Pi-hole with Docker Compose

What Pi-hole needs

Only figures Pi-hole's own documentation publishes, each linked to the page it is on. Where the project gives no number, this page does not invent one.

On top of this, Caddy (the reverse proxy in the file) is a single small container.

Which hardware Pi-hole has images for

Read from each image's manifest list in its registry (anonymous, read-only) when this page was built. An app counts for a CPU only if every one of its images lists it.

• x86-64 PC or NAS (linux/amd64): every image has a build.
• Raspberry Pi 4/5, 64-bit OS (linux/arm64): every image has a build.
• Raspberry Pi 3 or Zero 2 W, 32-bit OS (linux/arm/v7): every image has a build.

A manifest says an image exists for a CPU, not how well Pi-hole runs on it: a build for arm64 or arm/v7 can still be too slow or need more memory than the board has. The RAM and disk Pi-hole publishes are in the table above and, for a whole set of apps against a Raspberry Pi, on Will it run on my machine?. A tag like latest can move to a new digest after the date checked.

docker-compose.yml

This is exactly what the builder writes for Pi-hole alone on example.org: the official definition with its published ports removed except 53:53/tcp and 53:53/udp, which cannot go through a web proxy (see below), and Caddy added in front. The time zone is Etc/UTC here; the builder uses your browser's. Every ${VARIABLE} is defined in the .env below.

# docker-compose.yml built at dankhost.com for: Pi-hole
# Each app block is its official compose definition. Only the names were prefixed with
# the app slug (services, containers, volumes, bind folders, .env variables) so any set of
# apps can share one file; other differences are listed under "Changed:" in each block.
# Caddy publishes 80 and 443. The only other published ports, each labelled where
# it is written: 53/tcp (Pi-hole: DNS over TCP), 53/udp (Pi-hole: DNS over UDP).
# Secrets live in .env next to this file.

services:
  # ---- Caddy: the one reverse proxy, HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt ----
  # Source: https://caddyserver.com/docs/running (checked 2026-09-23)
  # Source: https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden/wiki/Using-Docker-Compose (checked 2026-09-23)
  # Caddyfile goes in ./caddy/Caddyfile. Fixed address 172.30.0.2 so apps can trust it exactly.
  caddy:
    image: "caddy:2"
    container_name: "caddy"
    restart: "unless-stopped"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "443:443/udp"
    volumes:
      - "./caddy:/etc/caddy"
      - "caddy-data:/data"
      - "caddy-config:/config"
    networks:
      proxy:
        ipv4_address: "172.30.0.2"

  # ---- Pi-hole (pihole.example.org) ----
  # Source: https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/ (checked 2026-09-29)
  # Source: https://github.com/pi-hole/docker-pi-hole (checked 2026-09-29)
  # Source: https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/tips-and-tricks/ (checked 2026-09-29)
  # Source: https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/configuration/ (checked 2026-09-29)
  # Changed: Removed the documented '80:80/tcp' and '443:443/tcp' web ports; Caddy reaches pihole:80 on the proxy network. Port 443 only served the self-signed certificate Pi-hole generates for itself. '53:53/tcp' and '53:53/udp' stay: they are the DNS server. The DHCP (67/udp) and NTP (123/udp) ports stay commented out, as in the documented file.
  #          Of the three documented capabilities only SYS_NICE (marked optional) is kept. The file marks NET_ADMIN "Required if you are using Pi-hole as your DHCP server, else not needed" and SYS_TIME as needed only for Pi-hole to set the host's clock as an NTP client; this file sets up neither.
  #          The web password comes from PI_HOLE_ADMIN_PASSWORD in .env, the "Docker Compose (env var)" form on the configuration page, instead of the example 'correct horse battery staple'. TZ is your time zone instead of Europe/London.
  #          The commented-out ./etc-dnsmasq.d volume (only for custom dnsmasq files or a v5 upgrade) is left out, and the documented container_name 'pihole' becomes pi-hole-pihole, the builder's name.
  # PORT OUTSIDE THE PROXY 53/tcp: DNS for the devices on your network, the first of the two "DNS Ports" lines in Pi-hole's compose example. DNS is not HTTP, so it cannot go through the proxy.
  # PORT OUTSIDE THE PROXY 53/udp: the UDP half of the same pair; most DNS queries use UDP.
  # ELEVATED ACCESS (cap_add SYS_NICE): kept from the documented file, where it is marked "Optional, if Pi-hole should get some more processing time": it lets Pi-hole raise its own scheduling priority on the host CPU. It grants no network or file access; remove the line if you prefer a plain container.
  pi-hole:
    image: "pihole/pihole:latest"
    container_name: "pi-hole"
    environment:
      TZ: "Etc/UTC"
      FTLCONF_webserver_api_password: "${PI_HOLE_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
      FTLCONF_dns_listeningMode: "ALL"
    volumes:
      - "./pi-hole/etc-pihole:/etc/pihole"
    cap_add:
      - "SYS_NICE"
    restart: "unless-stopped"
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"  # DNS over TCP
      - "53:53/udp"  # DNS over UDP
    networks:
      proxy: {}

