Mining
Mining pools explained
Solo mining with one machine means statistically one block per century. Pools combine hashrate so you receive a small but predictable share.
Why pools exist
Your chance of finding a block equals your share of total hashrate; at one-millionth, income variance is unacceptable.
A pool distributes found blocks based on submitted shares — partial solutions proving you were working.
Payout models
PPS pays a fixed amount per share; the pool carries luck risk and charges a higher fee. FPPS adds average transaction fees.
PPLNS pays when the pool finds a block, over the last N shares: lower fee, higher variance, and costly if you hop pools.
- PPS/FPPS: predictable, higher fee
- PPLNS: cheaper, more volatile
- Solo pool: all or nothing, minimal fee
What to check
Compare fee, payout threshold, frequency and whether you control the payout address. A pool holding coins is a custodian.
Watch decentralisation: if one pool exceeds thirty percent of hashrate, spreading out protects the network you invest in.
Vanliga frågor
Is solo mining still worth it?
Only as a lottery ticket; some solo pools market it exactly that way.
Is stratum traffic encrypted?
Not always. Choose a pool supporting encrypted connections.
Can the pool steal my coins?
Only unpaid balances. Use a low payout threshold and your own wallet.
Läs vidare
What is crypto mining?
Mining explained without jargon: why networks need computation, what a miner does and where the reward comes from.
Calculating mining returns
The maths behind mining: hashprice, J/TH efficiency, power price, pool fee and depreciation — with a worked example.
Mine at home or host it?
A practical comparison between a miner at home and hosting in a data centre: costs, risks, noise and contract terms.