# FAQs

**URL:** https://discourse.pi-hole.net/c/faqs/13.md

[Latest](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/latest.md) · [Categories](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/categories.md) · [Tags](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/tags.md)

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## [About the FAQs category](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/about-the-faqs-category/236)

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**Author:** [@feature-bot](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/feature-bot)\
**Replies:** 0

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Pi-hole Frequently Asked Questions. This category is controlled by the admins so please don't post here directly. We will convert Help posts into FAQs as we see them being asked a lot.

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## [Commonly Whitelisted Domains](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/commonly-whitelisted-domains/212)

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**Author:** [@system](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/system)\
**Replies:** 198\
**Last updated:** [February 9, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/commonly-whitelisted-domains/212 "2026-02-09T04:18:34Z")

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This post is a wiki post. Anybody can edit it to provide useful tips for whitelisting. Editing abuse may result in a ban from the forums! Whitelisting Tips List any tips you've discovered on how or what to whitelist in …

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## [keepalived check that fails over when Pi-hole stops blocking, not just when it stops answering](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/keepalived-check-that-fails-over-when-pi-hole-stops-blocking-not-just-when-it-stops-answering/87803)

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**Author:** [@sysdad](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/sysdad)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [October 3, 2026, 4:32am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/keepalived-check-that-fails-over-when-pi-hole-stops-blocking-not-just-when-it-stops-answering/87803 "2026-10-03T04:32:40Z")

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If you run two Pi-holes behind a keepalived VIP, your health check probably asks "does DNS answer?" Mine did. It catches a dead Pi-hole. It doesn't catch the one that's up, answering everything, and blocking nothing. Th…

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## [Enabling HTTPS for your Pi-hole Web Interface with LE and CF DNS](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/enabling-https-for-your-pi-hole-web-interface-with-le-and-cf-dns/79526)

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**Author:** [@Grandy](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Grandy)\
**Replies:** 1\
**Last updated:** [September 30, 2026, 2:09pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/enabling-https-for-your-pi-hole-web-interface-with-le-and-cf-dns/79526 "2026-09-30T14:09:31Z")

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Hello. I'd like to share information about installing an SSL LE (Let's Encrypt) certificate using CF (Cloudflare) DNS for a Pi-hole web server, based on how I did it. Perhaps this option will be useful to someone. P.S. I…

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## [Beginner Friendly — Security-Oriented Setup: Rootless Podman running Pi-hole and Unbound using Reverse Proxy via Caddy with Socket](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/beginner-friendly-security-oriented-setup-rootless-podman-running-pi-hole-and-unbound-using-reverse-proxy-via-caddy-with-socket/75623)

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**Author:** [@TheRettom](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/TheRettom)\
**Replies:** 20\
**Last updated:** [September 29, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/beginner-friendly-security-oriented-setup-rootless-podman-running-pi-hole-and-unbound-using-reverse-proxy-via-caddy-with-socket/75623 "2026-09-29T19:08:11Z")

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Security-Oriented Setup: Rootless Podman running Pi-hole and Unbound using Reverse Proxy via Caddy with Socket If you happened to land here because you were curious about Podman, read on. If you don't care and just want …

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## [Pi-hole 5.2 Error message: “Attempt to write a readonly database”](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pi-hole-5-2-error-message-attempt-to-write-a-readonly-database/40961)

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**Author:** [@RedBeard](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/RedBeard)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [August 11, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pi-hole-5-2-error-message-attempt-to-write-a-readonly-database/40961 "2026-08-11T18:22:18Z")

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So I was also struggling with this error. Pi-hole on Linux Raspberry Pi "Buster" with Apache. After a lot of searching, I found this: You need to add www-data to the group pihole. I made this post for some reasons: m…

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## [How do I debug my Pi-hole installation?](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-debug-my-pi-hole-installation/3104)

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**Author:** [@PromoFaux](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/PromoFaux)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [May 12, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-debug-my-pi-hole-installation/3104 "2017-05-12T20:50:25Z")

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Login into your Pi-hole's command line Enter sudo pihole -d Provide us with the debug token that is generated after the debug script completes Alternative: Securely sending us additional information Preferred Method If…

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## [.internal and .home.arpa domains and conditional forwarding](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/internal-and-home-arpa-domains-and-conditional-forwarding/80543)

