<![CDATA[Why uAdBlock currently no longer works]]>Good morning dear Ubuntu Touch as well as uAdBlocker users,

as some of you may have noticed, currently no updates work for uAdBlock or a reinstallation, because no lists are provided.

I have currently paused the server and would like to briefly put down the reasons here. I took over the development from Mario a few years ago and put a lot of time and love into it.
The app includes not only what runs on your phones, but also the backend. This runs on my server. Currently we have 13 lists, which in all possible combinations comes to a total file size of almost 400 GB.

The server currently updated and rebuilt the lists every Sunday night for more than 7 hours. All lists are also scanned for duplicate entries and removed, so you don't have to download such a large file when setting up the app. The largest list (all 13 together) was still about 100 MB at the end.

Unfortunately, with the size of the lists also the requirements on the servers grew, here are the stats of the current server:

  • CPU: Intel® Xeon® Gold 6140 / 6230 (6 cores dedicated)
  • 32GB Ram
  • 960 GB SSD disk

The costs for the server and the domain are 25 Euro per month. Unfortunately, this is not all, the servers are exposed to aggressive attacks 5 to 7 times a month on average. Of course I have taken security measures, but currently I have to put 5 - 7 hours of work into the server per month.

Actually, once on the server also ran private services from me, such as a mail server or Nextcloud, that I've taken down everything, so that uAdBlock really has as much power as it needs available.

Unfortunately, I currently don't have time to carry this effort in time and cost anymore. I tried many ways like Github and Gitlab to host the lists, but here the limit is only 10 GB, so that wasn't a solution either. Also came over donations regrettably almost no support to min. the costs to carry, so my donations amount currently to 0.62 € per month.

I am very happy about the donations and the development is fun for me, but unfortunately I don't have the time, besides my job and family with 3 children, to maintain a server for 10 hours a month and then also to develop the app further.

I don't know if I will shut down the project forever, but currently it is not sustainable for me. Especially the costs.

I hope this is understandable here.

Someone else is welcome to take over the project, and I would of course also provide the backend on the server.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/topic/7377/why-uadblock-currently-no-longer-worksRSS for NodeMon, 20 Apr 2026 03:08:53 GMTThu, 03 Feb 2022 06:45:42 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:45:00 GMT]]>So, new version of uAdBlock server is online, mega performant and doesn't eat resources anymore. In addition, after a new review of the app by Brian, there will be a new version with 4 new lists and fix some bugs.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63853https://forums.ubports.com/post/63853Fri, 22 Apr 2022 04:45:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:28:35 GMT]]>@beli3ver
Hey
I can fulfill the servers
If your only issue is the server then drop me a dm in telegram
@FakeShell

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63366https://forums.ubports.com/post/63366Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:28:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 27 Mar 2022 09:26:17 GMT]]>@beli3ver : thank you for all the effort over the years.

@domubpkm: does this mean we could share hosts files to do adblocking?

Maybe we should check out if we somehow can manage to use tblock on ubports devices.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63295https://forums.ubports.com/post/63295Sun, 27 Mar 2022 09:26:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Mon, 21 Mar 2022 06:25:17 GMT]]>@domubpkm now it works. I don't now if I did something wrong, but it is great to have a adblocker again👍

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63043https://forums.ubports.com/post/63043Mon, 21 Mar 2022 06:25:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:59:49 GMT]]>@domubpkm That worked. Thanks for the help!.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63035https://forums.ubports.com/post/63035Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:59:49 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:26:55 GMT]]>@domubpkm same here. 312 bytes and no blocking at all. I tried several times.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63034https://forums.ubports.com/post/63034Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:26:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:10:04 GMT]]>@dizzy That means that uAdBlock doesn't work for you ! You take all ads ! You must update uAdBlock.
First open and deactivate uAdBlock, then choose the lists you want, then update. After that, you must be protected. And you can check again the size of hosts file, probably xx mb !

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63033https://forums.ubports.com/post/63033Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:10:04 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:37:34 GMT]]>@domubpkm 312 bytes ...

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63032https://forums.ubports.com/post/63032Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:37:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 18:25:52 GMT]]>@dizzy Check the size of this file
screenshot20220320_192137427.png

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63031https://forums.ubports.com/post/63031Sun, 20 Mar 2022 18:25:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 15:13:44 GMT]]>@domubpkm Hum, I still have a lots of ads...

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63023https://forums.ubports.com/post/63023Sun, 20 Mar 2022 15:13:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 20 Mar 2022 13:22:28 GMT]]>For those who are not aware, uAdBlock is currently working.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/63021https://forums.ubports.com/post/63021Sun, 20 Mar 2022 13:22:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 27 Feb 2022 22:43:43 GMT]]>I assume that you finally turned it off definitively. I didn't know that this feature had this great cost until now. It is sad to say but this feature looks not sustainable for a small community like ours to keep this working just with donations (I desire to be wrong). I don't know if it could be done in another way. Anyway, Malte, thanks for all the work you have done. I'll try to send you a small donation this week.
Regards

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/62413https://forums.ubports.com/post/62413Sun, 27 Feb 2022 22:43:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Sun, 27 Feb 2022 09:58:09 GMT]]>Last hosts file that i kept and use, built with 14 (all) uAdBlock blocking lists = 21.2 mb

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/62398https://forums.ubports.com/post/62398Sun, 27 Feb 2022 09:58:09 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Fri, 25 Feb 2022 21:31:24 GMT]]>@kazord Hello! We had the same idea 😉
I've implemented it with many optimizations a few days ago. The result was a script running 45 seconds on Intel i7 or 2 minutes 30 seconds on a Raspberry Pi. The script is single thread so it could be further optimized. The lists were ~17MB of total size when the script ended. Querying the data from Apache takes less than 5 seconds. So far it seems too good to be true, so I wanted to ask @beli3ver if I may take a look at the original sources. The idea is to build this for serverless infrastructure on Netlify that will require very little costs and almost no maintenance. Idk the numbers of requests to uadblock servers, but maybe that could be done also with the free plan.

