Unbound DNS Resolver - Sidecar Container

A containerized Unbound DNS resolver configured as a sidecar for Pi-hole deployments.

Overview

This Docker image provides Unbound as a recursive DNS resolver that runs alongside Pi-hole in the same pod. Unbound handles DNS resolution by querying authoritative DNS servers directly, eliminating the need for upstream DNS providers and improving privacy.

Configuration

• Port: 5353 (localhost only)
• Interface: 127.0.0.1 (sidecar access only)
• Access Control: Localhost only
• DNSSEC: Enabled with validation
• Cache: Optimized for container environment

Usage with Pi-hole

Configure Pi-hole to use this Unbound container as its upstream DNS server:

Upstream DNS: 127.0.0.1#5353

Build

docker build -t unbound --build-arg UID=110 --build-arg GID=111 .

Run

docker run -ti --rm unbound sh

Deployment

This container is designed to run as a sidecar alongside Pi-hole:

containers:
- name: pihole
  # Pi-hole container config
- name: unbound
  # This Unbound container

Both containers share the same network namespace, allowing Pi-hole to access Unbound on localhost.