Mining/docs/reference/pools.md

Mining Pool Integration Guide

This guide provides comprehensive information about mining pool selection, configuration, and integration with the Mining Platform.

Overview

Mining pools allow miners to combine their computational power and share rewards. Choosing the right pool is crucial for optimizing your mining profitability and experience.

Recommended Pools by Coin

Monero (XMR)

Pool	URL	Port	Fee	Min Payout	Notes
SupportXMR	pool.supportxmr.com	3333	0.6%	0.003 XMR	Best for beginners, no registration
P2Pool	p2pool.io	3333	0%	0.0 XMR	Decentralized, instant payouts
Nanopool	xmr-eu1.nanopool.org	14433	1.0%	0.003 XMR	Global network, mobile app
MoneroOcean	gulf.moneroocean.stream	10128	1.0%	0.003 XMR	Multi-algo, auto-switching
WoolyPooly	xmr.woolypooly.com	3333	0.5%	0.003 XMR	Low fees, merged mining

Ethereum Classic (ETC)

Pool	URL	Port	Fee	Min Payout	Notes
WoolyPooly	etc.woolypooly.com	3333	0.5%	0.01 ETC	Reliable, low fees
Nanopool	etc-eu1.nanopool.org	19999	1.0%	0.01 ETC	Established, global
2Miners	etc.2miners.com	1010	1.0%	0.01 ETC	PPLNS, no registration
Ethermine	etc.ethermine.org	4444	1.0%	0.01 ETC	High performance

Ravencoin (RVN)

Pool	URL	Port	Fee	Min Payout	Notes
WoolyPooly	rvn.woolypooly.com	3333	0.5%	5 RVN	Best overall
Flypool	rvn.flypool.org	3333	1.0%	5 RVN	High uptime
2Miners	rvn.2miners.com	6060	1.0%	5 RVN	PPLNS rewards
Ravenminer	ravenminer.com	3333	0.5%	5 RVN	Community pool

Zano (ZANO)

Pool	URL	Port	Fee	Min Payout	Notes
WoolyPooly	zano.woolypooly.com	3333	1.0%	0.5 ZANO	Primary pool
ZanoPool	pool.zano.org	11555	1.0%	0.5 ZANO	Official pool

Pool Configuration

Connection String Format

Most pools use this standard format:

protocol://hostname:port

Examples:

stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333
stratum+ssl://pool.supportxmr.com:3334

Authentication Format

Standard authentication uses:

Username: WALLET_ADDRESS.WORKER_NAME
Password: x (or empty)

Example:

{
  "pool": "stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333",
  "wallet": "4ABC1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890AB",
  "username": "4ABC1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890AB.miner1",
  "password": "x"
}

Port Configuration

Standard Port Mapping

Most pools follow this convention:

3333 = Standard (auto difficulty)     → Try this first
4444 = Medium difficulty
5555 = High difficulty                 → Use for powerful miners
6666 = Very high difficulty

For TLS/SSL, add 1 to the port:
3334 = Standard over TLS
4445 = Medium over TLS
5556 = High over TLS

Difficulty Selection

Choose a port based on your hashrate:

Monero (RandomX):

• 3333 (auto): Any hashrate
• 4444: > 5 KH/s
• 5555: > 20 KH/s

Ethereum Classic (ETChash):

• 3333 (auto): Any hashrate
• 4444: > 50 MH/s
• 5555: > 200 MH/s

Regional Servers

For best performance, choose a server close to your location:

Nanopool Regions

Europe:      xmr-eu1.nanopool.org
             etc-eu1.nanopool.org

US East:     xmr-us-east1.nanopool.org
             etc-us-east1.nanopool.org

US West:     xmr-us-west1.nanopool.org
             etc-us-west1.nanopool.org

Asia:        xmr-asia1.nanopool.org
             etc-asia1.nanopool.org

MoneroOcean Regions

US:          gulf.moneroocean.stream
Europe:      eu.moneroocean.stream
Asia:        asia.moneroocean.stream

Pool Selection Criteria

For Beginners

Choose pools with:

• Low minimum payout
• No registration required
• Good documentation
• Active community support
• Stable uptime

Recommended:

1. SupportXMR (XMR)
2. WoolyPooly (ETC, RVN)
3. Nanopool (all coins)

For Advanced Users

Consider pools with:

• Lower fees (0.5% or less)
• Advanced features
• API access
• Custom configurations

Recommended:

1. P2Pool (XMR) - Decentralized
2. WoolyPooly (all coins) - Low fees
3. SupportXMR (XMR) - Open source

For Privacy-Focused Mining

Prioritize:

• No registration required
• Decentralized pools
• No personal information collection

Recommended:

1. P2Pool (XMR) - Fully decentralized
2. SupportXMR (XMR) - No KYC
3. Any pool without registration

Configuration Examples

Monero on SupportXMR

{
  "pool": "stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333",
  "wallet": "YOUR_XMR_WALLET_ADDRESS",
  "algo": "rx/0",
  "threads": 4,
  "cpuPriority": 3
}

Ethereum Classic on WoolyPooly

{
  "pool": "stratum+tcp://etc.woolypooly.com:3333",
  "wallet": "YOUR_ETC_WALLET_ADDRESS",
  "algo": "etchash",
  "cuda": {
    "enabled": true,
    "devices": [0, 1]
  }
}

Ravencoin on Flypool

{
  "pool": "stratum+tcp://rvn.flypool.org:3333",
  "wallet": "YOUR_RVN_WALLET_ADDRESS",
  "algo": "kawpow",
  "opencl": {
    "enabled": true,
    "devices": [0]
  }
}

