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move info from docker readme to the docs
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docs/docker/configuration.md
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<!-- markdownlint-disable MD051 MD046 -->
# Configuration
The recommended way to configure the Pi-hole docker container is by utilizing [environment variables](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/environment-variables/), however if you are persisting your `/etc/pihole` directory, you choose instead to set them via the web interface, or by directly editing `pihole.toml`
The recommended way to configure the Pi-hole docker container is by utilizing [environment variables](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/environment-variables/) for a simple and easily reproducible setup.
If you are persisting your `/etc/pihole` directory, you choose instead to set them via the web interface, or by directly editing `pihole.toml`
## Environment Variables
@@ -27,161 +30,169 @@ An example of how some of these variables may look in your compose file
```yaml
environment:
TZ: europe/London
FTLCONF_dns_revServers: 'true,192.168.0.0/16,192.168.0.1,lan'
FTLCONF_dns_upstreams: '8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4'
FTLCONF_dns_revServers: 'true,192.168.0.0/16,192.168.0.1,lan'
FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: 'correct horse battery staple'
FTLCONF_webserver_port: '8082,443s'
FTLCONF_debug_api: 'true'
# Array Types can either be delimited by semicolon
# If you have only a few items this may be more convienient
FTLCONF_dns_upstreams: '8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4;1.1.1.1;9.9.9.9'
FTLCONF_misc_dnsmasq_lines: 'address=/example.com/192.168.1.1;address=/example.org/192.168.1.2;address=/example.net/192.168.1.3'
# Or YAML Multiline block style can be used for better redability.
# https://yaml.org/spec/1.2.2/#literal-style
FTLCONF_dns_upstreams: |-
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
1.1.1.1
9.9.9.9
FTLCONF_misc_dnsmasq_lines: |-
address=/example.com/192.168.1.1
address=/example.org/192.168.1.2
address=/example.net/192.168.1.3
```
### Recommended Variables
### Recommended Environment Variables
#### `TZ` (Default: `UTC`)
| Variable | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| `TZ` | Set your [timezone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones) to make sure logs rotate at local midnight instead of at UTC midnight. |
| `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` | To set a specific password for the web interface (per the quick-start example).<br><br>If this variable is not detected, and you have not already set one previously inside the container via `pihole setpassword` or `pihole-FTL --config webserver.api.password`, then a random password will be assigned on startup, and will be printed to the log.<br><br>You can find this password by running `docker logs pihole` and looking for "random password". See [Setting the Web Interface Password](#setting-the-web-interface-password) below for usage examples. |
| `FTLCONF_dns_upstreams` | Upstream DNS server(s) for Pi-hole to forward queries to, separated by a semicolon<br><br>Supports non-standard ports with #[port number] e.g `127.0.0.1#5053;8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4`<br><br>Supports [Docker service names and links](https://docs.docker.com/compose/networking/) instead of IPs e.g `upstream0;upstream1` where upstream0 and upstream1 are the service names of or links to docker services |
Set your [timezone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones) to make sure logs rotate at local midnight instead of at UTC midnight.
#### `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` (Default: `unset`)
## Setting the Web Interface Password {: #setting-the-web-interface-password }
To set a specific password for the web interface, use the environment variable `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` (per the quick-start example). If this variable is not detected, and you have not already set one previously inside the container via `pihole setpassword` or `pihole-FTL --config webserver.api.password`, then a random password will be assigned on startup, and will be printed to the log. You can find this password with the command `docker logs pihole | grep random password` on your host to find this password. See [Notes On Web Interface Password](#notes-on-web-interface-password) below for usage examples.
The web interface password can be set using the `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` environment variable as documented above or using the `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` environment variable using [Docker Compose Secrets](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/use-secrets/) or [Docker Swarm secrets](https://docs.docker.com/engine/swarm/secrets/).
