Pi-Hole V6 Beta: Join the Testing Phase for Enhanced Ad Blocking

Pi-Hole, the popular network-wide ad blocker, is rolling out its latest version, V6.0, and is inviting users to participate in beta testing and troubleshooting. The Pi-hole team is looking for brave users who are comfortable with digging into any issues that may arise. The beta version introduces several fundamental changes, and it is important to note that updating from Pi-hole 5.x to 6.0 is a one-way operation.

Some of the new features and improvements in Pi-hole V6.0 include:

• A new REST API and webserver directly embedded into the pihole-FTL binary, eliminating the need for lighttpd and php dependencies. This change reduces the installation size of Pi-hole.
• Subscribed allowlists, known as Antigravity, which allow users to whitelist specific domains while still blocking entries in subscribed blocklists.
• Consolidated settings files, with all settings now contained in a single file located at /etc/pihole/pihole.toml. The file is well-commented, making it easier for users to understand and modify settings.
• Server-side pagination of the query log, improving the performance of the query log page by loading results one page at a time.
• Redesigned settings menu in the web interface, categorized into Basic, Advanced, and Expert levels, with different settings available based on the selected mode.
• Built-in HTTPS support in FTL, allowing users to use their own certificates or generate a self-signed certificate.
• Docker image now based on Alpine, reducing the image size and potentially enabling support for more systems in the future.

The Pi-hole team emphasizes that the beta version is not yet stable for a full release. They are actively working on improving stability and addressing issues as they arise. Users who are interested in participating in the beta testing can visit the Pi-hole Discourse Forum to discuss the beta and report any findings. Contributions and suggestions for improvements are also welcome.

To try out the beta version, users can either install it as a fresh installation or switch to the v6 branches. Detailed instructions are provided for both bare metal and Docker installations.

Pi-hole V6.0 does not have a specific release date yet, but the team is working on it in their free time, aiming to release it when it’s stable and ready for production use.

Source: Pi-Hole.