Raspberry Pi and Pi-hole

---

• Overview
• Install DietPi
• Install Pi-hole
• Update

---

🔹 Overview

Basic Raspberry Pi 4 on DietPi with Pi-hole and Unbound for more privacy.

Ingredients:

DietPi: DietPi is an extremely lightweight Debian-based OS. It is highly optimised for minimal CPU and RAM resource usage, ensuring your SBC always runs at its maximum potential.

Pi-hole: Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole that protects your devices from unwanted content without installing any client-side software.

pihole-updatelists: Update Pi-hole's lists from remote sources.

Unbound: Unbound is a validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver. It is designed to be fast and lean and incorporates modern features based on open standards.

---

🔹 Install DietPi

See DietPi install guide here.

After completed flash the SD card open dietpi.txt from the card and change basic settings for auto-configuration.

⚠️ This config applied on first boot of DietPi only!

Example modified settings:

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Language/Regional options
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTO_SETUP_KEYBOARD_LAYOUT=us
AUTO_SETUP_TIMEZONE=Europe/Warsaw

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Network options
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTO_SETUP_NET_USESTATIC=1
AUTO_SETUP_NET_STATIC_IP=192.168.50.2
AUTO_SETUP_NET_STATIC_GATEWAY=192.168.50.1

AUTO_SETUP_NET_HOSTNAME=raspberrypi-eth

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Misc options
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

# disable swap
AUTO_SETUP_SWAPFILE_SIZE=0

# disable HDMI/video output and framebuffers
AUTO_SETUP_HEADLESS=1

# post-install and configuration
AUTO_SETUP_CUSTOM_SCRIPT_EXEC=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/dietpi-install.sh

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Software options
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

# dependency preferences
# Lighttpd
AUTO_SETUP_WEB_SERVER_INDEX=-2

# software to automatically install
AUTO_SETUP_AUTOMATED=1

# global password [!]
AUTO_SETUP_GLOBAL_PASSWORD=password

# software to automatically install
# Git
AUTO_SETUP_INSTALL_SOFTWARE_ID=17
# Lighttpd
AUTO_SETUP_INSTALL_SOFTWARE_ID=84
# SQLite
AUTO_SETUP_INSTALL_SOFTWARE_ID=87
# PHP
AUTO_SETUP_INSTALL_SOFTWARE_ID=89
# Unbound
AUTO_SETUP_INSTALL_SOFTWARE_ID=182

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Misc DietPi program settings
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

# disable obtain information regarding your system and installed software
SURVEY_OPTED_IN=0

# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# DietPi-Config settings
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

# CPU Governor
CONFIG_CPU_GOVERNOR=powersave

# disable IPv6
CONFIG_ENABLE_IPV6=0

Now Pi-hole not support auto-install.

Also for additional configuration see dietpi-install.sh file.

---

Connect to your berry on the console with global password:

ssh root@192.168.50.2

... and wait [!] few minutes to auto-install completed.

---

🔹 Install Pi-hole

Run this for execute Pi-hole installation wizard:

dietpi-software install 93

Set custom DNS server (Unbound):

127.0.0.1#5335

After all is completed install pihole-updatelists:

wget -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jacklul/pihole-updatelists/master/install.sh | sudo bash

Ad-lists

Recommended ad-lists:

• DNS Blocklists, see included source lists
• Regex Filters for Pi-hole, basic blacklist regex

Set your personal ad-lists on config file:

cat > /etc/pihole-updatelists.conf << EOF
ADLISTS_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/adlist.txt"
WHITELIST_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/whitelist.txt"
REGEX_WHITELIST_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/whitelist_regex.txt"
BLACKLIST_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/blacklist.txt"
REGEX_BLACKLIST_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mmotti/pihole-regex/master/regex.list https://raw.githubusercontent.com/denis-g/rpi4-pihole-settings/master/blacklist_regex.txt https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MajkiIT/polish-ads-filter/master/polish-pihole-filters/hostfile_regex.txt"
EOF

Clear all preinstalled Pi-hole ad-lists and rules:

sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "DELETE FROM adlist;" && \
sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "DELETE FROM adlist_by_group;" && \
sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "DELETE FROM domainlist;" && \
sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "DELETE FROM domainlist_by_group;"

And update ad-lists and rules on Pi-hole:

pihole-updatelists

Update Schedule

Set schedule timer for update ad-lists. For example, every day at 4am:

cat > /etc/cron.d/pihole-updatelists << EOF
0 4 * * *  root  /usr/local/sbin/pihole-updatelists
EOF

See cron schedule expressions editor for details.

---

🔹 Update

Update, upgrade system, all packages and ad-lists:

dietpi-update 1 && \
apt-get update -y && \
apt-get upgrade -y && \
apt-get dist-upgrade -y && \
pihole -up && \
pihole-updatelists --update && \
pihole-updatelists && \
reboot