/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 Query Log
+
+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.
-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
-
+
+#### 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.
+
+
+
+
+
+### Whitelist And Blacklist
+
+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).
+
+
+
+
+
+#### Additional Blocklists
+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/).
+
+
+
+
+
+### Enable And Disable Pi-hole
+Sometimes you may want to stop using Pi-hole or turn it back on. You can trigger this via the dashboard or command line.
+
+
+
+
+
+### Tools
+
+
+
+
+
+
+#### Update Ad Lists
+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 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)).
+
+
+
+
+
+However, most of the time, you will be able to solve any issues without any intervention from us. But if you can't, we're always around to help out.
+
### Settings
The settings page lets you control and configure your Pi-hole. You can do things like:
+- view networking information
+- flush logs or disable the logging of queries
- enable Pi-hole's built-in DHCP server
-- exclude domains from the graphs
+- manage block lists
+- exclude domains from the graphs and enable privacy options
- configure upstream DNS servers
+- restart Pi-hole's services
+- back up some of Pi-hole's important files
- and more!
-![Settings page](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/settings212.png)
+![Settings page](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/settings-page.png)
-#### Built-in DHCP Server
+## Built-in DHCP Server
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.
@@ -147,11 +224,6 @@ The Pi-hole is an **advertising-aware DNS/Web server**. If an ad domain is queri
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.
From 03387391def4e473faf670e85f67752e617627aa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jacob Salmela
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 00:53:14 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 08/11] wordsmith DHCP server section, API section, and
chronometer2 section. Also add more images
Signed-off-by: Jacob Salmela
---
README.md | 64 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 51 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6b14b40b..36fc5312 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -181,31 +181,69 @@ The settings page lets you control and configure your Pi-hole. You can do thing
## Built-in DHCP Server
-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.
+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.
+
-
+
-## API
-
-A basic read-only API can be accessed at `/admin/api.php`. It returns the following JSON:
+## The FTL Engine: Our API
+A read-only API can be accessed at `admin/api.php`. 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
+ }
```
+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).
The same output can be achieved on the CLI by running `chronometer.sh -j`
-## Real-time Statistics
+### Real-time Statistics, Courtesy Of The Time Cops
-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 LCD](http://i.imgur.com/nBEqycp.jpg)
+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).
-## Get Help Or Connect With Us On The Web
+Simply run `pihole -c` for some detailed information.
+```
+|¯¯¯(¯)__|¯|_ ___|¯|___ Pi-hole: v3.2
+| ¯_/¯|__| ' \/ _ \ / -_) AdminLTE: v3.2
+|_| |_| |_||_\___/_\___| FTL: v2.10
+ ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
+ Hostname: pihole (Raspberry Pi 1, Model B)
+ Uptime: 11 days, 12:55:01
+ Task Load: 0.35 0.16 0.15 (Active: 5 of 33 tasks)
+ CPU usage: 48% (1 core @ 700 MHz, 47c)
+ RAM usage: 12% (Used: 54 MB of 434 MB)
+ HDD usage: 20% (Used: 1 GB of 7 GB)
+ LAN addr: 192.168.1.100 (Gateway: 192.168.1.1)
+ Pi-hole: Active (Blocking: 111175 sites)
+ Ads Today: 11% (1759 of 15812 queries)
+ Fwd DNS: 208.67.222.222 (Alt DNS: 3 others)
+ ——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
+ Recently blocked: www.google-analytics.com
+ Top Advertiser: www.example.org
+ Top Domain: www.example.org
+ Top Client: somehost
+```
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+# Get Help Or Connect With Us On The Web
- [Users Forum](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/)
- [FAQs](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/c/faqs)
From f4c7d389e5926903c90652d3adc3654fc1f1ef71 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jacob Salmela
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 01:03:09 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 09/11] more wordsmithing and updating links
Signed-off-by: Jacob Salmela
---
README.md | 32 ++++++++++++++------------------
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 18 deletions(-)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 36fc5312..2c95e0b3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -169,15 +169,18 @@ The settings page lets you control and configure your Pi-hole. You can do thing
- view networking information
- flush logs or disable the logging of queries
-- enable Pi-hole's built-in DHCP server
-- manage block lists
+- [enable 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)
+- [manage block lists](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-add-additional-block-lists-to-pi-hole/259)
- exclude domains from the graphs and enable privacy options
- configure upstream DNS servers
- restart Pi-hole's services
- back up some of Pi-hole's important files
- and more!
