# Pi-hole

A black hole for Internet advertisements

Repository: https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pi-hole
Homepage: https://pi-hole.net
Language: Shell
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: pi-hole, ad-blocker, shell, blocker, raspberry-pi, cloud, dnsmasq, dhcp, dhcp-server, dns-server, dashboard
Last push: 2026-08-26T21:18:32+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 97/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 92, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4469, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 58, "gap_med": 21, "n_releases_24m": 20}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 60626, forks 3295 (observed 2026-08-28T04:12:18.818992+00:00)

## What it is
Pi-hole is a network-wide DNS sinkhole application that blocks advertisements and trackers for every device on a network without client-side software. It runs on Linux hardware (including Raspberry Pi) or Docker, provides DNS caching, an optional DHCP server, and a web dashboard for monitoring and control.

## Use cases
- block ads on my entire network
- set up a dns sinkhole on raspberry pi
- block ads in mobile apps and smart tvs
- self-hosted dns server with ad blocking
- monitor dns queries on my home network
- replace my router's dhcp server
- run pi-hole in docker

## When to choose
- you want network-wide ad and tracker blocking without installing anything on each device
- you have a spare Linux machine, Raspberry Pi, or Docker host on your network
- you want insight into DNS traffic with a web dashboard
- you want a lightweight, free, self-hosted DNS solution with optional DHCP

## When to avoid
- you need ad blocking only in a browser - a browser extension is simpler
- you cannot change your network's DNS settings (e.g., locked-down ISP router)
- you need content filtering beyond domain-based blocking, such as deep packet inspection
- you have no device on the network that can run a persistent service

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: caching, monitoring, self-hosted, security, cli, gui
- domain: networking, privacy, self-hosted, security, developer-tools
- platform: self-hosted, cli
- tags: dns-sinkhole, ad-blocking, network-wide, dhcp-server, raspberry-pi, dnsmasq, web-dashboard, dns-server, linux, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- pi-hole/pi-hole (main) score 97
- pi-hole/docker-pi-hole (infra) score 95
- pi-hole/web (frontend) score 93
- pi-hole/FTL (backend) score 97
- pi-hole/PADD (plugin) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:18.818992+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:17:46.821894+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole (fetched 2026-08-28T04:12:18.818992+00:00, sha fb234eef00e4)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.