!!! note
To _explicitly_ set no password, set `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: ''`<br/><br/>
Using `pihole setpassword` for the purpose of setting an empty password will not persist between container restarts
#### `FTLCONF_dns_upstreams` (Default: `8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4`)
### Examples
- Upstream DNS server(s) for Pi-hole to forward queries to, separated by a semicolon
- Supports non-standard ports with #[port number] e.g `127.0.0.1#5053;8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4`
- Supports Docker service names and links instead of IPs e.g `upstream0;upstream1` where upstream0 and upstream1 are the service names of or links to docker services
The `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` variable can be set directly or sourced from files, environment variables, or Docker secrets. Choose the workflow that best matches your deployment.
### Other Variables
=== "Docker Compose"
Provide the password directly inside your Compose file.
#### `TAIL_FTL_LOG` (Default: `1`)
Whether or not to output the FTL log when running the container. Can be disabled by setting the value to 0
#### `PIHOLE_UID` (Default: `1000`)
Overrides image's default pihole user id to match a host user id
#### `PIHOLE_GID` (Default: `1000`)
Overrides image's default pihole group id to match a host group id
!!! Warning
For the above two settings, the `id` must not already be in use inside the container!
#### `FTL_CMD` (Default: `no-daemon`)
Customize the options with which dnsmasq gets started. e.g. `no-daemon -- --dns-forward-max 300` to increase max. number of concurrent dns queries on high load setups.
#### `DNSMASQ_USER` (Default: `pihole`)
Allows changing the user that FTLDNS runs as. Default: pihole, some systems such as Synology NAS may require you to change this to root (See [pihole/docker-pi-hole#963](https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole/issues/963))
#### `ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES` (Default: unset)
Mostly for development purposes, this just makes it easier for those of us that always like to have whatever additional tools we need inside the container for debugging.
Adding packages here is the same as running `apk add <package>` inside the container
#### `PH_VERBOSE` (Default: `0`)
Setting this environment variable to `1` will set `-x`, making the scripts that run on container startup more verbose. Useful for debugging only.
#### `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` (Default: unset)
Set the web interface password using [Docker Compose Secrets](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/use-secrets/) if using Compose or [Docker Swarm secrets](https://docs.docker.com/engine/swarm/secrets/) if using Docker Swarm. If `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` is set, `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` is ignored. If `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` is empty, and `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` is set to a valid readable file path, then `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` will be set to the contents of `WEBPASSWORD_FILE`. See [Notes On Web Interface Password](#notes-on-web-interface-password) below for usage examples.
### Variable Formatting
Environment variables may be set in the format given here, or they may be entirely uppercase in the conventional manner.
For example, both `FTLCONF_dns_upstreams` and `FTLCONF_DNS_UPSTREAMS` are functionally equivalent when used as environment variables.
## Notes On Web Interface Password
The web interface password can be set using the `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` environment variable as documented above or using the `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` environment variable using [Docker Compose Secrets](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/use-secrets/) or [Docker Swarm secrets](https://docs.docker.com/engine/swarm/secrets/).
### `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` Examples
The `FTLCONF_webserver_api_password` variable can be set in a `docker run` command or as an environment attribute in a Docker Compose yaml file.
#### Docker run example
```bash
docker run --name pihole -p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp -p 80:80/tcp -p 443:443/tcp -e TZ=Europe/London -e FTLCONF_webserver_api_password="correct horse battery staple" -e FTLCONF_dns_listeningMode=all -v ./etc-pihole:/etc/pihole -v ./etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d --cap-add NET_ADMIN --restart unless-stopped pihole/pihole:latest
```
#### Docker Compose examples
Set using a text value.
```yaml
```yaml
...
environment:
FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: 'correct horse battery staple'
...
```
```
Set using an [environment variable](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/environment-variables/) called, for example, `ADMIN_PASSWORD`. The value of `ADMIN_PASSWORD` can be set in the shell of the `docker compose` command or in an `.env` file. See the link above for detailed information.
=== "Docker Compose (env var)"
Reference an [environment variable](https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/environment-variables/) such as `ADMIN_PASSWORD`.
```yaml
```yaml
...
environment:
FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: ${ADMIN_PASSWORD}
...
```
```
Define ADMIN_PASSWORD in shell.