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**Author:** [@robgill](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/robgill)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [May 12, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/internal-and-home-arpa-domains-and-conditional-forwarding/80543 "2026-05-12T22:36:56Z")

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Domains Your network domain serves as the namespace for identifying devices on your local network, enabling you to access devices by name (such as printer.internal or server.home.arpa) rather than memorizing IP addresses…

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## [\[SOLUTION\] Pi-hole v6 on Ugreen NAS (UGOS Pro) — port 53 conflict with dnsmasq](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/solution-pi-hole-v6-on-ugreen-nas-ugos-pro-port-53-conflict-with-dnsmasq/86004)

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**Author:** [@locowin-maker](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/locowin-maker)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [May 8, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/solution-pi-hole-v6-on-ugreen-nas-ugos-pro-port-53-conflict-with-dnsmasq/86004 "2026-05-08T18:54:11Z")

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Hi everyone, After hours of troubleshooting I finally solved the Pi-hole DNS failure on Ugreen NAS. Sharing this because I saw many users with the same issue and no clear solution. System: Ugreen NAS running UGOS Pro …

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## [How to deploy Pi-hole on Kubernetes using Helm](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-deploy-pi-hole-on-kubernetes-using-helm/85601)

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**Author:** [@mberlofa](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/mberlofa)\
**Replies:** 1\
**Last updated:** [April 3, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-deploy-pi-hole-on-kubernetes-using-helm/85601 "2026-04-03T01:20:17Z")

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If you're running a Kubernetes cluster and want Pi-hole as your network-wide DNS ad blocker, here's a step-by-step guide using a community Helm chart from \[HelmForge\]( GitHub - helmforgedev/charts: Production-ready Helm …

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## [update docs command order?](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/update-docs-command-order/85580)

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**Author:** [@ewerybody](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/ewerybody)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [April 1, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/update-docs-command-order/85580 "2026-04-01T00:12:09Z")

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Hey folks! I was just updating pi-hole successfully (Docker Tag 2026.02.0Core v6.4FTL v6.5Web interface v6.4.1) But the documentationwas a little confusing first: docker compose down docker compose pull docker compose u…

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## [Comment se connecter a pi-hole en SSH](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/comment-se-connecter-a-pi-hole-en-ssh/85583)

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**Author:** [@Duke51](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Duke51)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [March 30, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/comment-se-connecter-a-pi-hole-en-ssh/85583 "2026-03-30T18:14:29Z")

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Bonjour, j’ai installer pi-hole avec debian12 j’ai actuellement des soucis avec Plex il est très lent en lecture locale. j’ai trouvé ceci : mais je ne sais pas comment me connecter en SSH à pi-hole et accéder au dossi…

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## [Why should Pi-hole be my only DNS server?](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/why-should-pi-hole-be-my-only-dns-server/3376)

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**Author:** [@jacob.salmela](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/jacob.salmela)\
**Replies:** 14\
**Last updated:** [March 12, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/why-should-pi-hole-be-my-only-dns-server/3376 "2026-03-12T21:56:55Z")

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Reduced Ad Blocking Capability The main reason you should Pi-hole as your only DNS server is that you will see increased performance in the blocking of ads. If you have two DNS servers (Pi-hole and something else), your…

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## [\[Show and Tell\] Pi-hole Ultimate Installation Suite: Full recursive DNS stack with Thermal Monitoring & Auto-Backups](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/show-and-tell-pi-hole-ultimate-installation-suite-full-recursive-dns-stack-with-thermal-monitoring-auto-backups/85111)

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**Author:** [@waelisa](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/waelisa)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [March 7, 2026, 8:32pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/show-and-tell-pi-hole-ultimate-installation-suite-full-recursive-dns-stack-with-thermal-monitoring-auto-backups/85111 "2026-03-07T20:32:45Z")

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Hello Pi-hole Community, I wanted to share a project I’ve been refining for the Raspberry Pi and Debian community: Pi-hole Ultimate Installation Suite (v1.4.8). The goal of this script is to provide a "one-command" dep…

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## [How to Enable HTTPS on Pi-hole (pihole-https) 🔐](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-enable-https-on-pi-hole-pihole-https/84801)

