Pi-hole, the popular software for network-wide content blocking, just released the Pi-hole v6 update. It has a redesigned interface, many performance improvements, and more.
Pi-hole allows you to block certain websites, domains, and content at the network level using a DNS proxy with customizable lists, eliminating (some of) the need for similar filters and security tools on individual devices. It’s like NextDNS and ControlD, but it’s designed to run on your own hardware—even an affordable Raspberry Pi board, as the name implies.
The new update includes a web interface that is “completely overhauled with settings split into Basic and Expert modes,” and native HTTPS support with the ability to use custom or auto-generated certificates. You can also now subscribe to allowlists (also called ‘antigravity’), not just blocklists.
Pi-hole v6 dashboard screenshot.Pi-hole
Pi-hole has also reworked its configuration files by “consolidating multiple settings files into a single, richly commented toml file, making it easier to manage and understand your settings.” Your settings will be automatically updated to the new format if you’re migrating from v5.
The development team has also made some under-the-hood changes to Pi-hole. The pihole-FTP binary now has its own REST AI and embedded web server, so lighttpd and PHP servers are no longer required to be running at the same time. The Docker container is now based on Alpine Linux, which has shrunk the image size and is “opening up possibilities for future system support.” The previous Docker image was based on Debian and has a compressed download size of 113 MB, while the new image with Alpine is just 38 MB.
You can check out the documentation to learn more about Pi-hole and set it up on your own local device. Personally, I’m still happy to keep using NextDNS on my devices, but it’s great to see Pi-hole continuing to improve.
Source: Pi-hole
Content retrieved from: https://www.howtogeek.com/pi-hole-v6-release/.