networks:
  # Pinned so the trusted-proxy address given to each app (172.30.0.2) is exact.
  # If "docker compose up" reports "Pool overlaps", change 172.30.0 here, in Caddy's
  # ipv4_address and in every trusted-proxy value to a free 172.x.0 range.
  proxy:
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: "172.30.0.0/24"
          ip_range: "172.30.0.128/25"
          gateway: "172.30.0.1"

volumes:
  caddy-data:
  caddy-config:

Caddyfile save as caddy/Caddyfile

Caddy gets and renews the HTTPS certificate for pihole.example.org by itself once the DNS record points at your server and ports 80 and 443 reach it.

# Caddyfile built at dankhost.com. Save it as ./caddy/Caddyfile next to docker-compose.yml.
# Caddy gets and renews a Let's Encrypt certificate for each name below by itself,
# once the DNS records point at this server and ports 80 and 443 reach it.

# Pi-hole
pihole.example.org {
	reverse_proxy pi-hole:80
}

Already running nginx, Nginx Proxy Manager, Caddy or Traefik? The reverse-proxy settings Pi-hole needs, for all four, each cited to Pi-hole's own docs.

.env

The secret is left blank here on purpose: a password printed on a public page is the same for everyone who copies it. The builder fills it with random letters and digits made in your browser.

# .env for Pi-hole, from dankhost.com/app/pi-hole/. Fill the blank secret before starting.
# Keep this file private (chmod 600).

# Pi-hole
# 24 random letters and digits: the builder fills this in your browser
PI_HOLE_ADMIN_PASSWORD=

What Pi-hole needs beyond the proxy

Every other app in the builder is reached only through the proxy on ports 80 and 443. Pi-hole also needs these ports on the server itself, because they carry traffic that is not HTTP. The compose file labels each with a # PORT OUTSIDE THE PROXY comment.

• 53:53/tcp (DNS over TCP): DNS for the devices on your network, the first of the two "DNS Ports" lines in Pi-hole's compose example. DNS is not HTTP, so it cannot go through the proxy.
• 53:53/udp (DNS over UDP): the UDP half of the same pair; most DNS queries use UDP.
• Port 53 (TCP and UDP) is published on every interface of this server so the devices on your network can use it as their DNS server. Do not forward port 53 from your router: that would put an open DNS resolver on the internet. If "docker compose up" says port 53 is already in use, systemd-resolved holds it: see the Pi-hole notes for the change Pi-hole's docs give.

Pi-hole asks for more than an ordinary container. The compose file keeps what the project documents and labels each item with an # ELEVATED ACCESS comment; /check/ flags it too, as it would in any file.