Dual Mining (CPU + GPU)

Mine Monero on CPU and Ethereum Classic on GPU:

{
  "pools": [
    {
      "pool": "stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333",
      "wallet": "YOUR_XMR_WALLET",
      "algo": "rx/0",
      "threads": 4
    },
    {
      "pool": "stratum+tcp://etc.woolypooly.com:3333",
      "wallet": "YOUR_ETC_WALLET",
      "algo": "etchash",
      "cuda": {
        "enabled": true,
        "devices": [0]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Fee Comparison

Monero Pools

Pool	Fee	Min Payout	Est. Monthly Earnings (1 KH/s)
P2Pool	0%	0.0 XMR	100%
WoolyPooly	0.5%	0.003 XMR	99.5%
SupportXMR	0.6%	0.003 XMR	99.4%
Nanopool	1.0%	0.003 XMR	99.0%
MoneroOcean	1.0%	0.003 XMR	99.0%

Impact: Fee difference of 0.5% = ~$0.50/month at $100/month earnings

Ethereum Classic Pools

Pool	Fee	Min Payout	Est. Monthly Earnings (100 MH/s)
WoolyPooly	0.5%	0.01 ETC	99.5%
2Miners	1.0%	0.01 ETC	99.0%
Nanopool	1.0%	0.01 ETC	99.0%
Ethermine	1.0%	0.01 ETC	99.0%

Wallet Address Validation

Monero (XMR)

Valid XMR addresses:

• Length: 95 characters
• Prefix: 4 (mainnet) or 8 (testnet)
• Format: Base58

Example:

4ABC1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABCDEF1234567890AB1234567890ABCDEF1234567890ABC

Ethereum Classic (ETC)

Valid ETC addresses:

• Length: 42 characters (including 0x)
• Prefix: 0x
• Format: Hexadecimal

Example:

0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890

Ravencoin (RVN)

Valid RVN addresses:

• Length: 26-35 characters
• Prefix: R
• Format: Base58

Example:

RAbC123456789aBcDeF123456789XyZ

Testing Pool Connectivity

Using telnet

telnet pool.supportxmr.com 3333

If successful, you'll see a connection established message.

Using nc (netcat)

nc -zv pool.supportxmr.com 3333

Using the Mining Platform

# Via API
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/mining/test-pool \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "pool": "stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333"
  }'

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

Possible causes:

• Pool is down
• Port is blocked by firewall
• Incorrect hostname

Solutions:

1. Try TLS port (add 1 to port number)
2. Check pool website for status
3. Try alternative pool
4. Check firewall settings

High Rejected Shares

Possible causes:

• Network latency
• Incorrect algorithm
• Outdated miner software

Solutions:

1. Switch to closer regional server
2. Verify algorithm matches pool
3. Update miner software
4. Try different difficulty port

Very Low Hashrate

Possible causes:

• Incorrect thread count
• CPU throttling
• System resource constraints

Solutions:

1. Adjust thread count (try half of CPU cores)
2. Check CPU temperature
3. Close other applications
4. Increase CPU priority

No Payouts

Possible causes:

• Minimum payout not reached
• Incorrect wallet address
• Pool payment schedule

Solutions:

1. Check pool dashboard for balance
2. Verify wallet address is correct
3. Review pool's payout policy
4. Contact pool support

Advanced Features

Pool Failover

Configure backup pools:

{
  "pools": [
    {
      "pool": "stratum+tcp://pool.supportxmr.com:3333",
      "wallet": "YOUR_WALLET",
      "algo": "rx/0"
    },
    {
      "pool": "stratum+tcp://xmr-eu1.nanopool.org:14433",
      "wallet": "YOUR_WALLET",
      "algo": "rx/0",
      "failover": true
    }
  ]
}

TLS/SSL Encryption

Use encrypted connection:

{
  "pool": "stratum+ssl://pool.supportxmr.com:3334",
  "wallet": "YOUR_WALLET",
  "algo": "rx/0",
  "tls": {
    "enabled": true,
    "fingerprint": "optional_pool_certificate_fingerprint"
  }
}

Nicehash Support

For Nicehash-compatible pools:

{
  "pool": "stratum+tcp://randomxmonero.auto.nicehash.com:9200",
  "wallet": "YOUR_NICEHASH_BTC_ADDRESS",
  "algo": "rx/0",
  "nicehash": true
}

Pool Database

The Mining Platform includes a comprehensive pool database at:

/docs/xmr-pools-database.json

This database contains:

• 10+ major mining pools
• 60+ port configurations
• Regional server variants
• Fee structures
• Minimum payouts
• Reliability scores

Load in your application:

import poolDatabase from './xmr-pools-database.json';

const supportxmr = poolDatabase.pools.find(p => p.id === 'supportxmr');
console.log(`${supportxmr.name} - ${supportxmr.fee_percent}% fee`);

Best Practices

1. Start with recommended pools: Use established pools with good reputation
2. Monitor performance: Track hashrate and accepted shares
3. Use regional servers: Choose servers close to your location
4. Enable TLS when possible: For enhanced security
5. Configure failover: Have backup pools configured
6. Check pool stats regularly: Monitor your balance and payouts
7. Join pool community: Discord, Telegram, or forums
8. Read pool documentation: Understand specific pool features
9. Test before committing: Mine for a day before large deployments
10. Update regularly: Keep miner software up to date

Resources

• Pool Research Documentation
• Pool Integration Guide
• Quick Reference
• XMR Pool Database

Next Steps

• Try the Quick Start Guide to begin mining
• Read about Algorithms supported by the platform
• Explore the API Documentation for automation