Mining Pool Address: Stratum, Worker & Payout Explained

A mining pool address can mean three different values. The Stratum URL connects your ASIC to the pool, the worker name identifies the rig, and the payout wallet receives earnings. This guide explains where each value belongs and how to verify it.

What Is a Mining Pool Address, Really?

A mining pool address usually means the connection details needed to send work to a pool. These details combine a Stratum URL, a worker identity and a payout destination. Each value has a separate job.

A mining pool address is a three-part instruction: where to connect, which miner is working and where the pool should send payment.

The ambiguity comes from pool interfaces. One page may call the Stratum URL a “mining address.” An address-based pool may use the wallet itself as the username. Neither convention makes the wallet and server interchangeable.

Read every field by function. The ASIC firmware connects to the Stratum URL. Its username field may contain an account and worker pair, such as account.rig01. The payout wallet belongs in the pool dashboard unless the operator documents wallet-based mining. Checking the values separately helps isolate connection and payout errors.

Stratum URL vs Worker Name vs Payout Wallet vs ASIC IP

The four addresses visible during setup belong to different systems. Only the Stratum URL tells the miner where to submit shares. The worker name labels a device inside the pool account. The payout wallet controls where the pool sends withdrawals.

The ASIC IP opens the miner’s local interface. It does not identify the pool.

For example, stratum+tcp://pool.example:3333 belongs in the pool URL field. account.rig01 belongs in the username field. A cryptocurrency wallet string belongs in the payout settings.

Some pools use the wallet as the mining username. Treat this as a documented login format, not permission to paste a wallet into every field. The operator’s setup page defines the required format.

Where to Find Your Pool’s Address in the Dashboard

Pools often publish connection details under Getting Started, How to Mine, Connect or Mining Guide. The relevant page should identify the coin or mining product, hostname, protocol and port.

1. Open the pool dashboard and select the correct coin or subaccount.
2. Copy the complete published endpoint, including its scheme and port.
3. Start the miner, then open Workers and look for accepted shares under the expected worker.

If the dashboard omits the connection data, check the operator’s documentation. An endpoint copied from an old forum post may no longer match the pool’s configuration.

A pool directory can help compare regions, coins and connection methods. For Bitcoin, compare Bitcoin mining pools, then verify the endpoint on the chosen operator’s domain.

Ports, SSL Addresses and Backup Pool Servers

A Stratum port selects a service endpoint. The port number alone does not tell you whether the connection uses encryption. Read the scheme and the operator’s instructions together.

stratum+ssl:// identifies a TLS endpoint. stratum+tcp:// identifies a TCP endpoint without TLS in the scheme.

Port numbers are not universal defaults. Copy the complete endpoint published for the selected pool and product.

Test available endpoints from the mining location and compare accepted, stale and rejected shares. f2pool notes that latency can cause miners to submit shares for blocks that have already been mined.

Matching the Right Address to Your Coin and Algorithm

The miner’s algorithm must match the pool product. Changing the URL cannot make hardware designed for one algorithm mine another algorithm.

Even compatible coins may use separate endpoints, accounts and payout settings. Check the hardware documentation first, then select the corresponding product on the pool’s setup page.

These addresses come from one operator’s server directory. They are not defaults for other pools.

A connection alone does not prove that the endpoint accepts the miner’s work. Check the dashboard for accepted shares under the intended account. Before switching hardware between products, review mining altcoins across different algorithms.

Setting Main and Backup Pool Addresses in Your Miner

Place the preferred endpoint in Pool 1 and a separate documented endpoint in Pool 2. A third entry can provide another fallback when the firmware supports it.

cgminer accepts each pool as an -o, -u and -p group. Its default multipool strategy treats the entries as a priority list and returns to a higher-priority pool after it recovers.

cgminer -o stratum+tcp://stratum.braiins.com:3333 -u USER.WORKER -p x \
-o stratum+tcp://stratum.braiins.com:443 -u USER.WORKER -p x

Replace USER.WORKER before running the command. Braiins documents the first endpoint as its primary URL and the second as its backup.

Firmware labels vary. Match each numbered row to the URL, worker and password fields described by the firmware vendor.

After saving, test the failover:

1. Confirm accepted shares on Pool 1.
2. Make the primary endpoint temporarily unreachable.
3. Check that Pool 2 becomes active and submits accepted shares.
4. Restore Pool 1 and confirm that the configured priority returns.

How PPS+ and PPLNS Change What Your Address Earns

A payout wallet can stay unchanged while the credited amount varies with the pool’s payout method. The method belongs to the pool account or mining product, not to the wallet address.

ViaBTC documents both PPS+ and PPLNS. Its PPS+ calculation separates the block-reward and transaction-fee components. Its PPLNS calculation depends on the miner’s share of hashrate during the pool’s defined window.

Payout formulas differ between operators. Check the pool’s formula, fees and eligibility rules before comparing results.

The payout address may stay the same, but the credited balance depends on the pool’s payout method and share-counting rules.

Do not compare pools by wallet balance alone. Record the payout method, pool fee, rejected-share rate and measurement period. ViaBTC also notes that earnings under PPLNS correlate with pool luck.

Verifying an Address Is Official, Not a Phishing Copy

Verify the endpoint on the operator’s official domain before entering it in an ASIC. An independent pool directory can help detect a spelling mismatch or stale record, but the operator’s documentation remains the source for configuration.

Warning signs include:

• A hostname that differs from the official domain by one character
• An undocumented port sent through a private message
• A protocol change that does not appear in the operator’s documentation
• A request for a wallet seed phrase or exchange password

A working Stratum connection does not prove that the server belongs to the intended pool.

Open the operator’s site directly and compare the complete hostname, scheme and port. Recheck the documentation whenever the pool announces a migration.

Keep an exported configuration or screenshot after verification. It provides a reference when a hostname, port or worker value changes.

What to Track After Every Payout — and a Final Checklist

Track each payout with its amount, destination wallet, transaction ID and matching pool record. The transaction ID, or txid, identifies the blockchain transaction associated with the payment.

f2pool documents the TXID on the right side of its Revenue Records table. For address-based mining, its support page directs users to search by wallet and coin before opening the same records.

Compare the pool’s payout history with a blockchain explorer. Export the history when the dashboard supports it, especially before closing an account or changing a subaccount.

Before connecting a new endpoint:

• Copy the Stratum URL and port from the operator’s documentation.
• Confirm that the pool product matches the miner.
• Give each rig a distinct worker name.
• Check the payout wallet and its network.
• Add and test a documented failover endpoint.
• Look for accepted shares before evaluating earnings.
• Save the first payout’s txid and pool record.

For the adjacent wallet-based case, see the stratum port and payout wallet setup guide. Use this checklist before moving the rest of your hashrate.

Частые вопросы

Источники

• cgminer README — cgminer command-line and multipool documentation
• Braiins Pool Quick Start — primary and backup connection settings
• Mining support from f2pool — Stratum endpoints, rejected shares and payout records
• How are profits calculated? — ViaBTC payout-method documentation