-![Settings page](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/settings-page.png)
+
+
+
+
## Built-in DHCP Server
@@ -191,7 +194,9 @@ One nice feature of using Pi-hole's DHCP server if you can set hostnames and DHC
## The FTL Engine: Our API
-A 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":111175,
@@ -204,9 +209,8 @@ A read-only API can be accessed at `admin/api.php`. It returns the following JSO
"unique_clients":18
}
```
-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).
-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
@@ -254,20 +258,12 @@ Simply run `pihole -c` for some detailed information.
- ![YouTube](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/youtube.png) [Pi-hole channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT5kq9w0wSjogzJb81C9U0w)
- [![Join the chat at https://gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole](https://badges.gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole.svg)](https://gitter.im/pi-hole/pi-hole?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=badge&utm_campaign=pr-badge&utm_content=badge)
-## Technical Details
+# 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.
-
-#### 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.
+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.
-## 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)
@@ -288,7 +284,7 @@ The automated install is only for a clean install of a Debian family or Fedora b
- [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)
-## Coverage
+# Coverage
- [Adafruit livestream install](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg4u2j1HYlI)
- [TekThing: 5 fun, easy projects for a Raspberry Pi](https://youtu.be/QwrKlyC2kdM?t=1m42s)
From bc1065a7fc83c2b0a4e93b50e7c1a1eb264f8454 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jacob Salmela
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 01:18:50 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 10/11] reorganize sections. install instructions first. also
added more wordsmithing and links to interesting pi-hole.net articles
Signed-off-by: Jacob Salmela
---
README.md | 37 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 26 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2c95e0b3..980a9d93 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -29,16 +29,6 @@ The Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected.
- **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
-# Pi-hole Is Free, But Powered By Your Donations
-
-[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*.
-
-- ![Paypal](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/paypal.png) [Donate via PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY)
-- ![Bitcoin](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/Bitcoin.png) Bitcoin Address: 1GKnevUnVaQM2pQieMyeHkpr8DXfkpfAtL
-
-## Other Ways To Support Us
-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.
-
# 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!)
@@ -74,6 +64,29 @@ Alternatively, you can manually set each device to use Pi-hole as their DNS serv
+# Pi-hole Is Free, But Powered By Your Donations
+
+[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*.
+
+- ![Paypal](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/paypal.png) [Donate via PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=3J2L3Z4DHW9UY)
+- ![Bitcoin](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/Bitcoin.png) Bitcoin Address: 1GKnevUnVaQM2pQieMyeHkpr8DXfkpfAtL
+
+## Other Ways To Support Us
+### Affiliate Links
+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
+
+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.
+
# Overview Of Features
## The Dashboard (Web Interface)
@@ -96,6 +109,8 @@ If enabled, the query log will show all of the DNS queries requested by clients
+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/).
+
#### 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.
@@ -139,7 +154,7 @@ This runs `gravity` to download any newly-added domains from your source 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 in real time to help debug any issues, or just see what's happening with your Pi-hole.
+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.
From ea8927e1da9ab21a0b2fcadcee0d11151be186b3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jacob Salmela
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 01:21:47 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 11/11] add facebook page to contact info
Signed-off-by: Jacob Salmela
---
README.md | 1 +
1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 980a9d93..0ba43d7c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -268,6 +268,7 @@ Simply run `pihole -c` for some detailed information.
- [FAQs](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/c/faqs)
- [Feature requests](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/c/feature-requests?order=votes)
- [Wiki](https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole/wiki)
+- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ThePiHole/)
- ![Twitter](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/twitter.png) [Tweet @The_Pi_Hole](https://twitter.com/The_Pi_Hole)
- ![Reddit](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/reddit.png) [Reddit /r/pihole](https://www.reddit.com/r/pihole/)
- ![YouTube](https://assets.pi-hole.net/static/youtube.png) [Pi-hole channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT5kq9w0wSjogzJb81C9U0w)