• cap_add SYS_NICE: kept from the documented file, where it is marked "Optional, if Pi-hole should get some more processing time": it lets Pi-hole raise its own scheduling priority on the host CPU. It grants no network or file access; remove the line if you prefer a plain container.

Changes from the official file

Besides prefixing every service, container, volume, folder and variable with pi-hole (so any set of apps can share one file), these are all the differences from what the project documents:

• Removed the documented '80:80/tcp' and '443:443/tcp' web ports; Caddy reaches pihole:80 on the proxy network. Port 443 only served the self-signed certificate Pi-hole generates for itself. '53:53/tcp' and '53:53/udp' stay: they are the DNS server. The DHCP (67/udp) and NTP (123/udp) ports stay commented out, as in the documented file.
• Of the three documented capabilities only SYS_NICE (marked optional) is kept. The file marks NET_ADMIN "Required if you are using Pi-hole as your DHCP server, else not needed" and SYS_TIME as needed only for Pi-hole to set the host's clock as an NTP client; this file sets up neither.
• The web password comes from PI_HOLE_ADMIN_PASSWORD in .env, the "Docker Compose (env var)" form on the configuration page, instead of the example 'correct horse battery staple'. TZ is your time zone instead of Europe/London.
• The commented-out ./etc-dnsmasq.d volume (only for custom dnsmasq files or a v5 upgrade) is left out, and the documented container_name 'pihole' becomes pi-hole-pihole, the builder's name.

Notes for Pi-hole behind the proxy

• Open https://pihole.example.org/admin and log in with PI_HOLE_ADMIN_PASSWORD from .env.
• Port 53 and systemd-resolved: Pi-hole's tips page says modern Ubuntu (17.10+) and Fedora (33+) run systemd-resolved, a caching DNS stub resolver that "will prevent pi-hole from listening on port 53". Its fix, run on the server: sudo sh -c 'mkdir -p /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d && printf "[Resolve]\nDNSStubListener=no\n" | tee /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d/no-stub.conf', then point /etc/resolv.conf at the real resolver with sudo sh -c 'rm -f /etc/resolv.conf && ln -s /run/systemd/resolve/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf', then systemctl restart systemd-resolved.
• Then give the server's LAN address as the DNS server to your devices, or to all of them at once in your router's DHCP settings.
• The same page warns of a catch-22: if this server itself uses Pi-hole for DNS and Pi-hole is down, the server cannot resolve names, and may not even be able to pull the image to start it again.
• The image tag is 'latest' because Pi-hole's own compose file uses it. Its docs say not to update Pi-hole unattended (no Watchtower): read the release notes, then docker compose pull and docker compose up -d yourself.

Back it up

Pi-hole's Docker documentation publishes no backup procedure. It says to keep /etc/pihole on a volume so the configuration survives the container being removed, which is the folder copied below with Docker's generic method.

Below is the BACKUP.md the builder writes next to the compose file above: which of its folders and volumes hold data, what to copy with which container stopped, and a restore check. Pick more apps in the builder and it covers them all in one file.

# BACKUP.md built at dankhost.com for: Pi-hole

What to copy from the docker-compose.yml built with this file, the database dump each project documents (rewritten for the service names in that file), what to copy with which container stopped, and how to check the result. Run every command in the folder that holds docker-compose.yml.

The folders are owned by the containers' users: put sudo in front of tar if it says "Permission denied". Named volumes live under /var/lib/docker/volumes, not next to the compose file, so they are copied through a throwaway ubuntu container (Docker's documented --volumes-from method). tar makes a full copy each run; for large folders an incremental tool (restic, borg, rsync) saves time and space.

Never run "docker compose down -v" on this file: it deletes the named volumes of every app in it.

## Before you start

    BACKUP=/mnt/backup/selfhost   # change this: a disk or machine other than this server's system disk
    mkdir -p "$BACKUP"

## Every time: the three stack files

    tar czf "$BACKUP/stack-files.tar.gz" docker-compose.yml .env caddy

.env holds the database passwords and secret keys the apps were set up with; keep this archive as private as the data.

