CGMiner

CGMiner is one of the best miners that allows mining Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and many other coins. The miner supports ASIC, FPGA, and GPU (up to version 3.7.2). CGMiner is flexible in its settings and supports multi-threaded mining, working with multiple pools, as well as remote management and monitoring of your mining equipment's parameters.

CGMiner Algorithms and Fees

Algorithm	Supported Devices	Typical Pool Fee	Example Cryptocurrencies
SHA-256	ASIC	1% - 2%	Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Scrypt	ASIC, FPGA	1% - 1.5%	Litecoin (LTC), Dogecoin (DOGE)
X11	ASIC, FPGA	2% - 2.5%	Dash (DASH)
Blake2b	ASIC	1% - 1.5%	Siacoin (SC)
Equihash	ASIC	1% - 2%	Zcash (ZEC), Horizen (ZEN)
Ethash	ASIC, FPGA	0.5% - 1%	Ethereum Classic (ETC), Ethereum (ETH)
Groestl	ASIC	1% - 1.5%	Groestlcoin (GRS)

Installing CGMiner

To install the miner, you need to follow a few simple steps:

Download CGMiner: Download the latest version of CGMiner. You can download CGMiner from our website for Windows and Linux.
Unzip the ZIP file: Unzip the downloaded CGMiner file to a convenient location, for example, on your desktop.
Edit the .bat file: Open the CGMiner folder. You will see a list of files including configuration files, executables, and documentation as shown in the screenshot on the right. Choose the .bat file corresponding to the coin you want to mine (for example, btc.bat for Bitcoin or ltc.bat for Litecoin). Open the .bat file for the selected coin using a text editor, such as Notepad, and replace YOUR_ADDRESS and YOUR_POOL with your wallet and pool details.
Run CGMiner: Double-click the edited .bat file to start mining. CGMiner will launch, and the mining process will begin.

Below, you can see more detailed .bat setup instructions, or you can download a pre-configured file and just replace your wallet address.

Setting up a .bat file for CGMiner

Example of a full .bat file setup for any coin:

Loading configuration files...

Video Guide

Basic CGMiner Commands

Command	Description	Example
--url	Set the URL of the mining pool.	cgminer --url stratum+tcp://pool.com:3333
--userpass	Set the username and password for the pool in the format `username:password`.	cgminer --userpass username:password
--quota	Assign a quota to a pool, distributing the load between pools.	cgminer --quota "1;pool1.com" -u user1 --quota "2;pool2.com"
--api-listen	Enable remote API monitoring and control.	cgminer --api-listen
--gpu-engine	Set the clock speed for GPUs in MHz.	cgminer --gpu-engine 1000
--gpu-fan	Manually control GPU fan speed as a percentage.	cgminer --gpu-fan 75
--temp-target	Set a target temperature for GPUs.	cgminer --temp-target 70
--config	Load settings from a configuration file.	cgminer --config configfile.json
--failover-only	Use failover pool strategy (use backup pool only when primary fails).	cgminer --failover-only
--gpu-memclock	Set GPU memory clock in MHz.	cgminer --gpu-memclock 1500
--log	Log mining activity to a file.	cgminer --log log.txt
--scan-time	Set the time in seconds to scan for work from the pool.	cgminer --scan-time 60

How to Choose a Mining Pool?

Steps to Choose a Mining Pool:

Choose the cryptocurrency to mine: First, decide which cryptocurrency you want to mine. For example, if you want to mine Bitcoin, you will need pools that support the SHA-256 algorithm.
Find pools using specialized websites: To find a reliable mining pool, you can use aggregators that collect data from various pools:
- Mining Pool Stats – a platform for monitoring mining pools. Here, you can find statistics for many cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.
- PoolWatch.io – another popular resource for comparing pools.
- WhatToMine – a site that helps calculate mining profitability and find suitable pools.
Key factors to consider when choosing a pool:
- Pool fees: Most pools charge between 1% to 2% for their services. Look for a pool with reasonable fees.
- Server location: The closer the pool's server is to your region, the lower the latency. Choose a pool with servers near your location for optimal performance.
- Minimum payout: Make sure the pool's minimum payout threshold fits your mining scale.
- Pool popularity: It is recommended to use well-established and reliable pools for stability. Examples include Slush Pool, F2Pool, AntPool, and BTC.com.
- Payment methods: Some pools use PPLNS (Pay-Per-Last-N-Shares), while others use PPS (Pay-Per-Share). PPLNS is more profitable for long-term mining, while PPS guarantees steady payouts.

Popular Bitcoin Mining Pools:

Slush Pool: One of the oldest and most reliable pools for Bitcoin mining. It supports professional monitoring and control tools.
F2Pool: One of the largest global pools with low fees.
AntPool: Operated by Bitmain, this pool supports various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin.

How to Choose a Multi-Pool Strategy in CGMiner?

CGMiner offers several strategies for distributing load between pools, helping you maximize performance:

Failover: switches to a backup pool if the main one fails.
Round Robin: evenly distributes work between pools, switching when the current pool is idle.
Rotate: rotates between pools at set time intervals.
Load Balance: distributes load across pools based on assigned quotas.
Balance: evenly distributes work across all active pools.

Load Balance Command Example:

cgminer --quota "1;pool1.com:3333" -u user1
-p pass1 --quota "2;pool2.com:4444" -u user2
-p pass2
                    

Try our quota calculator to optimize your mining strategy!

Quota Calculator

Pool Quota (%)

Pool 1

Pool 2

API for Pool Management in CGMiner

CGMiner provides a powerful API that allows automatic management of mining pools and monitoring mining performance. This API is useful for remote control and automation of processes.

Key API Features:

Adding and Removing Pools: Easily add or remove pools through API commands.
Switching Between Pools: Automatically switch to the desired pools based on settings.
Quota Management: Set quotas to distribute the load between pools.
Pool Monitoring: Get real-time information about the status and performance of each pool.

Example Command to Add a Pool:

{"command": "addpool", "parameter": "stratum+tcp://pool.com:3333"}

The CGMiner API helps automate pool management, making mining more efficient and flexible.