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2. Install Warda

In short

Raspberry Pi 4 or later: file warda.rpi-imager-manifest opened in Raspberry Pi Imager 2.x (it offers the image of Warda with the customisation; SSH by key only). Debian/Ubuntu 64-bit: sudo apt install ./warda_<version>_<arch>.deb. Docker: image warda-dns/warda, host network, --restart unless-stopped. Ports 53, 80 and 443 free. Then http://<address> within the hour, account admin, password Ward@-MM-YYYY (month of the version).

You need a Raspberry Pi 4 (or later), its power supply, a microSD card of 16 GB or more and a network cable.

  1. Install Raspberry Pi Imager (2.0.2 or later) on your computer.
  2. On the releases page, download the file warda.rpi-imager-manifest and open it (double-click): Imager starts with Warda in its list of systems. Choose your Raspberry, Warda <version>, then your card. Imager downloads the image by itself and checks its fingerprint. With the image .img.xz chosen through "Use custom", Imager does not offer the customisation.
  3. In the settings of Imager, create your user. To be able to help from afar, turn SSH on with "Allow public-key authentication only" and your public key: Warda refuses passwords over SSH.
  4. Put the card in the Raspberry, plug it into your router with the network cable, then plug the power in. The first start takes a few minutes.

On a Debian or Ubuntu machine#

Download the package of your machine (amd64 for a PC, arm64 for a Raspberry Pi already installed), then:

sh
sudo apt install ./warda_<version>_amd64.deb

Ports 53, 80 and 443 must be free: first stop another Pi-hole, dnsmasq or web server on the same machine.

With Docker#

sh
docker run -d --name warda --restart unless-stopped --network host \
  --user 0:0 --cap-drop ALL --cap-add NET_BIND_SERVICE \
  --cap-add NET_RAW --cap-add DAC_OVERRIDE --cap-add FOWNER \
  -e TZ=Europe/Paris -v warda-data:/var/lib/warda \
  <registry>/warda-dns/warda:latest

The file packaging/docker-compose.yml of the project gives a complete, hardened example.

First sign-in#

  1. From a computer of the network, open http://warda (or http://ADDRESS-OF-THE-BOX). The certificate is self-signed: accept it once.
  2. Sign in within the hour after the start with the account admin and the default password Ward@-MM-YYYY, where MM-YYYY is the month of the version (for example Ward@-09-2026). Past that, unplug the box and plug it back.
  3. The installation assistant opens, one step at a time: the terms of use to read and accept (a summary, and the link to the full text; the anonymous daily count is shown there too, on, and you can uncheck it), a new password for admin (the emergency account: keep it somewhere safe), your own account, then your box (chapter 3) and your household (chapter 4).

Replacing an old box? On the first screen of the assistant, I have a backup of Warda brings back all your accounts and settings (chapter 6).