<!--startmeta
custom_edit_url: "https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/pihole/README.md"
meta_yaml: "https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/pihole/metadata.yaml"
sidebar_label: "Pi-hole"
learn_status: "Published"
learn_rel_path: "Collecting Metrics/DNS and DHCP Servers"
most_popular: False
message: "DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE DIRECTLY, IT IS GENERATED BY THE COLLECTOR'S metadata.yaml FILE"
endmeta-->

# Pi-hole


<img src="https://netdata.cloud/img/pihole.png" width="150"/>


Plugin: go.d.plugin
Module: pihole

<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/maintained%20by-Netdata-%2300ab44" />

## Overview

This collector monitors Pi-hole instances using [PHP API](https://github.com/pi-hole/AdminLTE).

The data provided by the API is for the last 24 hours. All collected values refer to this time period and not to the
module's collection interval.




This collector is supported on all platforms.

This collector supports collecting metrics from multiple instances of this integration, including remote instances.


### Default Behavior

#### Auto-Detection

This integration doesn't support auto-detection.

#### Limits

The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.

#### Performance Impact

The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.


## Metrics

Metrics grouped by *scope*.

The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.



### Per Pi-hole instance

These metrics refer to the entire monitored application.

This scope has no labels.

Metrics:

| Metric | Dimensions | Unit |
|:------|:----------|:----|
| pihole.dns_queries_total | queries | queries |
| pihole.dns_queries | cached, blocked, forwarded | queries |
| pihole.dns_queries_percentage | cached, blocked, forwarded | percentage |
| pihole.unique_clients | unique | clients |
| pihole.domains_on_blocklist | blocklist | domains |
| pihole.blocklist_last_update | ago | seconds |
| pihole.unwanted_domains_blocking_status | enabled, disabled | status |
| pihole.dns_queries_types | a, aaaa, any, ptr, soa, srv, txt | percentage |
| pihole.dns_queries_forwarded_destination | cached, blocked, other | percentage |



## Alerts


The following alerts are available:

| Alert name  | On metric | Description |
|:------------|:----------|:------------|
| [ pihole_blocklist_last_update ](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/src/health/health.d/pihole.conf) | pihole.blocklist_last_update | gravity.list (blocklist) file last update time |
| [ pihole_status ](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/src/health/health.d/pihole.conf) | pihole.unwanted_domains_blocking_status | unwanted domains blocking is disabled |


## Setup

### Prerequisites

No action required.

### Configuration

#### File

The configuration file name for this integration is `go.d/pihole.conf`.


You can edit the configuration file using the `edit-config` script from the
Netdata [config directory](/docs/netdata-agent/configuration/README.md#the-netdata-config-directory).

```bash
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/pihole.conf
```
#### Options

The following options can be defined globally: update_every, autodetection_retry.


<details open><summary>Config options</summary>

| Name | Description | Default | Required |
|:----|:-----------|:-------|:--------:|
| update_every | Data collection frequency. | 5 | no |
| autodetection_retry | Recheck interval in seconds. Zero means no recheck will be scheduled. | 0 | no |
| url | Server URL. | http://127.0.0.1 | yes |
| setup_vars_path | Path to setupVars.conf. This file is used to get the web password. | /etc/pihole/setupVars.conf | no |
| timeout | HTTP request timeout. | 5 | no |
| username | Username for basic HTTP authentication. |  | no |
| password | Password for basic HTTP authentication. |  | no |
| proxy_url | Proxy URL. |  | no |
| proxy_username | Username for proxy basic HTTP authentication. |  | no |
| proxy_password | Password for proxy basic HTTP authentication. |  | no |
| method | HTTP request method. | GET | no |
| body | HTTP request body. |  | no |
| headers | HTTP request headers. |  | no |
| not_follow_redirects | Redirect handling policy. Controls whether the client follows redirects. | no | no |
| tls_skip_verify | Server certificate chain and hostname validation policy. Controls whether the client performs this check. | no | no |
| tls_ca | Certification authority that the client uses when verifying the server's certificates. |  | no |
| tls_cert | Client TLS certificate. |  | no |
| tls_key | Client TLS key. |  | no |

</details>

#### Examples

##### Basic

A basic example configuration.

<details open><summary>Config</summary>

```yaml
jobs:
  - name: local
    url: http://127.0.0.1

```
</details>

##### HTTPS with self-signed certificate

Remote instance with enabled HTTPS and self-signed certificate.

<details open><summary>Config</summary>

```yaml
jobs:
  - name: local
    url: https://203.0.113.11
    tls_skip_verify: yes
    password: 1ebd33f882f9aa5fac26a7cb74704742f91100228eb322e41b7bd6e6aeb8f74b

```
</details>

##### Multi-instance

> **Note**: When you define multiple jobs, their names must be unique.

Collecting metrics from local and remote instances.


<details open><summary>Config</summary>

```yaml
jobs:
  - name: local
    url: http://127.0.0.1

  - name: remote
    url: http://203.0.113.10
    password: 1ebd33f882f9aa5fac26a7cb74704742f91100228eb322e41b7bd6e6aeb8f74b

```
</details>



## Troubleshooting

### Debug Mode

**Important**: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.

To troubleshoot issues with the `pihole` collector, run the `go.d.plugin` with the debug option enabled. The output
should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.

- Navigate to the `plugins.d` directory, usually at `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/`. If that's not the case on
  your system, open `netdata.conf` and look for the `plugins` setting under `[directories]`.

  ```bash
  cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
  ```

- Switch to the `netdata` user.

  ```bash
  sudo -u netdata -s
  ```

- Run the `go.d.plugin` to debug the collector:

  ```bash
  ./go.d.plugin -d -m pihole
  ```

### Getting Logs

If you're encountering problems with the `pihole` collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:

- **Run the command** specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- **Examine the output** for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues.  These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.

#### System with systemd

Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:

```bash
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep pihole
```

#### System without systemd

Locate the collector log file, typically at `/var/log/netdata/collector.log`, and use `grep` to filter for collector's name:

```bash
grep pihole /var/log/netdata/collector.log
```

**Note**: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the **latest entries** for troubleshooting current issues.

#### Docker Container

If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:

```bash
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep pihole
```