Thank you for all your efforts in Uadblock 🙂

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/62351https://forums.ubports.com/post/62351Fri, 25 Feb 2022 21:31:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:31:38 GMT]]>I don't have the working details on the server side

but from an optimisation point of view it sould be faster and lighter to have :

  • 1 file for each commun entries in lists and merge client side.
    (exemple 1.txt contains entries only in the list 1, 1-2.txt contains entries common on list 1 & 2 and so on)
    from client side just dl every files that match activated lists.

  • 2 avoid rebuild all if possible (and optimize code/io for lower spec servers)

With that I hope it's possible to cut the server price a lot (cheapest ovh server is like 3€/m)

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61656https://forums.ubports.com/post/61656Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:31:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:07:52 GMT]]>@beli3ver said in Why uAdBlock currently no longer works:

Currently we have 13 lists, which in all possible combinations comes to a total file size of almost 400 GB.

@TotalSonic I understand this quote as, there are 13 lists and they are doing all possible combinations of the 13 lists, for every combination one file, so the user can easily download it.

The largest list (all 13 together) was still about 100 MB at the end.

See, this kind of supports my claim.

I predict that for all 13 lists, there will be no more than 150 200 MB for one update, if not using the server and do the downloading & merging at user side. Or am I horribly wrong?

But, even if it was 400MB for updating all 13 lists, it would be more acceptable for me than not working app.
Edit: I missread GB & MB. Ignore this statement, please. 😉

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61653https://forums.ubports.com/post/61653Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:07:52 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:27:23 GMT]]>@keneda - I believe there are likely a number of different ways that an Ad Blocker for UT could be coded that would not need to have its own dedicated list server (and one storing some 400GB of data at that) - my comments here are just based on what Malte states in his original post, and wanting to figure out a way this could be restored - not that this is the only way to go about things.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61629https://forums.ubports.com/post/61629Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:27:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:20:05 GMT]]>@keneda - yes it could, if it was a smaller list - like the original version by Marius had. Perhaps the current lists could be optimized so it didn't require as much as server space as well - I'm not sure.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61627https://forums.ubports.com/post/61627Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:20:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:14:13 GMT]]>@totalsonic
Couldn't the app use list already existing ?
Like some from uBlock Origin or so ?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61626https://forums.ubports.com/post/61626Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:14:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Wed, 09 Feb 2022 22:21:18 GMT]]>@jezek said in Why uAdBlock currently no longer works:

@beli3ver Is there any reason, other than user has to download more data, why there has to be a server? Can't the list update, duplicate remove, etc be done at user side, whenever he chooses?

I am not Malte, but the reason there needs to be a server, and one that is maintained on top of that, is that the block lists all need to be updated on a regular basis for them to effectively work, and apparently according to Malte, that the block lists take up a gigantic 400 GB of data in total. So, if the app had to have all of the lists included within it, it would be a huge install (and potentially one that would be too large for some devices), that would need to be updated regularly to and from the Open Store. With a server holding the block lists, the user can just access the needed data for just the lists they choose , and the app within the Open Store doesn't need to be constantly updated.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61611https://forums.ubports.com/post/61611Wed, 09 Feb 2022 22:21:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:23:10 GMT]]>@beli3ver Is there any reason, other than user has to download more data, why there has to be a server? Can't the list update, duplicate remove, etc be done at user side, whenever he chooses?

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61603https://forums.ubports.com/post/61603Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:23:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Wed, 09 Feb 2022 06:04:19 GMT]]>What is certain is that UT cannot do without an ad blocker. And the effect will be immediate by changing the channel (e.g. from stable to rc) no more blocking... or blocking by workaround.

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61570https://forums.ubports.com/post/61570Wed, 09 Feb 2022 06:04:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Tue, 08 Feb 2022 17:48:54 GMT]]>@beli3ver - how difficult would it be for you to transfer your block list server files to a third party hosting service like https://owncube.com ? That way someone else with dedicated staff towards this would be the ones to maintain the server part of that. If that it possible and if the cost to host this for a year was in a range I could afford to do, I would be happy to front the costs for this for the initial year, in hopes of making some of this back via asking for community donations towards this.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61531https://forums.ubports.com/post/61531Tue, 08 Feb 2022 17:48:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Why uAdBlock currently no longer works on Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:52:16 GMT]]>@john-silver
I know these are harsh words, but we'll never get anywhere like this...
freedom is our highest good...
please give everything..
Thank you for your commitment...
FIGHT... maybe you will get into the history books, if such a thing still exists....
:raised_fist:

]]>https://forums.ubports.com/post/61331https://forums.ubports.com/post/61331Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:52:16 GMT