Define it in the shell:
```bash
export ADMIN_PASSWORD=correct horse battery staple
docker compose -f compose.yaml
```
```bash
export ADMIN_PASSWORD=correct horse battery staple
docker compose -f compose.yaml
```
Or define ADMIN_PASSWORD in `.env` file. The `.env` file is placed in the same directory where the Compose yaml file (e.g. `compose.yaml`) is located.
Or in an `.env` file kept alongside your Compose yaml:
```bash
$ cat .env
ADMIN_PASSWORD=correct horse battery staple
$ docker compose -f compose.yaml
```
```bash
$ cat .env
ADMIN_PASSWORD=correct horse battery staple
$ docker compose -f compose.yaml
```
### `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` Example
=== "Docker Compose secret"
Use `WEBPASSWORD_FILE` with Docker secrets to avoid storing the password directly in your Compose file.
Create a text file called `pihole_password.txt` containing the password in the same directory containing the Compose yaml file (e.g `compose.yaml`).
```bash
$ cat pihole_password.txt
correct horse battery staple
```
```bash
$cat pihole_password.txt
correct horse battery staple
```
```yaml
---
services:
pihole:
container_name: pihole
image: pihole/pihole:latest
Amend compose yaml file with Docker Secrets attributes.
# lines deleted
```yaml
---
# define pihole service
services:
pihole:
container_name: pihole
image: pihole/pihole:latest
environment:
WEBPASSWORD_FILE: pihole_webpasswd
# lines deleted
# lines deleted
environment:
WEBPASSWORD_FILE: pihole_webpasswd
# lines deleted
secrets:
- pihole_webpasswd
restart: unless-stopped
secrets:
- pihole_webpasswd
restart: unless-stopped
pihole_webpasswd:
file: ./pihole_password.txt
...
```
# define pihole_webpasswd secret
secrets:
pihole_webpasswd:
file: ./pihole_password.txt
...
```
=== "Docker run"
Set the password inline when launching the container.
```bash
docker run --name pihole -p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp -p 80:80/tcp -p 443:443/tcp -e TZ=Europe/London -e FTLCONF_webserver_api_password="correct horse battery staple" -e FTLCONF_dns_listeningMode=all -v ./etc-pihole:/etc/pihole -v ./etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d --cap-add NET_ADMIN --restart unless-stopped pihole/pihole:latest
```
## Configuration Reference
### Optional Variables
| Variable | Default | Value | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `TAIL_FTL_LOG` | `1` | `<0\|1>` | Whether or not to output the FTL log when running the container. Can be disabled by setting the value to 0. |
| `PIHOLE_UID` | `1000` | Number | Overrides image's default pihole user id to match a host user id.<br/>**IMPORTANT**: id must not already be in use inside the container! |
| `PIHOLE_GID` | `1000` | Number | Overrides image's default pihole group id to match a host group id.<br/>**IMPORTANT**: id must not already be in use inside the container! |
### Advanced Variables
| Variable | Default | Value | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `FTL_CMD` | `no-daemon` | `no-daemon -- <dnsmasq option>` | Customize dnsmasq startup options. e.g. `no-daemon -- --dns-forward-max 300` to increase max. number of concurrent dns queries on high load setups. |
| `DNSMASQ_USER` | unset | `<pihole\|root>` | Allows changing the user that FTLDNS runs as. Default: `pihole`, some systems such as Synology NAS may require you to change this to `root`.<br><br>(See [#963](https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole/issues/963)) |
| `ADDITIONAL_PACKAGES` | unset | Space separated list of APKs | HERE BE DRAGONS. Mostly for development purposes, this just makes it easier for those of us that always like to have whatever additional tools we need inside the container for debugging. |
### Docker Arguments
Here is a rundown of other arguments for your docker-compose / docker run.
