Pi-hole Running Docker Desktop on MacOSX: Network Mode: host Not Filtering

In this article, we will discuss the issue of using Pi-hole with Docker on a Desktop MacOSX when the network mode is set to host but the filtering is not working as expected. We will also explore the possible solutions and alternatives to resolve this issue, covering key concepts, and providing a detailed context on the topic.

Pi-hole and Docker

Pi-hole is a popular open-source network-wide ad-blocker that works by using a DHCP server and a DNS server. It can be installed on various platforms, such as Linux, Windows, and MacOSX. Docker is a containerization platform that allows you to package and run applications in isolated environments called containers.

Why use Docker with Pi-hole?

Using Docker with Pi-hole can provide several benefits, such as:

• Easy installation and configuration
• Consistent environment across different platforms
• Ability to run multiple instances of Pi-hole for different networks

Network Mode host not Filtering

When running Pi-hole with Docker on MacOSX (using Docker Desktop), the recommended network mode to use is host. This mode allows Pi-hole to directly access the network interfaces of the host machine, avoiding the need for additional networking configurations.

However, some users have reported that when using this network mode, Pi-hole is not filtering the DNS queries as expected. This issue can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• DNS server conflicts
• Firewall rules
• Incorrect network configurations

How to debug and troubleshoot?

To debug and troubleshoot this issue, you can follow these steps:

1. Check the logs of Pi-hole and Docker for any errors or warnings.
2. Verify that the DNS queries are being intercepted by Pi-hole by running a DNS query diagnostic tool.
3. Check the network configurations of the host machine and Pi-hole to ensure they are correct.
4. Check the firewall rules of the host machine and any network devices to ensure they are not blocking the DNS queries.

Alternative Solutions

If the above steps do not resolve the issue, you can try alternative solutions, such as:

1. Use a different network mode, such as bridge or overlay.
2. Use a different Docker platform, such as Docker Engine or Docker Machine.
3. Reinstall Pi-hole and Docker from scratch.

Sample docker-compose.yml file

Here's a sample docker-compose.yml file that you can use to run Pi-hole using Docker:

version: '3'
services:
 pi-hole:
 image: pihole/pi-hole:
 environment:
 WEB_INTERFACE_LISTEN_PORT: 80
 DNS_PORT: 53
 TZ: America/Los_Angeles
 networks:
 - host
networks:
 host:
 driver: host

This file will run Pi-hole using the pihole/pi-hole image, listening on port 80 for the web interface and port 53 for the DNS server. It will use the host network mode to directly access the host machine's network interfaces.

In this article, we have discussed the issue of using Pi-hole with Docker on Desktop MacOSX when the network mode is set to host but the filtering is not working as expected. We have provided possible solutions and alternatives to resolve this issue, as well as a sample docker-compose.yml file for reference. We have covered the key concepts and provided a detailed context on the topic.

References

• Pi-hole documentation
• Docker documentation
• Docker Desktop networking on MacOSX
• Docker Compose host network mode on Stack Overflow