Installing AdGuardHome in a container

Configuration
1

Hello, As a validation for my migration from HA to Gladys, I started installing a test platform.

I installed Ubuntu Server on a mini PC (I already have a file server with Ubuntu-server). I installed Docker and Gladys as indicated in: Installation avec Docker | Gladys Assistant I noted that it might be relevant to mention in this documentation that it is desirable for the base OS partitioning to create a separate partition for /var if possible large enough, on the other hand the /home partition does not need to be as large as a NAS. I was able to connect to Gladys and create my local account, thanks to the documentation!

I then installed AdGuardHome again following the instructions at: adguard/adguardhome - Docker Image Everything seems to have gone well but not entirely in fact.

When querying Docker:

me@my_machine:~$ sudo docker ps
CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS PORTS NAMES
d9a23ec27f14 adguard/adguardhome "/opt/adguardhome/Ad…" 40 seconds ago Up 3 seconds adguardhome
b21791a177ff gladysassistant/gladys:v5 "docker-entrypoint.s…" 18 hours ago Up 3 minutes gladys

Everything seems to be going well but I cannot connect to http://my_local_ip:3000 (the browser can’t reach it).

Looking more closely at the installation logs, I find:

me@my_machine:~$ sudo docker run --name adguardhome
--restart unless-stopped
-v /my/own/workdir:/opt/adguardhome/work
-v /my/own/confdir:/opt/adguardhome/conf
-p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp
-p 67:67/udp -p 68:68/udp
-p 80:80/tcp -p 443:443/tcp -p 443:443/udp -p 3000:3000/tcp
-p 853:853/tcp
-p 784:784/udp -p 853:853/udp -p 8853:8853/udp
-p 5443:5443/tcp -p 5443:5443/udp
-d adguard/adguardhome
d9a23ec27f14785f589c5e9e0ade5aa3c3f08bda22189492597d7857bedcc78a
docker: Error response from daemon: failed to set up container networking: driver failed programming external connectivity on endpoint adguardhome (6ba91471a3e357a25892af051cc5b96d43c30a1decaa09c0ca72bda48f6ce2f6): failed to bind host port 0.0.0.0:53/tcp: address already in use

Run 'docker run --help' for more information

There is an error message that seems to say that port 53 is already in use. A port redirection issue?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

2

I’m not an expert, so I entrusted this to someone more skilled than me and here is the answer:

This is not a port redirection issue. Port 53 is already in use on the machine itself, and by fixing it you will encounter a second conflict, so it’s best to resolve them together.

1. Port 53: systemd-resolved

On Ubuntu Server, systemd-resolved runs a small local DNS server on 127.0.0.53:53. Docker can therefore not reserve 0.0.0.0:53 for AdGuard. To check:

sudo ss -lntup | grep ':53 '

You should see systemd-resolve. The solution, which is also documented by AdGuard, is to disable this local server without disabling resolved:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d
sudo tee /etc/systemd/resolved.conf.d/adguardhome.conf <<EOF
[Resolve]
DNS=127.0.0.1
DNSStubListener=no
EOF
sudo mv /etc/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf.backup
sudo ln -s /run/systemd/resolve/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf
sudo systemctl reload-or-restart systemd-resolved

Note: with DNS=127.0.0.1, the machine uses AdGuard itself to resolve names. If the AdGuard container is stopped, it no longer has DNS, and a docker pull fails, for example. If you want a safety net, add a line FallbackDNS=1.1.1.1 in the same file.

2. Port 80: it’s Gladys

Gladys is launched with --network=host and SERVER_PORT=80. It therefore already occupies port 80 of the machine, and that’s why the PORTS column is empty for it in your docker ps. Once port 53 is freed, your docker run will fail in the same way on 0.0.0.0:80. You must therefore remove -p 80:80/tcp from the command.

Another important point: when first launched, the AdGuard configuration assistant (on port 3000) asks you on which port to place the administration interface, and it proposes 80 by default. Choose 3000: the interface will thus remain on http://ip:3000 and will not interfere with Gladys.

3. The other ports, unnecessary for home use

The command from the Docker Hub page publishes everything AdGuard can do. For a simple DNS blocker on the local network:

  • 67/68 are used for DHCP. Remove them, unless you want AdGuard to replace the DHCP of your box, which does not work well anyway with a container in bridge mode.
  • 443, 853, 784, 8853 and 5443 are used for encrypted DNS (DoH, DoT, DoQ, DNSCrypt). They are unnecessary as long as you do not expose your DNS on the Internet.

4. Restarting cleanly

Your docker ps shows the adguardhome container as started, but with no ports published. This is the trace of the failed attempt, and that’s why port 3000 does not respond. You need to delete it, then recreate it:

sudo docker rm -f adguardhome
sudo mkdir -p /opt/adguardhome/work /opt/adguardhome/conf

sudo docker run -d --name adguardhome \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v /opt/adguardhome/work:/opt/adguardhome/work \
  -v /opt/adguardhome/conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf \
  -p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp \
  -p 3000:3000/tcp \
  adguard/adguardhome

Note: /my/own/workdir and /my/own/confdir in the Docker Hub example are paths to be replaced. As they are, they create a folder /my at the root of the disk. I replaced them above with /opt/adguardhome/..., but any path that makes sense to you will do.

Then, open http://mini_pc_ip:3000, follow the assistant (interface on port 3000, DNS on port 53), then indicate the IP of the mini PC as the DNS server in the DHCP of your box. All devices on the network will then go through AdGuard.

Regarding your comment on partitioning, you are right: Docker images live in /var/lib/docker and the Gladys database in /var/lib/gladysassistant. A too small /var eventually saturates.

