AdGuard Web Filter makes it possible to track requests made by both your browser and website, as well as providing an array of filtering settings and features for use with AdGuard Security Suite.
Filters are sets of rules in a special language used by ad blockers to block advertisements and trackers on pages. You can add custom filters manually or import existing ones using an intuitive interface.
HTTPS
Ads need to reach out to servers in order to display on browsers or apps, and Adguard routes this traffic through secure connections, checking whether each server can be trusted and legitimate by verifying its security certificate – this way ensuring your information remains protected against spying and spoofing.
HTTPS makes your connection encrypted and secure; even your internet provider cannot see any of your data. Unfortunately, that doesn’t guarantee full protection from cyberattacks – websites can still spoof themselves using tools like DNS hijacking and SSL stripping; AdGuard detects these attempts and blocks them accordingly.
Filters are created by filter maintainers – typically professional developers as well as enthusiasts and regular users of AdGuard – using rules written by filter maintainers who create complex rules that need iterative debugging sessions in browser developer consoles, while general ones may require further explanation. To address such difficulties, AdGuard users have access to its Filtering log with multiple sorting options available to them.
AdGuard displays all web requests that go through it with detailed information on each one. Furthermore, all those blocked are listed in a Filtering log with details on why they were blocked; any request can also be added directly into an Allowlist with just two clicks! Finally, AdGuard also provides statistics that detail how much traffic has been saved, downloaded or uploaded by AdGuard.
The “” character can be used to escape special characters in filter code such as $ and @, and some special symbols. Furthermore, including it in a rule signifies that it should apply to all IP addresses instead of just specifying one IP address as its target.
Third-party filters
There is an array of filters in the Additional settings section that can substantially broaden the functionality of AdGuard, including: the SafeSearch filter that blocks explicit search results on Yandex, DuckDuckGo and Google; Parental Control module allows you to set strict rules for children’s internet usage through individual child accounts or assigning specific filter lists per child; DNS allowlists feature allows you to define your own list of domains from which AdGuard will not block ads or trackers while also specifying bootstrap DNS servers that will resolve domains from this list; DNS allowlists feature allows you to define domains from which AdGuard will not block ads or trackers; Parental Control module allows you to set strict rules for children’s internet use through individual child accounts or assigning specific filter lists per child; DNS allowlists feature allows you to define your own lists from which AdGuard will allow.
Filters exist primarily to block out advertising and potentially harmful information on websites, ensuring users do not encounter it. There are various filters built into the program for blocking ads, tracking and other elements – from which you can choose one via the dropdown menu.
Some are tailored towards specific geographic regions, like Japanese or Chinese filters; others aim to fulfill a particular function – for instance AdGuard Base filters remove advertisements from web pages while Tracking Protection filters incorporate several security-related filters; the Annoyances filter offers filters against social media widgets and cookie notices, while Malware Domain Blocklist prevents malware/spyware distribution while NoCoin disrupts cryptominers running browser-based cryptocurrency mining operations.
Filters also can include cosmetic rules to obscure certain portions of a website. This type of filter utilizes CSS, an easily understood language understood by all browsers; similar syntax exists with AdGuard filters developers handling more complicated cases.
The History tab displays various statistics regarding your filtering process, such as the number and data used by blocked ads and trackers. You can view statistics for the last 24 hours, 30 days or all time in this view. Furthermore, requests can be filtered based on status (regular, allowed or blocked), origin and more; providing invaluable insights into analyzing effectiveness of current rules as well as potential issues that might be faced.
User rules
AdGuard Web Filter’s primary feature is its own set of filter lists (blocking lists) and an inbuilt tool to add new ones. Customization options exist via Allowlist section, as well as being able to import/export lists between devices.
Web UI also makes it possible to add user rules in any number. Furthermore, you can use it to customize default AdGuard settings such as color theme/language selection, notifications/automation scheduler and Watchdog (which helps prevent device from disabling AdGuard app).
Adguard Web Filter makes it easy to add or modify rules. Simply tap + in the upper-left corner and the menu will expand, showing all available sections. Allowlist provides you with an opportunity to block/unblock websites you specifically wish to visit for optimal browsing experiences – this feature is unfortunately unavailable in Safari for iOS devices.
This section shows the total number of blocked ads and trackers for various time periods: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or all time. Filters for mobile data types or Wi-Fi can also be applied, along with domain or subdomain selection.
AdGuard employs 41 third-party blocklists, the majority of which can be found through Control D. These blocklists can be divided into several categories according to their purpose: language filters contain rules specific for segments of the Internet like Dutch or Chinese filters, task-based filters provide rules which fulfill specific tasks like Social media protection or tracking protection, etc.
AdGuard recognizes rules with Hint labels as being registered by it and includes them in its known filters index. A hint serves as an instruction to the filters compiler on the server side (FiltersRegistry), instructing it to generate two versions of filters: full and optimized – where optimized excludes rules not needed or rarely utilized by AdGuard.
This tab is an effective way of seeing a map and statistics about companies sending you most traffic, while also keeping an eye on all your DNS and TCP connections. They will soon be integrated into Control D.
About
This app gives you the power to block ads of all types – video ads, interstitial and floating ads, banners and text ads. Additionally, it prevents tracking systems from collecting personal data, download software viruses through browser downloads, as well as block websites containing phishing or malware content.
Filters HTTPS content (the encrypted transmission between browser and website). It creates an encrypted connection and ensures you visit only genuine, non-fraudulent or fake websites. Furthermore, this tool includes a list of websites with SSL certificates issued from trusted Certificate Authorities that guarantee authenticity and identity of a site.
Out of its core features, this program also contains additional modules designed to protect your privacy and security. For instance, Malware Domains Blocklist includes sites known to spread spyware and malware; Spam404 blocks any reported as spam by other users; NoCoin Filter List disrupts Coinhive web-based cryptocurrency mining operations; while Stealth Mode prevents websites from knowing your search queries while simultaneously deleting third-party cookies as well as its own. Moreover, automatic updates can be disabled or forced update of filter lists can be manually enabled while app start up delays can also be configured individually depending on each device type.
The DNS Protection tab offers statistics regarding the number of DNS requests handled by the application, their attributes, incoming/outgoing request counts in graphs, as well as how much data was saved by protection per day, week or month in terms of percentages and figures. Furthermore, you can import/export DNS requests directly within this tab using just a few taps.
Blocklist and Allowlist tabs enable you to build and manage customized filtering lists. Your lists may be composed of complex DNS filters with rule syntax that aren’t found within AdGuard filters; alternatively you could block and unblock specific IP addresses or groups thereof within Blocklist while Allowlist allows whitelisting websites only through.
