What is AdGuard Home?

AdGuard Home is a network-wide ad and tracker blocker that works as a DNS sinkhole — like Pi-hole, but with a more modern feature set. It includes built-in support for encrypted DNS (DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-QUIC), per-client filtering, parental controls, and safe search enforcement. One instance protects every device on your network.

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed (Docker Compose basics)
Any server — runs on minimal hardware, even a Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi guide)
Access to your router’s DHCP/DNS settings

Docker Compose Configuration

# docker-compose.yml for AdGuard Home
# Tested with AdGuard Home 0.107+

services:
  adguardhome:
    container_name: adguardhome
    image: adguard/adguardhome:latest
    ports:
      # DNS
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      # Admin panel (initial setup)
      - "3000:3000/tcp"
      # Admin panel (after setup)
      - "8080:80/tcp"
      # DNS-over-TLS
      # - "853:853/tcp"
      # DNS-over-QUIC
      # - "853:853/udp"
      # DNS-over-HTTPS
      # - "443:443/tcp"
    volumes:
      - ./work:/opt/adguardhome/work
      - ./conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf
    restart: unless-stopped

Step-by-Step Setup

Create a directory:
Terminal window
```
mkdir ~/adguard && cd ~/adguard
```

Handle port 53 conflicts (Ubuntu with systemd-resolved):

sudo systemctl disable systemd-resolved
sudo systemctl stop systemd-resolved
echo "nameserver 1.1.1.1" | sudo tee /etc/resolv.conf

Create the docker-compose.yml with the config above.
Start the container:
Terminal window
```
docker compose up -d
```
Run the setup wizard at http://your-server-ip:3000 — choose admin port, DNS listen address, create admin account.
After setup, access the admin panel at http://your-server-ip:8080
Point your network to AdGuard Home — set your router’s DHCP DNS to the server’s IP.

Configuration Tips

Upstream DNS: Settings → DNS settings → Upstream DNS servers. Use encrypted upstreams like https://dns.cloudflare.com/dns-query or tls://1.1.1.1.
Blocklists: Filters → DNS blocklists → Add blocklist. AdGuard provides its own lists plus compatibility with most Pi-hole lists.
Per-client settings: Settings → Client settings lets you apply different filtering rules per device (useful for kids’ devices vs adults).
Safe search: Force safe search on Google, YouTube, and other search engines from Filters → General settings.
DHCP: AdGuard Home can act as your DHCP server (Settings → DHCP settings), giving you device-level control without changing your router.

Backup & Migration

Backup: The conf folder contains AdGuardHome.yaml with all your settings. Back it up.
Migration from Pi-hole: Export your Pi-hole lists and import them as custom filter lists in AdGuard Home.

Troubleshooting

DNS not resolving: Check upstream DNS servers are accessible. Test with nslookup google.com your-server-ip.
Some sites broken: Check the Query Log to find blocked queries, then whitelist the domain.
Encrypted DNS not working: Ensure you have a valid SSL certificate configured for DoH/DoT.

Alternatives

Pi-hole is the main alternative with a larger community and more third-party integrations. See our Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home comparison or the full Best Self-Hosted Ad Blockers roundup.

Verdict

AdGuard Home is the most feature-complete self-hosted DNS ad blocker available. The built-in encrypted DNS support, per-client settings, and parental controls put it ahead of Pi-hole for new installations. If you’re choosing your first DNS ad blocker in 2026, go with AdGuard Home.

How to Self-Host AdGuard Home with Docker Compose