The Pi-hole[®](https://pi-hole.net/trademark-rules-and-brand-guidelines/) is a [DNS sinkhole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_Sinkhole) that protects your devices from unwanted content, without installing any 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**: content is blocked in _non-browser locations_, such as ad-laden mobile apps and smart TVs
- **Responsive**: seamlessly speeds up the feel of everyday browsing by caching DNS queries
- **Lightweight**: runs smoothly with [minimal hardware and software requirements](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/hardware-software-requirements/273)
- **Robust**: a command line interface that is quality assured for interoperability
- **Insightful**: a beautiful responsive Web Interface dashboard to view and control your Pi-hole
- **Versatile**: can optionally function as a [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), ensuring *all* your devices are protected automatically
- **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 server-grade hardware
[Piping to `bash` is controversial](https://pi-hole.net/2016/07/25/curling-and-piping-to-bash), as it prevents you from [reading code that is about to run](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/automated%20install/basic-install.sh) on your system. Therefore, we provide these alternative installation methods which allow code review before installation:
Once the installer has been run, you will need to [configure your router to have **DHCP clients use 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) which ensures that all devices connecting to your network will have content 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).
There are many reoccurring costs involved with maintaining free, open source, and privacy respecting software; expenses which [our volunteer developers](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.
-<imgsrc="https://pi-hole.github.io/graphics/Badges/paypal-badge-black.svg"width="24"height="24"alt="PP"/><ahref="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY">Donate via PayPal</a><br/>
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 so we are helping make this easier for people.
If you are going to be presenting Pi-hole at a conference, meetup or even a school project, [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/) so we can hook you up with free swag to hand out to your audience!
While we are primarily reachable on our <ahref="https://discourse.pi-hole.net/">Discourse User Forum</a>, we can also be found on a variety of social media outlets. **Please be sure to check the FAQ's** before starting a new discussion, as we do not have the spare time to reply to every request for assistance.
The `pihole` command has all the functionality necessary to be able to fully administer the Pi-hole, without the need of the Web Interface. It's fast, user-friendly, and auditable by anyone with understanding of `bash`.
* [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)
* [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 FTLDNS[™](https://pi-hole.net/trademark-rules-and-brand-guidelines/) is a lightweight, purpose-built daemon used to provide statistics needed for the Web Interface, and its API can be easily integrated into your own projects. As the name implies, FTLDNS does this all *very quickly*!
The API can be accessed via [`telnet`](https://github.com/pi-hole/FTL), the Web (`admin/api.php`) and Command Line (`pihole -c -j`). You can out find [more details over here](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pi-hole-api/1863).
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 Pi-hole was originally 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.
- [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/)
- [Linux Pro: The Hole Truth](http://www.linuxpromagazine.com/Issues/2017/200/The-sysadmin-s-daily-grind-Pi-hole)
- [CryptoAUSTRALIA: How We Tried 5 Privacy Focused Raspberry Pi Projects](https://blog.cryptoaustralia.org.au/2017/10/05/5-privacy-focused-raspberry-pi-projects/)
