Where Does Pi-hole Store Its Config and Blocklists?
Pi-hole keeps blocklists, settings and query history in /etc/pihole, with version 6 moving config into a TOML file.
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Almost everything Pi-hole knows sits in one directory. Adlists, the gravity database of blocked domains, the long term query database, DHCP leases, and the settings files share /etc/pihole.
Version 6 reshuffled the settings layer into pihole.toml while keeping the databases where they were, which dates half the tutorials online. Docker installs map this directory to a host volume, so upgrades and reinstalls survive as long as the volume does. Back up the directory and you back up the whole filter.
Where Pi-hole stores this, by platform
/etc/pihole/
pihole.toml holds v6 settings, gravity.db the blocklists, pihole-FTL.db the history. Docker installs map this path to a host volume worth backing up.
Frequently asked questions
Where did setupVars.conf go after upgrading?
Version 6 consolidated settings into pihole.toml, leaving setupVars.conf behind. Gravity.db still holds the blocklists and pihole-FTL.db still holds history. Back up the whole directory and both eras travel together.
How do I rebuild the blocklist database?
Run pihole -g to rebuild gravity from your adlists. The web UI exposes the same update under Tools. A corrupt gravity.db heals this way without touching the rest of the config.
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