Blocky

What Blocky is

Blocky is a free, open-source DNS proxy and ad blocker for local networks, written in Go. It filters DNS queries with external allowlists and denylists, and supports rules for different client groups, regular expressions, CNAME and IP checks, and periodic list updates. DNS settings include custom resolution, conditional forwarding, and upstream resolvers configured by client group. It supports DNS over UDP, TCP, HTTPS, TLS, QUIC, and HTTPS/3, along with configurable caching, prefetching, and multiple external resolvers. The project describes Blocky as having a low memory footprint and says it collects no user data, telemetry, or statistics; it also supports DNSSEC validation of upstream resolvers.

For monitoring, Blocky exports metrics to Prometheus, with Grafana dashboards documented by the project. DNS query logs can be saved in CSV, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or Timescale formats. Its REST API has endpoints for blocking controls, refreshing lists, DNS queries, cache flushing, and statistics. Installation options include a standalone binary and Docker, with Homebrew documented for macOS. The project describes support for x86-64, ARM, and MIPS. Blocky costs nothing plan.

Who it suits

Blocky suits people who want to manage DNS filtering for a local network and configure rules by client group. It may also suit administrators who want DNS metrics, query logs, and API controls alongside filtering.

Limits

Activity reports are listed as advanced.

Getting started

1. Visit the Blocky project website.
2. Choose a standalone binary or Docker installation; macOS installation through Homebrew is also documented.
3. Install on a supported platform, including Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker, OpenWrt, or Kubernetes.
4. Configure allowlists or denylists and, if needed, per-client group rules and DNS settings.

Verdict

Choose Blocky if you want a free DNS proxy for local-network ad blocking with client-group rules and configurable DNS settings. Its metrics, logs, and REST API may suit administrators who also need monitoring and controls. Look elsewhere if advanced activity reports are central to your requirements.