DNS
The system that translates domain names into IP addresses. Running your own DNS resolver keeps your browsing private and enables network wide ad blocking.
DNS, or Domain Name System, is the mechanism that translates a human readable domain name into an IP address your device can connect to.
Why it matters
Every time you type a website address, your device sends a DNS query asking where that address lives. By default, that query goes to your ISP's resolver or a public one like Google's 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1. Your ISP can log every domain you request. Public resolvers have their own data practices.
Running your own DNS resolver on your home network means those queries never leave your network. They are answered by your own hardware instead.
What you gain
Beyond privacy, a self-hosted DNS resolver enables network wide ad and tracker blocking. Domain names used by advertising networks and trackers can be blocked at the DNS level before a request ever leaves your network, affecting every device on your WiFi without any browser extension.
Custom local DNS records are another practical benefit. You can create internal domain names that resolve to services running on your home lab, making it straightforward to access containers and applications by name rather than by IP address.
AdGuard Home is the tool that handles all of this. Pi-hole is a well-known alternative with similar capabilities.