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Monitoring, Logs & Errorsdocker-readypermissive-license100% FOSS🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

Pi-hole: Open Source alternative to NextDNS in 2026

Pi-hole blocks ads and trackers network-wide for every device by acting as your DNS server, with a real-time query statistics dashboard, as a free, self-hosted alternative to NextDNS.

Alternative to NextDNS
License EUPL-1.261.3k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v6.4.3 · 3 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Verified

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Pi-hole vs. NextDNS

Pros

  • Protects every device on your network without installing anything on each one
  • Very lightweight, runs great on a Raspberry Pi

Things to consider

  • Needs to be your primary DNS server to work (requires router configuration)
  • No native DNS-over-HTTPS (needs an extra proxy like cloudflared)

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on NextDNS.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
services:
  pihole:
    image: pihole/pihole:2026.09.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      TZ: UTC
      WEBPASSWORD: change-me-admin-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
    volumes:
      - pihole_data:/etc/pihole
      - pihole_dnsmasq:/etc/dnsmasq.d
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
volumes:
  pihole_data:
  pihole_dnsmasq:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=pihole" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 1 day ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
EUPL-1.2
Category
Monitoring, Logs & Errors
Replaces
NextDNS
Tech stack
dnsmasqPHPShell

Under the hood

Database

None / File-based

Language

Shell / PHP

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Blocks ads and trackers network-wide for every device
  • Web dashboard with real-time DNS query stats
  • Updatable, customizable blocklists
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:53
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy