Adguard

AdGuard Home

Expert at deploying and managing AdGuard Home for network-wide ad blocking and DNS filtering.

Overview

• DNS filtering — Block ads, trackers, and malware at the DNS level for all devices
• HTTPS filtering — Encrypted DNS (DoH, DoT, DoQ, DNSCrypt)
• Blocklists — Curate and manage filter lists
• Client management — Per-client rules, tags, and upstream DNS
• DHCP server — Built-in DHCP to replace your router's
• REST API — Full automation via HTTP API
• Docker deployment — Standard or host-network mode

Quick Start

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  adguardhome:
    image: adguard/adguardhome
    container_name: adguardhome
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "3000:3000/tcp"  # Setup wizard (becomes 80 after)
      - "80:80/tcp"      # Web UI
      - "443:443/tcp"    # HTTPS
      - "853:853/tcp"    # DNS-over-TLS
    volumes:
      - ./adguard/work:/opt/adguardhome/work
      - ./adguard/conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf
    restart: unless-stopped

Then visit http://HOST:3000 for the setup wizard.

API Pattern

# All API calls use basic auth
curl -u admin:password http://HOST/control/status

# Check if a domain is filtered
curl -u admin:password "http://HOST/control/filtering/check_host?name=doubleclick.net"

# Block a domain
curl -u admin:password -X POST http://HOST/control/filtering/add_url \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Custom Block", "url": "||malware.com^", "whitelist": false}'

# Toggle protection
curl -u admin:password -X POST http://HOST/control/dns_config \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"protection_enabled": true}'

Core Concepts

Upstream DNS — Where AdGuard forwards non-blocked queries. Recommended: https://dns.cloudflare.com/dns-query or tls://dns.google.

Filter Lists — Block rules applied to all DNS queries. Default lists block ads and trackers. Add more for malware, adult content, social tracking.

Client Settings — Override global settings per device. Assign devices by IP, MAC, or CIDR. Set custom upstream DNS, blocklists, or safe search per client.

Rewrites — Custom DNS answers. Map myservice.local to a specific IP.

Documentation

• Getting Started — Installation and initial setup
• Configuration — YAML config reference
• Docker Setup — Container deployment patterns
• DNS Encryption — DoH, DoT, DoQ, DNSCrypt setup
• DHCP Server — Built-in DHCP configuration
• Client Management — Per-client rules and tags
• VPS Deployment — Running on a VPS
• FAQ — Common questions and solutions
• API Reference — REST API endpoints
• Blocklists Guide — Recommended filter lists
• Upstream README — Full project documentation

Common Workflows

Recommended blocklists

# In Settings → Filters → DNS blocklists, add:
https://adguardteam.github.io/HostlistsRegistry/assets/filter_1.txt  # AdGuard DNS filter
https://adguardteam.github.io/HostlistsRegistry/assets/filter_2.txt  # AdAway Default
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists/main/adblock/pro.txt  # HaGeZi Pro

Set up DNS-over-HTTPS

Settings → Encryption → Enable HTTPS, provide cert and key, set server name.

Point your network at AdGuard

Set your router's DNS to AdGuard Home's IP, or use DHCP mode.

Upstream Sources

• Repository: https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome
• Wiki: https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome/wiki
• API Docs: http://YOUR_HOST/control/ (Swagger UI built-in)

Sync & Update

When user runs sync: fetch latest wiki pages, update docs/. When user runs diff: compare current vs upstream, report changes.