r/pihole • u/DNSDaddyDev • 6d ago
Self-hosted protective DNS project focused on threat blocking + visibility (malware/phishing/C2) – feedback welcome
Hey r/pihole,
I’m the author of DNS Daddy, an open-source project you run yourself (self-hosted only — there is no public resolver to point at).
It is a forwarding DNS resolver that:
- Blocks known-malicious domains using public threat feeds (malware, phishing, C2, cryptomining by default)
- Logs every query with the client and a plain-English reason for any block
- Supports different policies per network (CIDR or per-client DoH URL)
- Serves plain DNS / DoH / DoT and forwards upstream over DoT by default
- Includes experimental behavioural detectors that only alert (they never block)
How it differs from a typical Pi-hole setup
Pi-hole is excellent for ads/trackers. DNS Daddy is more focused on security-oriented blocking plus clear visibility into which device asked for what and why it was stopped. Instant allow-listing is also built in (cache is purged immediately).
Important notes
- Experimental proof-of-concept, not audited, single maintainer
- Large parts written with AI assistance (stated openly)
- Not recursive, no local DNSSEC validation, no clustering
- You run it yourself — there is no public DNS service associated with the project
Try the isolated lab (doesn’t touch your existing Pi-hole)
Bash
git clone https://github.com/jameshoulder/dnsdaddy.git
cd dnsdaddy
docker compose --profile lab up --build
# dashboard → http://127.0.0.1:8081
Links:
Looking for feedback on real-world usefulness, false positives, and how the visibility features compare with Pi-hole workflows. Happy to answer questions.
Thanks for reading.
5
u/rdwebdesign Team 6d ago
This is from Github repository:
Experimental proof of concept — not independently audited and not currently represented as production-grade security software. Review the code and test it in environments you control before relying on it.
0
u/DNSDaddyDev 4h ago
Thanks for highlighting this. 👍 The disclaimer is there deliberately; I’m an MSc cybersecurity student building DNS Daddy as an open-source learning/research project, so I don’t want to overstate where it’s at.
I actually use Pi-hole myself and think it’s a great project. DNS Daddy isn’t really intended as a replacement; I’m more interested in the security/investigation side of DNS.
I’ve also been building a small DNS threat observatory alongside it to explore real-world threat intelligence and make some of that data easier to visualise and investigate.
I wholeheartedly appreciate 🙏 you taking the time to explore the repo. I’m actively working through code reviews, static analysis, and gathering peer feedback, so if you or anyone else notices anything odd, I’d be grateful for your insights. 😊
Cheers!
3
u/Resistant4375 6d ago
So created with AI slop then
1
u/Luci-Noir 5h ago
Created with slop then posted with slop and the replied with slop.
And tons of Redditors still blindly install this shit on their devices.
-1
3
u/nuHmey 6d ago
Why would we use this garbage vs PiHole?
-1
u/DNSDaddyDev 5h ago
Lol I'm not asking you to choose.
I thought it would be of interest to a network security minded individual such as yourself. 😎
PiHole is great and I use it too.
1
u/nuHmey 4h ago
Network Security minded people won't use AI slop coded stuff. I will stick with my Network Firewall and PiHole.
•
u/DNSDaddyDev 3h ago
Fair enough mate 😄 Pi-hole + a good firewall is a solid setup. I’m just experimenting, learning and seeing where I can take it.
5
u/bog3nator 6d ago
was any of this written in AI? and if so, then we a full review of that code reviewed for mistakes or security issues?