Introduction
Pi-hole is one of my favorite DNS level ad-blockers that can be self-hosted in a Docker container. After you install Pi-hole, occasionally it will become necessary to view the dashboard to see your network statistics, or even disable it completely for a short period to time in order to troubleshoot a network problem. In order to do that, you need to open up a browser and visit your Pi-hole dashboard, unless you are using iPhone shortcuts. To make that easier, Fernando Bunn, developed a very helpful swift application that allows you to control Pi-hole from the menu bar on your Mac.
The application, Pi Stats, is a free and open-source mac application that allows you to manage and control your Pi-hole installation. It has a very straightforward installation process and is a great way to keep tabs on your Pi-hole from the comfort of your own desktop.
Installing Pi Stats
Pi Stats requires macOS Catalina and has been tested successfully with Pi-hole 4.4 and the just released version 5.0. You can download the application here. Once you download the zip file, simply drag the application into your application folder on your Mac.
When you first open Pi Stats, you’ll be asked to click on Settings in order to configure your installation.
Obtaining your Pi-hole API Key
Before you click on settings, head over to your Pi-hole dashboard.
Click settings on the left sidebar. Once the settings screen pops up, click on the tab labeled API / Web interface. When the tab opens click on the “Show API token” button. You will be greeted with a dialog box asking you to confirm that you want to show your API key. Click the button labeled “Yes, show API token“
After you click the button, a new tab will pop up that shows a large QR code. Under the QR code, you will see a long string of characters after the term Raw API Token. Copy that entire string of characters.
Configuring Pi Stats
Now that you have your Pi-hole API token, you can return to Pi Stats and click on the settings button. You’ll be presented with the following screen:
In the Host field, type in the IP address of your Pi-hole installation. Next, paste the API token that you copied from your Pi-Hole dashboard into the API Token field. Then click Close.
That’s It!
After clicking the close button, Pi Stats will begin to communicate with your Pi-hole installation. You can click the shield icon in the menu bar on your mac in order to view your statistics and you can even click the disable button to disable your Pi-hole if needed.
This lightweight application truly provides an easy way to manage your Pi-hole from the convenience of your mac desktop. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.
The post, How to Manage Pi-Hole from Your Mac Menu Bar with Pi Stats, first appeared on Codeopolis.