| Docker Arguments | Description |
| :--- | :--- |
| `-p <port>:<port>` **Recommended** | Ports to expose (53, 80, 443, 67), the bare minimum ports required for Pi-holes HTTP, HTTPS and DNS services. |
| `--restart=unless-stopped`<br/> **Recommended** | Automatically (re)start your Pi-hole on boot or in the event of a crash. |
| `-v $(pwd)/etc-pihole:/etc/pihole`<br/> **Recommended** | Volumes for your Pi-hole configs help persist changes across docker image updates. |
| `--net=host`<br/> _Optional_ | Alternative to `-p <port>:<port>` arguments (Cannot be used at same time as `-p`) if you don't run any other web application. DHCP runs best with `--net=host`, otherwise your router must support dhcp-relay settings. |
| `--cap-add=NET_ADMIN`<br/> _Recommended_ | Commonly added capability for DHCP, see [Note on Capabilities](#note-on-capabilities) below for other capabilities. |
| `--dns=n.n.n.n`<br/> _Optional_ | Explicitly set container's DNS server. It is **_not recommended_** to set this to `localhost`/`127.0.0.1`. |
| `--env-file .env` <br/> _Optional_ | File to store environment variables for docker replacing `-e key=value` settings. Here for convenience. |
## Note on Capabilities {: #note-on-capabilities }
Pi-hole's DNS core (FTL) expects to have the following capabilities available:
- `CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE`: Allows FTLDNS binding to TCP/UDP sockets below 1024 (specifically DNS service on port 53)
- `CAP_NET_RAW`: use raw and packet sockets (needed for handling DHCPv6 requests, and verifying that an IP is not in use before leasing it)
- `CAP_NET_ADMIN`: modify routing tables and other network-related operations (in particular inserting an entry in the neighbor table to answer DHCP requests using unicast packets)
- `CAP_SYS_NICE`: FTL sets itself as an important process to get some more processing time if the latter is running low
- `CAP_CHOWN`: we need to be able to change ownership of log files and databases in case FTL is started as a different user than `pihole`
- `CAP_SYS_TIME`: FTL needs to be able to set the system time to update it using the Network Time Protocol (NTP) in the background
This image automatically grants those capabilities, if available, to the FTLDNS process, even when run as non-root.\
By default, docker does not include the `NET_ADMIN` capability for non-privileged containers, and it is recommended to explicitly add it to the container using `--cap-add=NET_ADMIN`.\
However, if DHCP and IPv6 Router Advertisements are not in use, it should be safe to skip it. For the most paranoid, it should even be possible to explicitly drop the `NET_RAW` capability to prevent FTLDNS from automatically gaining it.

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@@ -53,20 +53,17 @@ The equivalent command for `docker run` would be:
docker run --name pihole -p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp -p 80:80/tcp -p 443:443/tcp -e TZ=Europe/London -e FTLCONF_webserver_api_password="correct horse battery staple" -e FTLCONF_dns_listeningMode=all -v ./etc-pihole:/etc/pihole -v ./etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d --cap-add NET_ADMIN --restart unless-stopped pihole/pihole:latest
```
## Note On Capabilities
[FTLDNS](https://docs.pi-hole.net/ftldns/) expects to have the following capabilities available:
## Docker tags and versioning
- `CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE`: Allows FTLDNS binding to TCP/UDP sockets below 1024 (specifically DNS service on port 53)
- `CAP_NET_RAW`: use raw and packet sockets (needed for handling DHCPv6 requests, and verifying that an IP is not in use before leasing it)
- `CAP_NET_ADMIN`: modify routing tables and other network-related operations (in particular inserting an entry in the neighbor table to answer DHCP requests using unicast packets)
- `CAP_SYS_NICE`: FTL sets itself as an important process to get some more processing time if the latter is running low
- `CAP_CHOWN`: we need to be able to change ownership of log files and databases in case FTL is started as a different user than `pihole`
- `CAP_SYS_TIME`: FTL needs to be able to set the system time to update it using the Network Time Protocol (NTP) in the background
The primary docker tags are explained in the following table. [Click here to see the full list of tags](https://hub.docker.com/r/pihole/pihole/tags). See [GitHub Release notes](https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole/releases) to see the specific version of Pi-hole Core, Web, and FTL included in the release.
!!! info
This image automatically grants those capabilities, if available, to the FTLDNS process, even when run as non-root.
The Date-based (including incremented "Patch" versions) do not relate to any kind of semantic version number, rather a date is used to differentiate between the new version and the old version, nothing more.
By default, docker does not include the `NET_ADMIN` capability for non-privileged containers, and it is recommended to explicitly add it to the container using `--cap-add=NET_ADMIN`.
