The Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected.
- **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
[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*.
-  [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.
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-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.
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:
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
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.
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). 
- [](https://gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
## Technical Details
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.
### Gravity: Finding Ads To Block
The [gravity.sh](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/blob/master/gravity.sh) script does most of the magic. The script pulls in over 100,000 known ad-serving domains from many sources and aggregates them into a single list.
#### Additional Blocklists
You can also use Pi-hole to block additional domains beyond the defaults. It can even be used to block malware or phising domains. [The Big Blocklist Collection](https://wally3k.github.io/) is a good resource for finding additional domains to block.
#### Other Operating Systems
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.
- [Go Bananas for CHiP-hole ad blocking](https://www.hackster.io/jacobsalmela/chip-hole-network-wide-ad-blocker-98e037)
- [Sky-Hole](http://dlaa.me/blog/post/skyhole)
- [Pi-hole in the Cloud!](http://blog.codybunch.com/2015/07/28/Pi-Hole-in-the-cloud/)
- [unRaid-hole](https://github.com/spants/unraidtemplates/blob/master/Spants/unRaid-hole.xml#L13)--[Repo and more info](http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=c0eae3e5ef7e521f7866034a3336489d&topic=38486.0)
- [Medium: Block All Ads For $53](https://medium.com/@robleathern/block-ads-on-all-home-devices-for-53-18-a5f1ec139693#.gj1xpgr5d)
- [MakeUseOf: Adblock Everywhere, The Pi-hole Way](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/adblock-everywhere-raspberry-pi-hole-way/)
- [Lifehacker: Turn Your Pi Into An Ad Blocker With A Single Command](http://lifehacker.com/turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-an-ad-blocker-with-a-single-co-1686093533)!
- [Pi-hole on TekThing](https://youtu.be/8Co59HU2gY0?t=2m)
- [Pi-hole on Security Now! Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7-osq_y8i8&t=100m26s)
