Sinkhole

Run a node. Trackers die at DNS.

Sinkhole is a small DNS resolver you run at home or on a server, the way people run a Pi-hole. It answers every lookup on your network, drops the domains on its list before the browser can connect, and shares verdicts with every other node through a peer swarm. It keeps pockets safe from payment drainers, and it works on its own as a network-wide blocker.

Run it yourself

What you get from running one

Every device

Phones, laptops, TVs and consoles use it as their DNS server, so blocked domains never resolve. Nothing to install on the devices themselves.

The swarm

When enough separate operators flag a domain, your node blocks it within seconds. You benefit from reports you never made.

Visibility

Queries per minute over 24 hours and 7 days, blocked share, clients, top domains and a live query log. Yours only, never sent anywhere.

Public lists too

Subscribe to hosts-format blocklists and Sinkhole refreshes them daily, so it can replace an ad blocker at the network level.

Your box, your rules

Manual entries, a token-protected admin API, exports in hosts, dnsmasq, plain and JSON. Everything stays on the device.

A seat at the table

Burning PAYHOLE unlocks a tier for your operator wallet. From tier one your node can report domains into the swarm, not just receive.

What you do not get: money. Nobody is paid for running a node. No emissions, no rewards, no share of anything. PAYHOLE is only ever bought and burned. The return is a network that is safer for you and everyone else on it, and the standing to help decide what gets blocked.

How to run it

Any always-on 64-bit Linux box with Docker works: a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, a Radxa Rock Pi, an NVIDIA Jetson, a NAS, a mini PC, a VPS. Two gigabytes of memory are enough; the running container uses about 120 MB before you add lists.

01
Prepare the board

Use a good microSD of 16 GB or more, class A2 if you can, or the board's eMMC or NVMe when it has one — a resolver writes a little every minute and cheap cards die. Give it a fixed address in your router's DHCP settings, because a resolver whose address moves takes the network's DNS with it.
```
uname -m        # must print aarch64
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y && sudo reboot
```
02
Install Docker

The install script works on Debian, Ubuntu, Armbian and Raspberry Pi OS. Add your user to the docker group, then log out and back in.
```
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
```
03

Point your network at it

Set the box's address as the DNS server in your router's DHCP settings. Every device picks it up on its next lease, with nothing to install on any of them.

Questions

Is Sinkhole a VPN?

No. It is a DNS resolver you run yourself. Blocked domains get no answer. Your traffic goes where it always went.

Do I need the extension for it?

No. Sinkhole is independent of the pocket and works on its own as a network-wide blocker.

Can I use my own lists?

Yes. Manual entries work at any tier, and custom list subscriptions unlock at tier 2.

Does it send my queries anywhere?

No. The dashboard and the query log stay on the device. Only domain verdicts you choose to report reach the swarm.