Blocky Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Deploy Blocky hosting and filter ads, trackers and malicious domains for every device that uses your DNS. xCloud runs the pinned Blocky v0.35.0 image behind an nginx gateway that exposes only DNS-over-HTTPS at /dns-query on your domain over HTTPS, publishes plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS on their own allocated ports and keeps the block-list cache on a persistent volume — Blocky's REST API is not reachable.

Deploy your Blocky

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

What is Blocky?

Blocky is a fast, lightweight DNS proxy and ad blocker. Devices send their DNS queries to it, it answers blocked domains such as ads, trackers and malware with a block response, caches answers and forwards everything else to the upstream resolvers you choose.

This template puts a small nginx gateway in front of Blocky so your domain serves DNS-over-HTTPS only. There is no dashboard or login; settings live in the Environment editor.

From Sign-Up to a Private DNS Resolver In Just 3 Easy Steps

A Blocky setup normally means a DNS proxy, a block list, a DNS-over-HTTPS gateway, a cache volume, a domain and a certificate before the first query is filtered. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account and pick Blocky from the OneClick catalog. Choose your domain and target server — there are no fields or credentials to generate.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the pinned Blocky image and a small nginx gateway that forwards only /dns-query to it, mount the blocky_cache volume for downloaded block lists, set sensible defaults for upstream resolvers, the block list and the rate limit, and publish the domain over HTTPS.
Step 03
Point A Client At It
Note the DNS-over-HTTPS URL, server address and DNS ports in the installation details. Point a DNS-over-HTTPS client at https://your-domain/dns-query, or point a forwarder that supports custom ports at the server address and port.

Everything Blocky Does, On Your Own Server

Blocky runs in full here: a DNS ad blocker with DNS-over-HTTPS on your own domain and settings you control.

Network-Wide Blocking
Blocks ads, trackers and malware domains for every device using it, using the StevenBlack hosts list refreshed every 4 hours.
Private DNS-over-HTTPS
A DNS-over-HTTPS endpoint at /dns-query on your own domain, plus plain DNS over UDP and TCP and DNS-over-TLS on allocated ports.
Your Choice Of Upstreams
Pick upstream resolvers (plain IP, DNS-over-TLS or DNS-over-HTTPS) and the block list in the Environment editor.
Answer Caching
Caches answers to speed up repeat lookups, in a footprint of about 23 MiB measured idle in QA.
Per-Client Rate Limit
A built-in per-client rate limit, 100 queries per second with a burst of 300 by default, reduces abuse of the resolver.
API Kept Off The Domain
Every path except /dns-query returns 404, so Blocky's unauthenticated REST API is not reachable through the domain.

Everything You Need To Run Your DNS Ad Blocker 24/7

Managed hosting for Blocky, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

Blocky v0.35.0 deployed instantly
Images pinned by digest
Only DNS-over-HTTPS exposed on the domain
Kept behind xCloud nginx
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

What You Can Do With Blocky

Block ads on every device
Filter at the DNS level so phones, TVs and smart-home devices are covered without installing anything on them.
Run your own encrypted DNS
Use a DNS-over-HTTPS endpoint on your own domain instead of handing queries to a third-party resolver.
Choose your own upstreams and lists
Set the upstream resolvers and the block list from the Environment editor and redeploy.
Front a homelab or small team network
Point a forwarder such as dnsmasq, Unbound or dnscrypt-proxy at the server's allocated DNS port.

Blocky vs Alternatives

Pi-hole: Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole with a web dashboard, while Blocky has no dashboard and is configured through environment settings.
AdGuard Home: AdGuard Home is a DNS-level ad blocker with a web interface; Blocky is a small DNS proxy configured from the Environment editor.
Browser ad blockers: A browser extension filters one browser, while Blocky filters DNS for every device that uses it.

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for Blocky hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

More headroom if Blocky shares the server with other tools.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. Blocky itself is licensed by Blocky's maintainers under Apache-2.0.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy Blocky on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Run Your Own DNS Ad Blocker?

Blocky on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

What makes Blocky different from a browser ad blocker?

It filters at the DNS level, so it covers every device that uses it, including phones, TVs and smart-home devices, without installing anything on them.

How do I sign in?

There is no login or dashboard. Blocky is configured through the Environment editor, and the domain serves DNS-over-HTTPS only.

Why isn't the DNS server on port 53?

xCloud allocates the DNS ports, so use a forwarder that supports a custom port (dnsmasq, Unbound, dnscrypt-proxy), or use DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain. Most operating systems and routers can only use port 53.

Do I need to open any firewall ports?

Yes. Plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS are public on their allocated ports; restrict them in your own firewall to the clients that should use the server. The plain DNS listener answers recursive queries from any address, so exposing it to everyone makes it an open resolver.

Is DNS-over-TLS trusted?

The DNS-over-TLS listener uses a self-signed certificate, so DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain is the better encrypted option.

What runs alongside Blocky?

A small nginx gateway that exposes only the DNS-over-HTTPS path on the domain.

How do I change the block list or upstreams?

In the Environment editor, then Save & Redeploy. The first start downloads the block list, and filtering begins once it has loaded.

What do I need to back up?

Nothing. The only volume, blocky_cache, holds block lists that Blocky re-downloads if they are missing.

Does xCloud automatically update Blocky?

No. The template pins the Blocky and nginx images by immutable digest; existing sites are not automatically upgraded. Read the upstream release notes, then bump the readable tag and digest together on your own schedule. Server-level backups and snapshots are available on every Cloud VPS.

What are the server requirements, and why does this page sell 6 GB?

The template's baseline asks for 1 CPU core, 256 MB of RAM and 1 GB of disk; measured idle use in QA was about 23 MiB. This page sells the 6 GB tier as the entry rung, with real headroom above that baseline.

Is xCloud officially partnered with Blocky?

No. No official partnership or endorsement between xCloud and the Blocky project has been verified. This is a deployment and server-management option for the open-source Blocky project.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.