Pi-hole on Windows using Docker

 I tried putting pi-hole on the box by installing WSL2 and running a Debian instance, then installing it.  This resulted in a lot of "WSL2 limitations" coming to light, specifically related to the windows network stack.  After crashing the struggle bus multiple times, I decided to go into unknown Docker territory as an excuse to fool with Docker on windows.

Here's the recipe for success:

Prerequisites

• Windows with WSL2 and Docker Desktop installed
• PowerShell with administrator access

Step 1: Create Docker Compose Configuration

Create a dedicated directory for Pi-hole and the Docker Compose configuration:

mkdir C:\pihole
cd C:\pihole

Create a file named docker-compose.yml in the C:\pihole directory:

services:
  pihole:
    container_name: pihole
    image: pihole/pihole:latest
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "67:67/udp"
      - "80:80/tcp"
    environment:
      TZ: 'America/New_York'
      WEBPASSWORD: 'admin123'
      PIHOLE_DNS_: '8.8.8.8;8.8.4.4'
      DNSMASQ_LISTENING: 'all'
    volumes:
      - './etc-pihole:/etc/pihole'
      - './etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d'
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN
    restart: unless-stopped

Step 2: Create Data Directories

Open PowerShell in the same directory and run:

mkdir -p etc-pihole, etc-dnsmasq.d

Step 3: Start Pi-hole

docker-compose up -d

Step 4: Set Admin Password

docker exec pihole pihole setpassword 'admin123'

Step 5: Configure Windows Firewall 

Run PowerShell as Administrator and execute:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Pi-hole DNS TCP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 53 -Action Allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Pi-hole DNS UDP" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 53 -Action Allow

Final Configuration

Once setup is complete, you'll have:

• Web Interface: http://[YOUR-WINDOWS-IP]/admin/ (e.g., http://192.168.1.3/admin/)
• Admin Password: admin123
• DNS Server: Your Windows IP address on port 53
• Data Persistence: Stored in ./etc-pihole and ./etc-dnsmasq.d directories

Management Commands

Here are some useful commands for managing your Pi-hole installation:

• Stop Pi-hole: docker-compose down
• Start Pi-hole: docker-compose up -d
• View logs: docker logs pihole
• Reset password: docker exec pihole pihole setpassword 'newpassword'

A Colder War - by Charles Stross

I'm reposting this from the original just in case the original source goes away.  Also because the formatting of the original source is kinda nasty.

This is one of the best alternate history cold war Lovecraftian tales ever.  Enjoy.