Experience Points (XP) SHA256/SHA256d Mining Pool Setup — Onboarding & Share Accounting
Experience Points pools run on SHA256/SHA256d miners, but operator effort goes into the “boring” parts: naming conventions, accounting clarity, and wallet-safe payout automation. This page is a practical XP checklist, not generic boilerplate.
XP share-to-balance flow (what to validate first)
With XP, most operational issues come from ambiguity: workers named inconsistently, dashboards labeling things differently than payout exports, or node errors that surface late. Treat the pool as an accounting system that happens to accept shares.
- Worker format: Standardize `address.worker` (or your chosen format) so your backend never guesses which user earned what.
- Round boundaries: Decide how you define a round/shift and ensure the UI, API, and payout engine agree.
- VarDiff basics: VarDiff (variable difficulty) adjusts per-miner share difficulty so fast miners don’t overwhelm the share queue.
- Payout proofs: Every balance change should be explainable by shares + blocks + confirmations—no hand edits.
XP engine selection: fast website launch vs service-oriented control
XP can be deployed on multiple stacks; the operator difference is how you prefer to maintain the pool once miners arrive.
- Yiimp-based: A straightforward path to a familiar website UI and classic pool workflow. Review if you like that operating style.
- Miningcore: A cleaner service layout when you want strong APIs and a modern deployment cadence. See .
- Custom onboarding: If you run external hashpower or want strict KYC-like controls, a tailored auth layer can sit in front of Stratum without changing miner URLs.
Write the worker naming rules before you launch—most “missing payout” tickets trace back to inconsistent worker strings or copy/paste errors.
XP pool configuration scope (from node to UI)
- XP node build + RPC limits: Install the XP daemon, restrict RPC to known hosts, and confirm your pool’s required methods exist in that version.
- Accounting storage: Set retention and indexing so share queries stay fast when you have many short-lived XP workers.
- Stratum behavior: Tune connection limits, share difficulty updates, and timeouts to match the miner population you expect.
- Payout model wiring: Implement your chosen scheme and verify rounding/threshold behavior; see and .
- UI labels and exports: Ensure the website, API, and payout CSV/JSON exports use the same XP symbol and fields.
- Security + monitoring: Harden hosts, rotate secrets, and alert on sync/tip issues; reference .
If you operate multiple SHA256 coins, we keep XP accounting isolated (separate DB/schema + wallet controls) so a payout job or node incident cannot leak across coins.
XP connection string sample and worker naming rules
Keep your XP miner documentation unambiguous. Show the endpoint(s) and then one canonical worker example that matches your backend parser.
stratum+tcp://POOL-DOMAIN:3333
stratum+ssl://POOL-DOMAIN:3443If you support marketplace hashpower, add a separate page section for their username conventions and expected difficulty behavior.
XP-specific gotchas: symbols, labels, and payout parsing
- XP ticker hygiene: Use “XP” consistently in UI, APIs, and payment exports so operators don’t confuse it with generic “exp/xp” labels in scripts.
- XP address acceptance: Confirm which address types your daemon and payout tooling accept, then reject anything else at registration time.
- XP payout parsing: Test your payout engine with edge cases: long worker names, unusual separators, and accounts that rotate addresses mid-session.
XP launch checks that reduce support tickets
- Publish the XP worker naming rule and make the UI display the exact string the pool is using for accounting.
- Run load tests that simulate many short sessions (miners reconnecting) to catch duplicate worker rows early.
- Verify the node tip and peer health, then alert if XP template generation fails or slows down.
- Tune varDiff targets so share submit rate stays stable under both small and large miners.
- Do a staged payout with a fresh wallet: generate, broadcast, confirm, and reconcile UI totals.
- Add basic abuse protection (per-IP caps, bans, request throttles) and confirm farms are not penalized.
- Snapshot the DB and configs, restore into staging: confirm the XP pool resumes cleanly without manual edits.
XP pool FAQs for operators
How should XP worker names be formatted for the lowest support load?
Pick one format (`address.worker` or `account.worker`) and enforce it at signup and in docs. We also make the dashboard echo the exact worker string that the backend stores.
Does XP require any special Stratum tuning?
We tune to your miner mix: fast ASIC farms, small home miners, or rented hashpower. The XP name doesn’t change Stratum, but your traffic profile does.
What if miners submit shares but XP balances don’t move?
That’s usually a mapping problem (worker parsed wrong) or a node/template issue. We trace the path from share acceptance → accounting row → balance update to find the break.
Can you run XP as an invite-only pool for a small group?
Yes. Private mode reduces public attack surface and lets you keep endpoints off the open web while still using standard miner URLs.
How do you verify XP payouts are correct before opening the pool?
We run an end-to-end test with small balances and confirm every step: calculated payout, broadcast transaction, confirmations, and UI reconciliation against the chain.
Planning a XP pool and want a sanity check before launch? Contact us and include your preferred worker format plus your estimated miner count.