AdGuard Home

intermediate

Network-wide ad and tracker blocking DNS server.

Overview

AdGuard Home is a network-wide DNS server that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains at the network level before they reach your devices. Originally developed as a self-hosted alternative to cloud-based DNS filtering services, AdGuard Home operates by intercepting DNS requests and filtering them against comprehensive blocklists, effectively preventing unwanted content from loading across your entire network. Unlike browser-based ad blockers that only protect individual applications, AdGuard Home protects all devices on your network including smart TVs, IoT devices, mobile apps, and any device that makes DNS queries. This Docker deployment creates a centralized DNS filtering solution that replaces your standard DNS resolver with an intelligent filtering layer. AdGuard Home processes all DNS requests from your network, checks them against configured blocklists and custom rules, then either blocks malicious/unwanted domains or forwards legitimate requests to upstream DNS servers. The system supports modern encrypted DNS protocols including DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC, ensuring your DNS queries remain private while maintaining comprehensive ad and tracker blocking. This configuration is ideal for privacy-conscious users, families wanting parental controls, small businesses seeking network-level protection, and homelab enthusiasts who want to reduce bandwidth usage and improve browsing speeds across all connected devices. The self-hosted nature means you maintain complete control over your DNS filtering policies, query logs, and network traffic patterns without relying on third-party services that may log or monetize your browsing data.

Key Features

DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC support for encrypted DNS queries
Real-time query logging and detailed analytics showing blocked vs allowed requests
Comprehensive parental controls with safe search enforcement across major search engines
Custom filtering rules with support for AdBlock syntax and hosts file formats
Built-in DHCP server functionality to automatically configure network devices
Multiple upstream DNS server support with load balancing and failover
Mobile companion apps for iOS and Android with encrypted DNS profiles
Whitelist and blacklist management with regex pattern matching capabilities

Common Use Cases

1Home network ad blocking to eliminate ads from smart TVs, gaming consoles, and mobile devices
2Small office DNS filtering to block malicious domains and improve productivity
3Family-friendly internet with parental controls and safe search enforcement
4Privacy-focused network setup with encrypted DNS queries and no third-party logging
5Bandwidth optimization by blocking ad networks and tracking domains at DNS level
6Homelab DNS server with custom domain resolution and local network management
7Guest network protection providing clean browsing experience for visitors

Prerequisites

Minimum 256MB RAM available for DNS query processing and blocklist storage
Network access to ports 53 (DNS), 80 (web interface), and 3000 (initial setup)
Router configuration access to change DHCP DNS settings or manual device DNS configuration
Understanding of DNS concepts and network routing for proper deployment
Firewall configuration allowing DNS traffic from network devices to container host
Static IP address for the Docker host to ensure consistent DNS server availability

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  adguard: 
3    image: adguard/adguardhome:latest
4    container_name: adguard
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    volumes: 
7      - adguard_work:/opt/adguardhome/work
8      - adguard_conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf
9    ports: 
10      - "53:53/tcp"
11      - "53:53/udp"
12      - "3000:3000"
13      - "80:80"
14
15volumes: 
16  adguard_work: 
17  adguard_conf:

.env Template

.env

1# No additional config needed

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://adguard.com/kb/adguard-home/
2Setup wizard at http://localhost:3000 on first launch
3After setup, web UI moves to port 80 (http://localhost)
4Point router/devices DNS to AdGuard IP for network-wide blocking
5DNS-over-HTTPS/TLS available for encrypted queries
6Import blocklists from settings - many community lists available

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  adguard:
5    image: adguard/adguardhome:latest
6    container_name: adguard
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    volumes:
9      - adguard_work:/opt/adguardhome/work
10      - adguard_conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf
11    ports:
12      - "53:53/tcp"
13      - "53:53/udp"
14      - "3000:3000"
15      - "80:80"
16
17volumes:
18  adguard_work:
19  adguard_conf:
20EOF
21
22# 2. Create the .env file
23cat > .env << 'EOF'
24# No additional config needed
25EOF
26
27# 3. Start the services
28docker compose up -d
29
30# 4. View logs
31docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/adguard-home/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Port 53 already in use: Stop systemd-resolved with 'sudo systemctl disable systemd-resolved' or change host port mapping
Web interface shows 'not found' after setup: Setup wizard moves from port 3000 to port 80 after initial configuration
Devices not using AdGuard DNS: Configure router DHCP to use AdGuard IP or manually set DNS on each device
Blocked websites still loading: Check if devices are using cached DNS or hardcoded DNS servers like 8.8.8.8
High memory usage: Reduce query log retention period and disable unnecessary blocklists in settings
DNS queries timing out: Verify upstream DNS servers are responding and consider adding backup resolvers

Community Notes

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