Good luck with the migration!

3

@guim31 said it all :clap:
The official doc FAQ · AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome Wiki · GitHub

4

I’m making progress with Docker (that is to say: I’m making mistakes! :face_with_raised_eyebrow: ).

For example, I know how to display active containers, how to stop one and then delete it…

In more detail:

moi@mamachine:~$ sudo docker rm -f adguardhome
adguardhome
moi@mamachine:~$ sudo docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                       COMMAND                  CREATED        STATUS          PORTS     NAMES
b21791a177ff   gladysassistant/gladys:v5   "docker-entrypoint.s…"   21 hours ago   Up 16 minutes             gladys
moi@mamachine:~$ sudo mkdir -p /opt/adguardhome/work /opt/adguardhome/conf
moi@mamachinbe:~$ sudo docker run -d --name adguardhome 
--restart unless-stopped 
-v /opt/adguardhome/work:/opt/adguardhome/work 
-v /opt/adguardhome/conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf 
-p 53:53/tcp -p 53:53/udp 
-p 3000:3000/tcp 
adguard/adguardhome
8de09fe571412fc7b2dcb38b80eb1ca4d43c7c0fec3a4bfb03e1175fd26c6fd9
moi@mamachine:~$ sudo docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                       COMMAND                  CREATED          STATUS          PORTS                                                                                                                                                                                                                  NAMES
8de09fe57141   adguard/adguardhome         "/opt/adguardhome/Ad…"   11 seconds ago   Up 10 seconds   80/tcp, 67-68/udp, 443/tcp, 443/udp, 853/udp, 0.0.0.0:53->53/tcp, [::]:53->53/tcp, 853/tcp, 3000/udp, 5443/tcp, 0.0.0.0:3000->3000/tcp, 0.0.0.0:53->53/udp, [::]:3000->3000/tcp, [::]:53->53/udp, 5443/udp, 6060/tcp   adguardhome
b21791a177ff   gladysassistant/gladys:v5   "docker-entrypoint.s…"   21 hours ago     Up 19 minutes                                                                                                                                                                                                                          gladys

No frames on port 3000 in sight! :face_with_bags_under_eyes: (i.e. nothing is displayed)

This sequence: deletion of adguardhome then installation, I’ve done several times… in vain.

But the first time I managed to access the AdGuard Home configuration pages. After entering the requested information, it stopped working! :disappointed_face: So close to the goal!

5

Bravo :tada:

When you arrived on this page, if you chose port 80 for the web administration interface, it won’t work (as it’s already used by Gladys). You can choose a different port like 81

image
image1914×883 60.9 KB

You can also check the AdGuard Home logs with the command sudo docker logs adguardhome

6

moi@mamachine:~$ sudo docker logs adguardhome
2026/09/27 12:53:37.880219 [info] starting adguard home version="AdGuard Home, version v0.107.79"
2026/09/27 12:53:37.883114 [info] tls_manager: using default ciphers
2026/09/27 12:53:37.886108 [info] webapi: initializing
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906478 [info] dnsproxy: upstream mode is set mode=load_balance
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906506 [info] dnsproxy: cache enabled size=4096
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906520 [info] dnsproxy: max goroutines is set count=300
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906573 [info] dnsproxy: server will refuse requests of type any
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906582 [info] dnsproxy: upstream mode is set mode=load_balance
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906588 [info] dnsproxy: cache enabled size=4194304
2026/09/27 12:53:37.906595 [info] dnsproxy: max goroutines is set count=300
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907516 [info] permcheck: warning: found unexpected permissions type=directory path=/opt/adguardhome/work perm=0755 want=0700
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907585 [info] webapi: AdGuard Home is available at the following addresses:
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907619 [info] addrproc: processing addresses
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907758 [info] webapi: serving url=http://127.0.0.1:80
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907765 [info] webapi: serving url=http://[::1]:80
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907769 [info] webapi: serving url=http://172.17.0.2:80
2026/09/27 12:53:37.907790 [info] starting plain server server=plain addr=0.0.0.0:80
2026/09/27 12:53:38.130654 [info] dnsproxy: starting dns proxy server
2026/09/27 12:53:38.130675 [info] dnsproxy: creating udp server socket addr=0.0.0.0:53
2026/09/27 12:53:38.130787 [info] dnsproxy: listening to udp addr=[::]:53
2026/09/27 12:53:38.130795 [info] dnsproxy: creating tcp server socket addr=0.0.0.0:53
2026/09/27 12:53:38.130848 [info] dnsproxy: listening to tcp addr=[::]:53
2026/09/27 12:53:38.131021 [info] dnsproxy: entering udp listener loop addr=[::]:53
2026/09/27 12:53:38.131147 [info] dnsproxy: entering listener loop proto=tcp addr=[::]:53

I don’t speak « adguardhome » fluently yet, but it seems to say that it keeps listening on port 80, which is already taken by Gladys…

I see a solution in the style of Attila: I reinstall Ubuntu Server by formatting all partitions, then I install Gladys, then I make a disk image of my /var partition (not suicidal, right?), then I try my luck again with Adguard, which seems to have decided to have fun with me…

Is there a « nuisance » badge?

7

No no you can just delete the adguardhome container (as you did earlier) and the configuration in `/opt/adguardhome/conf’

You then restart adguardhome and it will offer you the configuration assistant again (make sure to choose port 81).

8

Port 81 doesn’t seem like a good idea either… same result. I’m quite tired, I’ll let a good night’s sleep pass, and try again tomorrow with other ports. Thanks for your patient help.