Blocky Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Blocky hosting filters ads, trackers and malicious domains for every device that uses your DNS. Deploy Blocky v0.35.0 as a self-hosted DNS ad blocker: xCloud runs the pinned image behind an nginx gateway that exposes only DNS-over-HTTPS at /dns-query on your domain, allocates public DNS ports for plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS, and keeps the block-list cache on a persistent volume.

Deploy your Blocky

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

What is Blocky?

Self-hosted Blocky is a DNS ad blocker. Its README calls it a DNS proxy and ad-blocker for the local network written in Go, with blocking from external ad-block and malware lists, per-client-group rules, custom resolution, conditional forwarding, answer caching and prefetching, a low memory footprint, and DNS over UDP, TCP, HTTPS and TLS. It stands in for a hosted DNS filtering service such as NextDNS when you want your own resolver, under the Apache-2.0 licence.

On xCloud the template runs the official Blocky v0.35.0 image behind an nginx gateway, both pinned by immutable digest, with the blocky_cache volume holding downloaded block lists. DNS-over-HTTPS is served at /dns-query on your domain; plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS use xCloud-allocated ports rather than 53 and 853. There is no dashboard, login or reachable REST API.

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 Filtering 24/7

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

Blocky v0.35.0 deployed instantly
Private DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain
Images pinned by immutable digest
Block-list cache on a persistent volume
REST API kept off the domain
Free SSL certificate
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

NextDNS: NextDNS is a hosted DNS filtering service with a dashboard. Blocky is a small resolver on your own Cloud VPS, configured from the Environment editor, with no dashboard and no third party handling your queries.
Pi-hole: Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole with a web dashboard, while Blocky, per its README, is a DNS proxy configured from files and, here, environment settings, with per-client-group rules.
AdGuard Home: AdGuard Home is a DNS-level ad blocker with a web interface. Blocky has no interface on this template; it filters with external lists and answers DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain.
Browser ad blockers: A browser extension filters one browser. Blocky filters DNS for every device that uses it, including phones and smart-home devices, without installing anything on them.

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.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!

Brian Geovanny

I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.

Kevin Pineda

I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting

Leo Koo

How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud

Ed Ellingham

xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.

Dumitru Butucel

xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.

Waqar Ahmed

Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍

Rahul Singh

So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

Massimo Villa

Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

Gerson El

I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.

Tony Lewis

I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.

Jared McDowell

I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose

David McCan

How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently

Kevin Heinrichs

I had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.

Dan Spinoza

Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.

Rahil Maknojia

Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.

Karl Fanega

How Advanced Web Strategies Saved Over $2,000 & Recovered 56 Hours per Month Managing 70+ Client Websites

Gary Moody

xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.

Jorge de los Reyes Martínez

I use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.

Jay Pagano

How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud

Lori Newman

I too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps

John Aperture

I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.

Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

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

How much RAM does Blocky need?

The manifest floor for Blocky is a core, 256 MB of RAM and 1 GB of disk, and idle use in QA was about 23 MiB. The 6 GB plan sold here is comfortably above that, leaving room for other OneClick apps on the same server.

Is Blocky free and open source?

Yes. Blocky is Apache-2.0 licensed, per the LICENSE file at the v0.35.0 tag, so the code costs nothing to run. xCloud bills just for the dedicated Cloud VPS, and the block lists and upstream resolvers you choose are your own decision.

Can you run Blocky with Docker?

Yes, and this is Blocky Docker hosting prepared for you: the template runs the official Blocky v0.35.0 image and an nginx gateway, both pinned by immutable digest, with the blocky_cache volume, DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain and allocated DNS ports. No compose file or config file is yours to write.

Does Blocky have a web dashboard?

No. There is no login, dashboard or account, and Blocky's REST API is not reachable through the domain: every path except /dns-query returns 404. You configure upstream resolvers and the block list in the Environment editor and redeploy.

Which DNS protocols does Blocky support?

Per its README, DNS over UDP and TCP, DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS. Here DoH is served at /dns-query on your domain, while plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS sit on xCloud-allocated ports. Pick DoH when your clients support it, because it needs no custom port.

Why is a hosted Blocky not on port 53?

xCloud allocates the DNS ports, so they are not 53 or 853. Use a forwarder that supports a custom port, such as dnsmasq, Unbound or dnscrypt-proxy, or use DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain. Most operating systems and routers can only use port 53, so they cannot talk to it directly.

Should I open firewall ports for a public Blocky DNS server?

Yes, but only for your own clients. Plain DNS and DNS-over-TLS are published on allocated ports, and xCloud does not open firewall ports for you. The DNS listener answers recursive queries from any address, so open those ports only to trusted clients, or you host an open resolver others can abuse.

Firewall management

Is Blocky's DNS-over-TLS certificate trusted?

No. The DNS-over-TLS listener uses a self-signed certificate, so clients that validate it will reject it unless you trust that certificate manually. DNS-over-HTTPS on your domain uses the HTTPS certificate xCloud issues, so it is the better encrypted option.

What do I need to back up on a Blocky server?

Nothing important: the only volume, blocky_cache, holds block lists that Blocky downloads again if they are missing, so a backup would add little. Keep a note of the environment values you changed, since they are the whole configuration of this install.

How do I upgrade Blocky?

Nothing upgrades it for you: the template pins the Blocky and nginx images by immutable digest. To upgrade, note the environment values you changed, read the upstream release notes, then adopt a newer template version when one is published; do not edit the image tags or digests yourself. Test a lookup through your forwarder afterwards.

Is this Blocky cloud hosting?

It is your own resolver on a dedicated Cloud VPS provisioned by xCloud, not a hosted DNS service. The container, the gateway and the block-list cache belong to your install, and queries from your devices go to your server instead of a third party.

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.