Pi-hole just dropped a triple update, releasing FTL v6.4, Web v6.4, and Core v6.3. If you run Pi-hole on an older Raspberry Pi or a container that’s already pushing its limits, you’ll be happy to see these changes focus heavily on making the backend snappier and more efficient.
The team spent time tightening up the code, specifically improving string processing and memory management. The developers enabled new compiler flags, like ‘-march=native’ and ‘-funroll-loops’, which should result in a noticeably faster experience. I would say the biggest problem with any logging tool is database contention, but the developers addressed this directly by reducing DNS resolver locking during database interactions. This means the system won’t get stuck waiting on itself, which should make Pi-hole feel much more responsive, especially under heavy load.
Beyond the raw speed improvements, which are always appreciated, the update brings some excellent quality-of-life features to the web interface. If you use two-factor authentication (2FA) to log into your Pi-hole dashboard, you’ll notice that logging in is now much smoother. The TOTP input field now supports autocomplete=”one-time-code”. This lets browsers and popular password managers automatically suggest the code, saving you a couple of clicks and copy-pastes every time you log in.
Security got a small but crucial bump here, too. To protect those 2FA logins, the developers added rate-limiting for TOTP validation. You’re now limited to a maximum of one attempt per second, which is a simple but effective defense against brute-force attacks trying to guess your one-time codes.
Previously, when you selected the “All Time” date range in the Query Log, it could sometimes be a little fuzzy about exactly what “all time” meant. Now, the log accurately reflects the earliest timestamp actually present in your database. This lets you get a true historical view of your network data, which is a top-tier feature for anyone who relies on that long-term logging for troubleshooting.
For advanced users who rely on the API, there are a few important changes. If you’ve ever had trouble interacting with Pi-hole using external tools or scripts, the Gravity API now defaults to plain text output. It only sends ANSI color codes when you explicitly request them. This fixes issues for API consumers that don’t handle escape codes well. So, your automation scripts should break less often when pulling blocklist data
The search API also got a nice boost. It now supports simple partial matching for regex. This lets you easily find domains within your massive blocklists, which is a real time saver if you’re managing hundreds of entries. The extended hardware address support should also make sure the API correctly handles hardware addresses longer than 48 bits, which is necessary if you’re running advanced networking hardware like InfiniBand.
On the system side, the developers have addressed several underlying system issues. They updated the embedded SQLite version to 3.51.0, which often brings its own set of performance and stability benefits. They also sped up the processing and display of file contents and services when you run the piholeDebug.sh tool, making it much faster to generate those detailed debug logs if you run into an issue.
Source: Pi-hole