Release notes will always contain full details of changes in the container, including changes to core Pi-hole components.
However, if DHCP and IPv6 Router Advertisements are not in use, it should be safe to skip it. For the most paranoid, it should even be possible to explicitly drop the `NET_RAW` capability to prevent FTLDNS from automatically gaining it.
| tag | description |
| :--- | :--- |
| `latest` | Always the latest release |
| `2022.04.0` | Date-based release |
| `nightly` | Built and pushed whenever there are changes on the `development` branch and additionally produced by the scheduled nightly job. These are the most experimental development images and may change frequently |

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@@ -69,3 +69,33 @@ Example sysconfig nmcli commands:
```bash
nmcli connection up ens160-night
```
## Common Issues
- A good way to test things are working right is by loading this page: [http://pi.hole/admin/](http://pi.hole/admin/)
- Port conflicts? Stop your server's existing DNS / Web services.
- Don't forget to stop your services from auto-starting again after you reboot.
- Ubuntu users see below for more detailed information.
- If only ports 80 and/or 443 are in use, you have two options:
- Change the container's port mapping by adjusting the Docker `-p` flags or the `ports:` section in the compose file. For example, change `- "80:80/tcp"` to `- "8080:80/tcp"` to expose the container’s internal HTTP port 80 as 8080 on the host.
- Or, when running the container in `network_mode: host`, where port mappings are not available, change the ports used by the Pi-hole web server using the `FTLCONF_webserver_port` environment variable.<br>
Example:<br>
`FTLCONF_webserver_port: '8080o,[::]:8080o,8443os,[::]:8443os'`<br>
This makes the web interface available on HTTP port 8080 and HTTPS port 8443 for both IPv4 and IPv6.
- **Note:** This only applies to web interface ports (80 and 443). DNS (53), DHCP (67), and NTP (123) ports must still be handled via Docker port mappings or host networking.
- Docker's default network mode `bridge` isolates the container from the host's network. This is a more secure setting, but requires setting the Pi-hole DNS option for _Interface listening behavior_ to "Listen on all interfaces, permit all origins".
- If you're using a Red Hat based distribution with an SELinux Enforcing policy, add `:z` to line with volumes.
## Note on Watchtower
We have noticed that a lot of people use Watchtower to keep their Pi-hole containers up to date. For the same reason we don't provide an auto-update feature on a bare metal install, you _should not_ have a system automatically update your Pi-hole container. Especially unattended. As much as we try to ensure nothing will go wrong, sometimes things do go wrong - and you need to set aside time to _manually_ pull and update to the version of the container you wish to run. The upgrade process should be along the lines of:
- **Important**: Read the release notes. Sometimes you will need to make changes other than just updating the image.
- Pull the new image.
- Stop and _remove_ the running Pi-hole container
- If you care about your data (logs/customizations), make sure you have it volume-mapped or it will be deleted in this step.
- Recreate the container using the new image.
To exclude the Pi-hole container from Watchtower's auto-update system take a look at [Full Exclude](https://containrrr.dev/watchtower/container-selection/#full_exclude) in Watchtower's docs.
Pi-hole is an integral part of your network, don't let it fall over because of an unattended update in the middle of the night.

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@@ -30,4 +30,4 @@ sudo bash basic-install.sh
### Alternative 3: Use Docker to deploy Pi-hole
Please refer to the [Pi-hole docker repo](https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole) to use the Official Docker Images.
Please refer to the [Docker docs section](../docker/index.md) to use the Official Docker Images.

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Before installing Pi-hole, you need to make sure your system meets the [prerequisites](prerequisites.md) (hardware and operating system) and decide whether you want a [normal installation](basic-install.md) (bare metal) or a [docker installation](https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole/).
Before installing Pi-hole, you need to make sure your system meets the [prerequisites](prerequisites.md) (hardware and operating system) and decide whether you want a [normal installation](basic-install.md) (bare metal) or a [docker installation](../docker/index.md).
After the installation is complete, check the [Post-Install steps](post-install.md) to make sure your network is using Pi-hole.