NAME

       dbab - dnsmasq based ad blocking

NOTICE

       ○   If you like dbab, check out its sister project dbab-packer https://github.com/suntong/dbab-packer/.

       ○   It  has  been my default way of using dbab for quite a while now, thus I'm officially recommending it
           over the host-package-installing approach.

       ○   I will update the Debian package for the last time and stop packaging it after 2021.

SYNOPSIS

       # start dbab-svr server
       /etc/init.d/dbab start

       # stop dbab-svr server
       /etc/init.d/dbab stop

       # get/update ad blocking list
       /usr/sbin/dbab-get-list

       # add your own to the ad blocking list
       /usr/sbin/dbab-add-list

DESCRIPTION

       dbab provides a total solution for SOHO service environment, smoothly integrates DHCP, DNS, local caching
       and  Ad  blocking  into  harmony operation. Ad blocking is done by DNSmasq and dbab-svr the pixel server,
       i.e., done at the DNS level -- all requests to ads-sites are blocked right there at DNS  level.  No  more
       user  space  extensive pattern matching necessary at all. Work for your mobile devices as well. You don't
       need to install anything to your mobile devices to enjoy the ad-free and speed-up browsing.

ALTERNATIVES

       People may also use browsers' adblock-plus extension to block ads, but fewer  think  over  how  it  works
       internally.  Here  is  an  overview of Adblock Plus from a thousand mile high [1] -- whenever the browser
       needs to load something, the extension kicks in and do a thorough pattern matching of all known  ad  urls
       using regular expressions, then hectically replace all found ad urls with something else. This is done on
       every page, every load, and every component of the web page, using JavaScript. Thus it is by nature  slow
       and  CPU  intensive,  at  least inefficient. There are other alternatives to this, e.g., privoxy, but the
       concepts are the same.

       [1] http://adblockplus.org/en/faq_internal

ADVANTAGES

       Comparing to other ad-blocking efforts, dbab will be super light. Only a few  operations  are  enough  to
       determine  and  stop the ads. No heavy-lifting (using CPU intensive URL pattern matching) necessary. Thus
       it will be super light and lightning fast.

       The advantages of using dbab are:

       ○   Work at the DNS level. Leave the web pages intact, without any pattern matching, string substitution,
           and/or html elements replacing.

       ○   Work for your mobile devices as well. Were you previously in the dilemma of choosing ads free or slow
           response for your mobile devices (iphone, ipad, etc)? Now you don't. You don't need  to  install  any
           thing  to  your  mobile  devices  for  them to enjoy the ad-free browsing experience. Moreover, their
           browsing speed will increase dramatically on revisited pages/images.

       ○   Serve instantly. All ads will be replaced by a 1x1 pixel gif image served  locally  by  the  dbab-svr
           pixel server.

       ○   Maintenance  free.  You  don't  need to maintain the list of ad sites yourself. The block list can be
           downloaded from pgl.yoyo.org periodically. If you don't like some  of  the  entries  there,  you  can
           add-to or remove-from that list easily.

DBAB-SVR

       The dbab-svr is a super minimal web / pixel server, it has one purpose -- serving a 1x1 pixel transparent
       gif file. It can optionally provide the automatic WPAD service as well if so configured.  By  default  it
       listens on localhost, configurable from the file /etc/dbab/dbab.addr.

DBAB-GET-LIST

       The  dbab-get-list  is  used  to  get  dnsmasq blocking list from pgl.yoyo.org to be used by DNSmasq. The
       result is stored as /etc/dnsmasq.d/dbab-map.adblock.conf.

       You can run it once, or put it in a cron job so as to update the block list periodically. E.g., to update
       on a weekly basis:

           ln -s /usr/sbin/dbab-get-list /etc/cron.weekly/

       It  is  safe  to do so, even if the machine might be offline when the cron job is triggered. The existing
       file will be intact if download failed.

DBAB-ADD-LIST

       You can use dbab-add-list to add your own entries to dnsmasq blocking list, if the list from pgl.yoyo.org
       is not sufficient for you. The result is stored as /etc/dnsmasq.d/dbab-map.trashsites.conf.

DBAB-CHK-LIST

       The dbab-chk-list can help you to check if your own list is already covered by pgl.yoyo.org.

DHCP-ADD-WPAD

       The  dhcp-add-wpad will take the content in /etc/dbab/dbab.addr as the IP of the host of the dhcp server,
       the squid caching server, then enable the automatic WPAD service within the system, with the help of  the
       DNS and DHCP server.

FILES

       ○   /etc/dbab/dbab.addr
           The IP address that dbab-svr listens on. Defaults to localhost.

       ○   /etc/dbab/dbab.list-
           The  entries  you  want to filter out from the pgl.yoyo.org lists. List sites you still wish to visit
           there.

       ○   /etc/dbab/dbab.list+
           The entries you want to add to blocking list on top of the pgl.yoyo.org list, used by dbab-add-list.

       ○   /etc/dnsmasq.d/dbab-map.adblock.conf
           The file which dbab-get-list updates.

       ○   /etc/dnsmasq.d/dbab-map.trashsites.conf
           The file which dbab-add-list updates.

       ○   /usr/share/doc/dbab/dbab.md
           The more detailed introduction and installation guild.

AUTHOR(S)

       Copyright: 2013~2020 Tong SUN

       The pixelserv was originally downloaded from
       http://proxytunnel.sourceforge.net/files/pixelserv.pl.txt
       Wrote by Piet Wintjens, with BSD (no advertising clause) license.

                                                  December 2021                                          DBAB(8)