Raspberry Pi Pi-hole Server
Network-wide ad blocking and DNS filtering using Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi 3B+.
Overview
This project documents my home Pi-hole setup running on a Raspberry Pi 3B+.
The Raspberry Pi acts as an always-on DNS sinkhole, blocking ads and trackers for all devices on the local network.
The setup is designed with durability and power-loss resilience in mind, after experiencing SD card corruption caused by an unexpected shutdown.
The repository also serves as a foundation for future home-server and sensor projects.
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi 3B+
- Wired Ethernet connection
- MicroSD card (OS only)
- USB flash drive (Pi-hole data)
Software
- Raspberry Pi OS (Lite)
- Pi-hole
- log2ram
- SSH (key-based authentication)
Storage & Reliability Design
This setup intentionally separates system and application data to minimise SD card wear and reduce corruption risk.
MicroSD card
- Raspberry Pi OS (root filesystem)
- Boot partition
- Minimal write activity
USB flash drive
- Pi-hole configuration and databases:
/etc/pihole/etc/dnsmasq.d
- Optional backups
Pi-hole directories are symlinked to the USB drive so that:
- Write-heavy data is kept off the SD card
- The system can still boot if the USB drive is temporarily missing
- Recovery is fast if the SD card needs re-imaging
Logging
/var/log is mounted in RAM using log2ram- Logs are synced to disk only at controlled times
- This dramatically reduces small, frequent writes to flash storage
Network Setup
- Static IP:
192.168.101.112
- Pi-hole configured as the primary DNS server
- DNS resolution handled by Pi-hole (
dnsmasq)
- Router configured to use Pi-hole for DNS
Features
- Network-wide ad & tracker blocking
- DNS query logging and statistics
- Web-based admin interface
- Low power consumption
- Headless operation
- Reduced SD card wear
- Improved resilience against sudden power loss
Access
Web Admin UI
http://192.168.101.112/admin
SSH
Key-based authentication enabled.
ssh marttik@192.168.101.112
Operational Notes
- Pi-hole CLI commands are intended to be run with sudo
- System logs are stored in RAM during runtime
- USB mounts use nofail to avoid boot failures
- In case of SD card failure:
- Reflash Raspberry Pi OS
- Reattach USB drive
- Restore symlinks
- Pi-hole configuration is preserved
Planned Extensions
- Indoor air quality monitoring (CO₂, temperature, humidity)
- Sensor hub for multiple rooms
- Time-series data storage and visualization
- Optional LAN backups of Pi-hole configuration
- Safe shutdown / UPS integration
- Secure remote access
Notes
This repository focuses on configuration, documentation, and future experiments rather than Pi-hole installation instructions, which are available on the official Pi-hole site.