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**Author:** [@F404Xerr](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/F404Xerr)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [February 24, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-enable-https-on-pi-hole-pihole-https/84801 "2026-02-24T13:21:50Z")

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Enable HTTPS on Pi-hole (pihole-https) :locked\_with\_key::white\_check\_mark: If you want a simple way to enable HTTPS on your Pi-hole web interface, check out this project: → https://github.com/luizbizzio/pihole-https …

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## [How to enable HTTPS on Pi-hole using a local Root CA (local-https)](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-enable-https-on-pi-hole-using-a-local-root-ca-local-https/84953)

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**Author:** [@luizbizzio](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/luizbizzio)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [February 10, 2026, 9:04am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-enable-https-on-pi-hole-using-a-local-root-ca-local-https/84953 "2026-02-10T09:04:30Z")

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Local HTTPS for Pi-hole (previously "pihole-https") :locked\_with\_key: Hello everyone, Some time ago I shared a small script called pihole-https to enable HTTPS on the Pi-hole web interface with minimal manual TLS setup. …

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## [Change IP address of pihole raspberry pi server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/change-ip-address-of-pihole-raspberry-pi-server/84828)

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**Author:** [@BillW](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/BillW)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [February 1, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/change-ip-address-of-pihole-raspberry-pi-server/84828 "2026-02-01T19:06:20Z")

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I am trying to change the IP address of the Rasberry Pi server that is running pi hole v6.x. I have tried to do the sudo pihole -r via ssh which just updates the database, otherwise there is nothing in the dashboard to d…

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## [How-To: Using Pi-Hole with Telekom Speedport routers](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-using-pi-hole-with-telekom-speedport-routers/30997)

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**Author:** [@WarHole](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/WarHole)\
**Replies:** 24\
**Last updated:** [November 16, 2025, 7:04am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-to-using-pi-hole-with-telekom-speedport-routers/30997 "2025-11-16T07:04:45Z")

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Hi everybody, I'm a new member of the Pi-Hole gang and it me some time to actually get Pi-Hole running on my network since I'm using this crappy Telekom Speedport router which doesn't allow you to really do anything. P…

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## [🧠 How I Added Fallback DNS to My Pi-hole + Unbound Setup (Without Sacrificing Security)](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-i-added-fallback-dns-to-my-pi-hole-unbound-setup-without-sacrificing-security/79222)

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**Author:** [@ordor2k](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/ordor2k)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [September 15, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-i-added-fallback-dns-to-my-pi-hole-unbound-setup-without-sacrificing-security/79222 "2025-09-15T12:58:12Z")

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🧠 How I Added Fallback DNS to My Pi-hole + Unbound Setup (Without Sacrificing Security) I recently ran into an issue with my Pi-hole setup that uses Unbound as a recursive DNS resolver. Everything worked great—until some…

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## [In case you want to block all Russian (or any) domains](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/in-case-you-want-to-block-all-russian-or-any-domains/53905)

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**Author:** [@callumw](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/callumw)\
**Replies:** 13\
**Last updated:** [January 24, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/in-case-you-want-to-block-all-russian-or-any-domains/53905 "2024-01-24T17:57:27Z")

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I got this from somewhere a long time ago and it's been on by blacklist since the beginning, but in case you're worried about anything cyber coming from a country (e.g. Russia and China) then here's how to blacklist thei…

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## [Blocking sites based on their content](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/blocking-sites-based-on-their-content/81424)

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**Author:** [@GeorgeYes](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/GeorgeYes)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [July 28, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/blocking-sites-based-on-their-content/81424 "2025-07-28T18:26:00Z")

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Hello, I've been searching for a solution to block a certain webpages based on their content. The main goal is to block videos with so called 'brainrots' that pop-up on my child's screen. Youtube does not provide data a…

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## [Pihole autoinstall using Ansible](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pihole-autoinstall-using-ansible/81178)

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**Author:** [@Guruprasad\_C\_P](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Guruprasad_C_P)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [July 15, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/pihole-autoinstall-using-ansible/81178 "2025-07-15T19:20:39Z")

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Created an Ansible playbook to automate the installation of Pi-hole and configure the add block repos, configure fine-tune nftables, performance optimization using unbound DNS, and a few kernel parameters. Please review…