## Caddy (the reverse proxy)

Caddy's docs: 'The data directory must not be treated as a cache.' It holds the TLS certificates and their private keys; without it Caddy has to ask Let's Encrypt for every certificate again.

- caddy-data (named volume, /data in caddy)
  BACK UP: TLS certificates, private keys, OCSP staples.
- caddy-config (named volume, /config in caddy)
  SKIP: the last active configuration, kept for 'caddy run --resume', which this setup does not use: it starts from the Caddyfile.
- ./caddy (/etc/caddy in caddy)
  IN stack-files.tar.gz: the Caddyfile, copied with the stack files above.

Copy (Caddy keeps serving while you copy):

    docker run --rm --volumes-from caddy -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu tar cvf /backup/caddy-data.tar /data

Restore check:

    tar tf "$BACKUP/caddy-data.tar" > /dev/null && echo OK
    docker run --rm --volumes-from caddy -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu bash -c "cd /data && tar xvf /backup/caddy-data.tar --strip 1"

Sources:
- Caddy docs: Conventions, Data directory: https://caddyserver.com/docs/conventions#data-directory (checked 2026-09-24)
- Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes: https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/volumes/#back-up-restore-or-migrate-data-volumes (checked 2026-09-24)

## Pi-hole

Pi-hole's Docker documentation publishes no backup procedure. It says to keep /etc/pihole on a volume so the configuration survives the container being removed, which is the folder copied below with Docker's generic method.

What this compose mounts:
- ./pi-hole/etc-pihole (/etc/pihole in pi-hole)
  BACK UP: Pi-hole's databases and pihole.toml, its configuration: block lists, allow and deny rules, local DNS records, query history.

1. Stop pi-hole. Stopping it keeps the query database from changing mid-copy. DNS on your network is down until it starts again.

    docker compose stop pi-hole

2. Copy while pi-hole is stopped:

    tar czf "$BACKUP/pi-hole-etc-pihole.tar.gz" ./pi-hole/etc-pihole

3. Start it again:

    docker compose start pi-hole

Restore check:

    tar tzf "$BACKUP/pi-hole-etc-pihole.tar.gz" > /dev/null && echo OK

Put a copy back (with pi-hole stopped):

    tar xzf "$BACKUP/pi-hole-etc-pihole.tar.gz"   # recreates ./pi-hole/etc-pihole; move the old folder aside first

Stop it, put ./pi-hole/etc-pihole back, start it.

Sources:
- Pi-hole docs: Docker, Upgrading (volumes persist the configuration): https://docs.pi-hole.net/docker/upgrading/ (checked 2026-09-29)
- Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes: https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/volumes/#back-up-restore-or-migrate-data-volumes (checked 2026-09-29)

Sources

Every page below was fetched on the date shown.

• docker-pi-hole README on GitHub (Quick Start compose file) checked 2026-09-29 (what it does, compose definition and proxy settings)
• Pi-hole docs: Prerequisites (Hardware) checked 2026-09-29 (hardware requirements)
• Pi-hole docs: Docker (docker compose example, docker run, tags) checked 2026-09-29 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• Pi-hole docs: Docker tips and tricks (Disable systemd-resolved port 53, Note on Watchtower) checked 2026-09-29 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• Pi-hole docs: Docker configuration (FTLCONF_ variables, the web interface password, capabilities) checked 2026-09-29 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• Caddy docs: Keep Caddy running (Docker Compose section) checked 2026-09-23 (Caddy)
• Vaultwarden wiki: Caddy with HTTP challenge (uses the caddy:2 image) checked 2026-09-23 (Caddy)
• Pi-hole docs: Docker, Upgrading (volumes persist the configuration) checked 2026-09-29 (backup plan)
• Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes checked 2026-09-29 (backup plan)
• Caddy docs: Conventions, Data directory checked 2026-09-24 (backup plan)

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