BLOCK EVERYTHING w/ PiHole on Docker, OpenDNS and IFTTT

A self-hosted Pi-hole DNS server running inside Docker can block streaming and other unwanted domains across a home network—and the setup can be automated so a voice command triggers new block/unblock rules on demand. The practical payoff is immediate: once devices point their DNS to Pi-hole, requests for sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus get intercepted and denied before they consume bandwidth or reach the wider internet.

The build starts with a Linux machine (Ubuntu in the example) running a Docker container that bundles Pi-hole plus a Flask-based control layer. Because newer Ubuntu installs its own local DNS resolver, the process first stops and disables that service (systemd-resolved) and then updates /etc/resolv.conf so the host can still resolve names while Pi-hole takes over DNS duties. After Docker is installed, a prepared bash script creates the Pi-hole container from a Docker image pulled from Docker Hub, then exposes the container’s web admin interface and DNS ports.

Once the container is up and healthy, Pi-hole’s web UI is reachable at the machine’s IP address, with the admin panel at /admin. The default password is changed, and the upstream DNS settings are configured to use OpenDNS—leveraging OpenDNS for additional filtering while Pi-hole handles local domain blocking. To confirm everything works, the network’s DNS is pointed to the Pi-hole IP and DNS lookups (e.g., nslookup for Google and Facebook) are verified; the Pi-hole query log then shows that client traffic is flowing through the server.

The “automation” portion adds a Python script (network.py) and two bash scripts that manage regex-based blocklists. Instead of manually editing Pi-hole’s blacklist for every site, the scripts accept commands that apply or remove regex rules targeting domains such as Hulu, Netflix, and Disney Plus. A test run shows that calling the Flask endpoint on port 8080 with a “block” or “unblock” action updates Pi-hole’s blocking behavior in real time.

To connect this to voice control, the workflow uses IFTTT. An Alexa trigger (“break everything”) calls a Webhook request to the Pi-hole control URL, swapping the action parameter between block and unblock. A key networking requirement is that IFTTT must reach the control endpoint via a public IP address, which typically means port-forwarding router traffic for port 8080 to the internal server. After wiring the Alexa-to-Webhook recipe, the system can be tested by attempting to access blocked services and then checking Pi-hole’s query log to confirm the regex matches.

The result is a layered filtering setup: Pi-hole blocks at the DNS level, OpenDNS adds content filtering, and IFTTT provides a simple remote control mechanism. The transcript also notes a measurable benefit from running it for about a week—roughly a quarter of requests were blocked—reducing unnecessary traffic before it ever leaves the network.