AdGuard Home quick setup notes

README.md

AdGuard Home

Overview

• network-wide ads & tracker blocking DNS server
• free and open source
• Github

Tips

• plenty of chicken and egg scenario’s - so plan your network out before hand, literally to the smallest detail
• “it’s always DNS” is true - it’ll always speed things up (especially on the same net), but I recommend putting in a secondary DNS server whilst making changes
• DHCP (and IP address clashes) are almost always the issue on a home network..
• static fix your most important devices at the end of the DHCP range and work backwards
• router logs are gold
• always leave yourself an out (or technically, in), aka a working device to connect and make changes

Installation

• I wrote a quick Ansible role
• DockerHub

- name: Stop systemd-resolved service
  ansible.builtin.service:
    name: systemd-resolved
    state: stopped

- name: Disable systemd-resolved service
  ansible.builtin.service:
    name: systemd-resolved
    enabled: no

- name: Create AdGuard working directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /var/lib/adguard/work
    state: directory
    mode: '0755'

- name: Create AdGuard config directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /var/lib/adguard/conf
    state: directory
    mode: '0755'

- name: Create a data container
  docker_container:
    name: adguard
    state: started
    restart_policy: unless-stopped
    image: adguard/adguardhome
    network_mode: host
    volumes:
      - /var/lib/adguard/work:/opt/adguardhome/work\
      - /var/lib/adguard/conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf\

First Start

• docs

Issue: Port 53 in use

• disable systemd-resolved service
• docs

# sudo lsof -i :53

COMMAND   PID            USER   FD   TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
systemd-r 316 systemd-resolve   13u  IPv4  23920      0t0  UDP localhost:domain
systemd-r 316 systemd-resolve   14u  IPv4  23921      0t0  TCP localhost:domain (LISTEN)

DNS Rewriting

• use like typical hosts file
• after changing will probably need to flush cache on devices

Flushing DNS cache

# Chrome
chrome://net-internals/#dns

# MacOS
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder

# Linux
# (except AdGuard Home itself, as doesn't use systemd-resolved)
sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches

# Android
chrome://net-internals/#dns

Mobile Setup

• install and enable Tailscale app
• ensure dns rewrite is setup to map AdGuard hostname to its Tailscale IP
• Private DNS settings > dns.adguard.com
• flush DNS cache via Chrome

Custom Filtering Rules

• use to block/unblock specific domains
• hosts file syntax (but is not the hosts files itself)