Setting up a Bitaxe mining pool: choosing solo vs. pool correctly

For your Bitaxe, Nerdaxe or NerdQaxe to mine, it needs a target: a mining pool. Setting one up takes a few minutes and happens entirely in the dashboard of AxeOS or NerdOS. This guide first explains the difference between solo and pool mining and then sets up your pool step by step.

Solo or pool: what is the difference?

• Solo mining: you try to find a whole block on your own. If you hit one, you get the complete reward (currently 3.125 BTC plus fees); otherwise you get nothing. A lottery with a big prize.
• Pool mining: many miners combine their computing power and share the reward. You get small, regular payouts according to your share, but no chance at the whole block.

Which path suits you is covered in detail in Is solo mining with a Bitaxe worth it?. In the dashboard you can switch between the two at any time by entering a different pool.

What is a stratum pool?

Pools communicate with your miner via the stratum protocol. You always need the pool address with port, a username (your Bitcoin address) and a password. Enter these in the dashboard and the basic setup is done.

Step by step: entering the pool in AxeOS

Open your miner’s IP address (shown on the display) in the browser and go to Settings. Enter:

• Stratum URL & port: your pool’s address, e.g. public-pool.io for solo, with the port the pool specifies.
• Stratum user: usually your own Bitcoin address, optionally with a worker name in the format yourAddress.bitaxe1. That way you can identify each device later.
• Stratum password: for most pools x is enough.

Save, and the miner reconnects. As soon as accepted shares count up in the dashboard, everything is running correctly.

Which pool should I use?

• For the lottery appeal (solo): a solo pool like public-pool.io or a solo stratum from ckpool. You keep the full block reward if you hit.
• For regular small payouts (pool): an established pool with a low minimum payout. Look for transparency and fair fees.

In both cases, always enter your own Bitcoin address so that rewards and payouts go to you.

Set up a fallback pool

Many AxeOS versions accept a second pool as a fallback. If the primary pool fails, the backup takes over automatically and your miner does not sit idle. For continuous operation we recommend it.

Keep a note of the pool URL, port and address somewhere safe. Then you can set up a second device the same way in seconds, or restore your setup quickly after a reset.

You entered the pool but no shares appear? The most common causes and fixes are in our Bitaxe troubleshooting guide. The miners themselves are in the shop.