like some free swag to hand out to your audience, [get in touch with us](https://pi-hole.net/2017/05/17/giving-a-presentation-on-pi-hole-contact-us-first-for-some-goodies-and-support/).
* [Viewing the live log file](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown#tail)
* [Real-time Statistics via `ssh`](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown#chronometer) or [your TFT LCD screen](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00ID39LM4/pihole09-20)
* [Updating Ad Lists](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown#gravity)
* [Querying Ad Lists for matching domains](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown#query)
* [Enabling and Disabling Pi-hole](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown#enable--disable)
* ... and *many* more!
You can read our [Core Feature Breakdown](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki/Core-Function-Breakdown), as well as read up on [example usage](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/the-pihole-command-with-examples/738) for more information.
This [optional dashboard](https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE) allows you to view stats, change settings, and configure your Pi-hole. It's the power of the Command Line Interface, with none of the learning curve!
The [FTL Engine](https://github.com/pi-hole/FTL) is a lightweight purpose-built daemon used to provide statistics needed for the Web Interface, and its API can be easily intergrated into your own projects. As the name implies, FTL does this all *very quickly*!
Some of the statistics you can intergrate include:
* Total number of domains being blocked
* Total number of DNS queries today
* Total number of ads blocked today
* Percentage of ads blocked
* Unique domains
* Queries forwarded (to your chosen upstream DNS server)
* Queries cached (served by Pi-hole)
* Unique Pi-hole clients
The API can be accessed via [`telnet`](https://github.com/pi-hole/FTL), the Web (`admin/api.php`) and Command Line (`pihole -c -j`). [More details are found here](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pi-hole-api/1863).
To summarize into a short sentence, the Pi-hole is an **advertising-aware DNS/Web server**. 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.
-----
## Pi-hole Projects
- [Docker Pi-hole container (x86 and ARM)](https://hub.docker.com/r/diginc/pi-hole/)
- [Lifehacker: Turn A Raspberry Pi Into An Ad Blocker With A Single Command](https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/02/turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-an-ad-blocker-with-a-single-command/)
- [MakeUseOf: Adblock Everywhere: The Raspberry Pi-Hole Way](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/adblock-everywhere-raspberry-pi-hole-way/)
- [Catchpoint: Ad-Blocking on Apple iOS9: Valuing the End User Experience](http://blog.catchpoint.com/2015/09/14/ad-blocking-apple/)
- [Security Now Netcast: Pi-hole](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7-osq_y8i8&t=100m26s)
- [TekThing: Raspberry Pi-Hole Makes Ads Disappear!](https://youtu.be/8Co59HU2gY0?t=2m)
- [The Defrag Show: Endoscope USB Camera, The Final [HoloLens] Vote, Adblock Pi and more](https://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/The-Defrag-Show/Defrag-Endoscope-USB-Camera-The-Final-HoloLens-Vote-Adblock-Pi-and-more?WT.mc_id=dlvr_twitter_ch9#time=20m39s)
- [Adafruit: Pi-hole is a black hole for internet ads](https://blog.adafruit.com/2016/03/04/pi-hole-is-a-black-hole-for-internet-ads-piday-raspberrypi-raspberry_pi/)
- [Digital Trends: 5 Fun, Easy Projects You Can Try With a $35 Raspberry Pi](https://youtu.be/QwrKlyC2kdM?t=1m42s)
- [Adafruit: Raspberry Pi Quick Look at Pi Hole ad blocking server with Tony D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4u2j1HYlI)
- [Devacron: OrangePi Zero as an Ad-Block server with Pi-Hole](http://www.devacron.com/orangepi-zero-as-an-ad-block-server-with-pi-hole/)
- [CryptoAUSTRALIA Blog: How We Tried 5 Privacy Focused Raspberry Pi Projects](https://blog.cryptoaustralia.org.au/2017/10/05/5-privacy-focused-raspberry-pi-projects/)
