This was built by @PiHiker (X profile), and does hourly payouts via Ark, and only Ark.
ArkPool is a proxy mining pool and hashpower purchasing service for Bitaxe and compatible SHA-256 ASIC home miners. You contribute verified hashrate through a home Stratum gateway over Tor and earn eligible mining rewards in sats. This is pooled hashpower, not a solo-mining lottery or a guarantee of profit.
They have a Gitlab, and it is using second.tech's version of Ark, bark
Bark powers ArkPool’s Ark payments. Automatic setup supports Bark-format mainnet addresses with a public-key policy and server mailbox on the pool’s payout Ark server. Compatibility is checked when connecting; other address formats or servers are refused. A dedicated Shhark integration is not advertised as complete. Never share your wallet seed or private key.
Seems like it could be a fun way to do Bitaxe mining.
Ok, but why? We have functioning pools. What does this do that regular pools don't...?
Basically:
What am I missing?
The main benefits are hourly Ark payments and a stack built around miner security and privacy.
Eligible payouts start at 1 sat, making it practical for small home miners. Mining traffic goes over Tor, keeping your public IP hidden from the pool. No account signup.
The gateway also includes dual Tor connections for redundancy and automatic circuit recovery to keep the connection reliable.
OK, so basically: 1) lower transaction cost, 2) better/higher privacy?
Fast hourly payments, 1 sat min.
Ok, but pools do daily. What's really the benefit of getting hourly payout from a Bitaxe? (You're gonna end up fixed at around 1 sat per hour, anyway)
It's not a fixed amount, hourly payments have been 1-3 sats for a Bitaxe 601.
Okay, once again: Whats the point?
I think the point is private mining and hourly payouts using ark rail. Not aware of other pools doing this.
Mining through tor? Never heard of that working.
Check out https://arkpool.org , It does work, and it’s been stable so far. The ArkPool Gateway routes mining traffic over Tor to improve miner privacy, with dual Tor connections for redundancy and automatic circuit recovery when connections fail. It’s already running, with hourly Ark payouts.
very cool. It's a little over my head to set this up. Any chance it is coming to StartOS as a service I could run ? Would pare well with the Bark wallet they've got as a service already.
That’s a great suggestion. Our gateway already runs in Docker, so a StartOS package looks feasible.. I will get back to you on this.
This is super interesting @Scoresby @PiHiker. Checking from Port Harcourt, NG — we have 2 Bitaxes in our small makerspace but power is $0.28/kWh so pooled hashpower with hourly Ark payouts is more interesting than solo lottery.
Question: how does the Tor Stratum gateway handle unstable internet? Our connection drops a lot. And are the hourly Ark payouts cheaper than LN for small 100-500 sats amounts?
Big up for building for home miners!
Thanks for checking it out! The gateway runs dual Tor clients for redundancy, with automatic recovery that restarts stalled clients. If your internet drops, your Bitaxe reconnects automatically once connectivity returns, and the gateway selects a ready Tor path. There’s no clearnet fallback.
For fees, "Second currently lists 0% for Ark sends and receives" (https://second.tech/pricing), which makes small payments attractive.
Eligible payouts are scheduled hourly with a 1-sat minimum.
I’d be interested in hearing how the gateway handles your connection if you give it a try!
I don't know how frequently PiHiker checks in here, but I'll try to flag him down.
I’m here to answer any questions! If anyone has a Bitaxe and wants to try Arkpool (https://arkpool.org), I’d appreciate the feedback.
I’m running a Bitaxe 601A (Starminer branded, Amazon around $40), and I’ve also shared firmware with additional security hardening for that model: Arkpool 601A firmware (https://gitlab.com/arkpool/arkpool-601a-firmware). Stock Bitaxe firmware should work fine as well.
ill be curious about this too!
yes, of course... makes no sense to mine like that with super expensive rates. Lock in the loss with a steady daily payout (and chalk up the loss to fun/learning "securing" the network #1466211), or just stop?
Love to see this.
https://twiiit.com/PiHiker/status/2106113747823517806
ark, stratum, shit
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