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## [Prepping a Raspberry Pi 1B for Pi-hole with Raspbian 12 Bookworm](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/prepping-a-raspberry-pi-1b-for-pi-hole-with-raspbian-12-bookworm/80945)

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**Author:** [@deHakkelaar](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/deHakkelaar)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [July 3, 2025, 3:00am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/prepping-a-raspberry-pi-1b-for-pi-hole-with-raspbian-12-bookworm/80945 "2025-07-03T03:00:26Z")

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I noticed some users asking for more detailed instructions for installing Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi or another Linux setup. As I was in the process of reinstalling both my trusty Pi 1B's with Raspbian Bookworm and the l…

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## [How do I determine what domain an ad is coming from?](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-determine-what-domain-an-ad-is-coming-from/1522)

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**Author:** [@jacob.salmela](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/jacob.salmela)\
**Replies:** 5\
**Last updated:** [May 31, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-determine-what-domain-an-ad-is-coming-from/1522 "2025-05-31T00:08:37Z")

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Block ads or fix broken sites This FAQ is written in the context of finding out how to block an ad that isn't blocked automatically, but the same steps can be used to troubleshoot issues with sites that don't function pr…

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## [Installing Pi-hole on Existing Apache Server](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/installing-pi-hole-on-existing-apache-server/43968)

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**Author:** [@Mike\_Tickle](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Mike_Tickle)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [May 5, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/installing-pi-hole-on-existing-apache-server/43968 "2025-05-05T18:07:56Z")

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I'm adding this here in case anyone else needs it. But mostly so I can "Google" it the next time I install Pi-hole on Apache. Installing Pi-hole on an existing and working Apache web server on Raspberry Pi. This assumes…

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## [DHCP with docker-compose and bridge networking](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dhcp-with-docker-compose-and-bridge-networking/17038)

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**Author:** [@DerFetzer](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/DerFetzer)\
**Replies:** 28\
**Last updated:** [April 15, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dhcp-with-docker-compose-and-bridge-networking/17038 "2025-04-15T22:28:20Z")

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I had been running Pi-hole with docker-compose on a RaspberryPi 3 for quite some time and it worked flawlessly. Since I use built-in DHCP functionality the Pi-hole container had been running with network\_mode: "host": v…

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## [Dynamic update of DNS with DHCP lease info between dual redundant pihole servers](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dynamic-update-of-dns-with-dhcp-lease-info-between-dual-redundant-pihole-servers/65027)

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**Author:** [@flathead](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/flathead)\
**Replies:** 26\
**Last updated:** [April 6, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/dynamic-update-of-dns-with-dhcp-lease-info-between-dual-redundant-pihole-servers/65027 "2025-04-06T17:39:00Z")

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I have just completed deploying redundant pi-hole DNS/DHCP servers in our environment and they are working quite well. So that both servers will be able to respond to DNS requests for all clients with DHCP leases, I hav…

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## [Is there way to set up Pi-hole + Unbound + Stubby](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/is-there-way-to-set-up-pi-hole-unbound-stubby/38708)

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**Author:** [@Pluto](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/Pluto)\
**Replies:** 9\
**Last updated:** [April 4, 2025, 10:04pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/is-there-way-to-set-up-pi-hole-unbound-stubby/38708 "2025-04-04T22:04:00Z")

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Hi! So i have Pi-hole + Unbound setup in my Raspberry Pi , and i was wondering if i can add Stubby to use with my setup ?

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## [How do I use Pi-hole's built in DHCP server (and why would I want to)?](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026)

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**Author:** [@jacob.salmela](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/jacob.salmela)\
**Replies:** 27\
**Last updated:** [March 31, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/how-do-i-use-pi-holes-built-in-dhcp-server-and-why-would-i-want-to/3026 "2025-03-31T14:48:52Z")

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Using Your Existing Router For Network-wide Ad Blocking You might not need to use Pi-hole's DHCP server: In many home environments, your router also functions as your DHCP server. In this case, you can often set Pi-hol…

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## [Zimaboard pihole with unbound](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/zimaboard-pihole-with-unbound/65099)

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**Author:** [@qatar2022](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/u/qatar2022)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [March 19, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://discourse.pi-hole.net/t/zimaboard-pihole-with-unbound/65099 "2025-03-19T17:24:56Z")

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is there any tutorial ti install pihole with Unbound

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