Build A Private Ad Blocker Using Fedora Quadlets

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Introduction

Learn to stop ads using a Raspberry Pi. Fedora Linux makes this setup very secure.

Getting Started with Fedora IoT

First install Fedora IoT on your small device. The Raspberry Pi Zero W works very well.

Understanding Quadlets for Containers

Quadlets are a modern way to run containers. They turn container configs into systemd services.

Prepare your Mini-PC by installing the podman package. Create a simple directory for your Quadlet files.

Configuration and Deployment

Write a basic container file for your blocker. Pi-hole or AdGuard Home are great choices.

The Quadlet file manages the network and storage. Start the service using the systemctl command.

The Quadlet Configuration Code

Create a file named adblocker.container in the systemd directory. Use the following configuration for your service.

[Unit]
Description=Private Ad Blocker Container
After=network-online.target

[Container]
Image=docker.io/adguard/adguardhome:latest
Volume=/var/lib/adguardhome:/opt/adguardhome/work:Z
Volume=/etc/adguardhome:/opt/adguardhome/conf:Z
PublishPort=53:53/tcp
PublishPort=53:53/udp
PublishPort=3000:3000/tcp
PublishPort=80:80/tcp

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target default.target

[Unit]
Description=Pi-hole Rootless Container
After=network-online.target

[Container]
Image=docker.io/pihole/pihole:latest
ContainerName=pihole-rootless

# DNS Ports (Redirected to high ports for rootless)
PublishPort=5300:53/udp
PublishPort=5300:53/tcp
# Web/Admin Ports
PublishPort=8080:80/tcp
PublishPort=8443:443/tcp
# Other requested ports
PublishPort=1123:123/udp
PublishPort=1067:67/udp

# Environment Variables
Environment=TZ=America/Toronto
Environment=WEBPASSWORD=your_secure_password
Environment=DNS1=1.1.1.1

# Volume Mapping (The :Z handles Fedora's SELinux automatically)
Volume=%h/pihole/etc-pihole:/etc/pihole:Z
Volume=%h/pihole/etc-dnsmasq.d:/etc/dnsmasq.d:Z

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Load and Start the Service

systemctl --user daemon-reload # Reload Daemon

systemctl --user start pihole.service # Start Service

systemctl --user enable pihole.service # Boot Start

# Keep Running After Logo
sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER