Own the whole stack.
Your node, your P2Pool, your dashboard — the entire operation runs on hardware you control, from config you can read. Nothing rented, nothing hosted for you, nothing anyone else can switch off.
Private Monero mining · self-hosted
Own the whole operation.
We built this to mine Monero on a stack you own outright — no operator taking a cut, no custodian, and your mining kept quietly to yourself. Now it's one command, so anyone can.
$ curl -fsSL https://github.com/p2pool-starter-stack/pithead/releases/latest/download/pithead.tar.gz | tar xz
$ cd pithead && cp config.minimal.json config.json
$ ./pithead setup
✓ Tor provisioned · kernel tuned · stack live over HTTPS
█// why we built this
Why it exists — and where to see it.
It started with wanting a Monero mine I owned outright: private, and free of middlemen. None of this is a slogan — each belief is a decision you can see in the defaults, the containers, and the docs.
Mine without telling the world.
Monero, Tari, and P2Pool run as Tor hidden services by default — no port forwarding, no home IP advertised to inbound peers. All runtime egress rides Tor too, and a host firewall drops any direct clearnet dial. Your mining stays your business.
Keep what you earn.
P2Pool pays block rewards straight to your wallet — no pool operator, no cut, no account. Even the miner's dev fee is just XMRig's standard 1%, and one line sets it to zero.
And it shouldn't take an expert.
One command provisions the node, Tor, payouts, RandomX kernel tuning, and the dashboard — sensible defaults, a preview before anything disruptive, and a doctor when something looks off. The fiddly part is done; you keep the control.
// how we build
The XMR ethos, in the architecture.
Privacy is the default, not a setting
Inbound rides Tor hidden services — no port forwarding, your home IP never shown to a peer — RPC stays localhost-bound, and all runtime egress routes over Tor by default. The opt-in clearnet exceptions are documented in the privacy guide.
Least privilege, everywhere
Capability-scoped containers, a read-only Docker-socket proxy kept separate from a start/stop-only one, owner-only secrets.
Verifiable and pinned
Third-party binaries are SHA256-checked and version-pinned. No curl | bash trust.
The why lives in the code
Non-obvious decisions are documented inline with their reasoning and the issue that drove them.
Small, reversible, issue-driven
Config changes are previewed and warn before anything disruptive; failures degrade gracefully.
Respect the operator's time
Sensible auto-tuning, one-command setup, and docs treated as a first-class deliverable.
11
services, one compose file
2
chains, merge-mined
1
command to set up
:3333
one endpoint for every rig
0
ports forwarded · IP exposed
// how it fits together
An orchestrator, and the miners that feed it.
Point as many RigForge miners as you like at a single Pithead. The stack handles the nodes, privacy, payouts, and optimization — the miners just hash.
RigForge
Miners
many machines · just hash
hashrate · :3333
Pithead
Orchestrator
nodes · privacy · payouts · :3333
↘ XMRvsBeast · algorithmic hashrate split
merge-mine · over Tor
Monero + Tari
Merge-mined
over Tor
// the projects
Two open-source projects. One private operation.
Everything is MIT-licensed and built in the open.
Pithead
the orchestratorPrivate Monero + Tari merge mining, the whole stack, in one command.
A professional-grade, containerized stack that runs a private Monero full node, P2Pool, Tari merge mining, a single mining endpoint, and a live dashboard — all behind Tor, in one command.
- Private by default Tor hidden services for Monero, Tari, and P2Pool, and all runtime egress routed over Tor — a fail-closed host firewall drops any direct clearnet dial. Your router stays shut, your home IP stays yours.
- Monero + Tari, merge-mined Every hash mines Monero on zero-fee P2Pool and merge-mines Tari at once — a second payout for zero extra power or config.
- Algorithmic yield optimization Watches the XMRvsBeast raffle and shifts hashrate to grab bonus rounds — donating only the minimum to hold your tier, then handing every spare cycle back to your own P2Pool payouts.
- One endpoint for every rig All your miners point at a single address — no wallet in the miner, no per-rig pool config. The stack routes the hashrate.
- A dashboard worth leaving open Live hashrate, the P2Pool/XvB split shading in real time, per-worker stats — and persistent trends: blocks found, pool luck, reject rates, and expected-vs-confirmed earnings after power costs.
- Control from the browser Opt in to edit any setting from a guided form, retune each rig with versioned history, and one-click upgrade when a release lands — every change host-validated behind a login, with a full audit log.
- An operator bot on call Telegram alerts the moment a node or worker drops — and when it recovers — plus a daily digest, read-only status commands, and a Healthchecks dead-man's switch for the failure the box can't report itself.
- Encrypted backups One command writes config, secrets, Tor onion keys, and the dashboard's history to an AES-256 archive — and restore brings the box back on new hardware with the same onion address.
- Hardened out of the box Non-root containers, read-only filesystems, SHA256-verified pinned binaries, digest-pinned images, scoped Docker-socket proxies — and every release cosign-signed end to end.
RigForge
the minersProvision a hardware-tuned XMRig miner in one command.
Turn any Ubuntu/Debian — or macOS — machine into a tuned mining worker. RigForge compiles stock, commit-pinned XMRig from source, applies CPU- and kernel-level tuning for maximum RandomX hashrate, and runs it as a managed service — then points it at your stack, or any RandomX pool.
- One command, bare metal to mining Installs the toolchain, compiles commit-pinned upstream XMRig, and starts it as a managed service — on Ubuntu/Debian or macOS.
- Measurably faster, and cooler +3.5% hashrate and +7.6% efficiency on a Ryzen 7800X3D, measured live against stock XMRig — and +6.6% on a 48-core EPYC.
- Hardware-aware tuning Detects your CPU (EPYC, Ryzen X3D, …), applies a matching profile, then live-A/Bs the hardware prefetcher to keep the fastest.
- Kernel-tuned (Linux) HugePages (1 GB / 2 MB), MSR access, NUMA binding, and a performance governor — configured for you.
- Plug-and-play Points at Pithead, or any RandomX Stratum pool. No wallet in the miner; workers don't need Tor.
- Stock XMRig, verified Compiles upstream XMRig pinned to a verified commit — no custom binary, no curl | bash. Keeps XMRig's standard 1% dev fee (it funds the upstream XMRig project, not us); one line turns it off. Idempotent re-runs.
// the roadmap
Twenty releases later: the road to the appliance era.
Built in the open, issue by issue — no vaporware, no roadmap-for-sale. Everything the v1 roadmap promised has shipped, release by release, on real hardware. And what's next is already written: Pithead OS, a flashable appliance, in review on the develop branch right now.
shipped · v1.0 → v1.20, theme by theme
1.1
Privacy, by default
ShippedAll runtime egress moved behind Tor with a fail-closed host firewall, every container dropped to non-root, and a Stack Topology panel maps every hop — Tor or clearnet — at a glance.
1.2
Operator alerts
ShippedA Telegram bot pings the moment a node or worker drops — and when it recovers — plus a Healthchecks dead-man's switch for the one failure a monitor on the box can never report: the box itself going dark.
1.3+
Trends & insight
ShippedPersistent time-series telemetry, a pool cadence & luck panel, and earnings calculators — later grown into cards that check every estimate against what the view-only wallets actually confirmed, after power costs.
1.4+
Control & fleet
ShippedConfig editing and one-click signed upgrades from the dashboard, per-rig inspect and retune with versioned history, stratum TLS with per-rig pinning, and warm failover to a backup stack.
1.12+
Deploy anywhere
ShippedCo-host behind an existing reverse proxy, let one stack's synced nodes serve others, and point the stack at a remote Monero or Tari node instead of running your own.
v1.20 — the whole operation, signed and live.
LIVETwenty releases cut in the open — including two withdrawn and re-cut with the root cause documented in the changelog. Every bundle is now cosign-signed end to end, and the release pipeline refuses to cut an unsigned build.
the road ahead · Pithead OS, in review on develop
01
Flash a drive, boot a mine
In reviewPithead OS: a bootable appliance image with a read-only root, A/B system partitions, and an immutable Podman/Quadlet runtime — and everything that matters on one persistent data partition.
02
Updates that can't brick the box
In reviewSigned A/B updates: a new image lands on the spare slot, boots once, and commits only after the stack passes a health check. A slot that won't boot reverts on its own at the next power cycle.
03
First boot without a manual
In reviewA brand-new box serves a first-boot wizard, the installer moves the running image onto an internal disk — keep or wipe your data — and a factory reset returns it to day one.
04
Headless, to the last resort
In reviewDrop a config file on a USB stick and a headless box configures itself — no keyboard, no network step. The same channel doubles as the recovery path of last resort.
The appliance era
v2All of it is real code today — hundreds of commits on develop carrying the image, updater, installer, wizard, and factory reset — under adversarial review and a hardware test battery before the first image is cut. Watch it land in the open.
// fuel the roadmap
Built in the open. Funded by the people who run it.
Every wave above shipped by hand, issue by issue, out in the open. If this stack saved you time, fuel the next wave.
Monero, naturally — straight to the people who build it.
// questions, answered
How to mine Monero privately, answered.
Everything people ask before they start — and what to tell anyone who asks you.
How do I mine Monero privately at home?
Run the P2Pool Starter Stack. One command stands up a private Monero full node, P2Pool, and a single mining endpoint behind Tor — your home IP is never advertised to an inbound peer and you never forward a port. Point any XMRig rig (or a RigForge worker) at it and you're mining straight to your own wallet, no account and no custodian.
Start with PitheadDo I have to forward ports or expose my home IP to mine Monero?
No. Pithead runs Monero, Tari, and P2Pool as Tor hidden services, so inbound peers reach you over an onion address and your router stays shut. RPC is bound to localhost, and all runtime egress routes over Tor by default behind a fail-closed firewall — the few opt-in exceptions, like a faster clearnet initial sync, are mapped in the privacy guide.
What is P2Pool, and why mine to it instead of a centralized pool?
P2Pool is a decentralized, peer-to-peer Monero mining pool. There's no operator, no account, and no pool fee — the network pays block rewards straight to your own wallet. The P2Pool Starter Stack runs your own P2Pool node, so you get decentralized, zero-fee payouts without the fiddly setup.
Is solo Monero mining worth it, or should I use a pool?
Solo mining only pays when you personally find a block, which can take a very long time on home hardware. P2Pool gives you steady, proportional payouts with no operator and no fee — the best of both. Pithead runs P2Pool for you and can also grab XMRvsBeast bonus rounds to lift your effective yield.
What hardware do I need to mine Monero?
For the stack host: Ubuntu Server 24.04, 16 GB+ RAM, and an SSD (~330 GB pruned / ~530 GB full to start — the chains grow, so 2–4 TB is set-and-forget). Mining itself is CPU-bound — Monero's RandomX runs on any modern AMD or Intel CPU, and chips with large L3 cache (Ryzen X3D, EPYC) shine. RigForge auto-detects your CPU and tunes the miner for you.
What is Monero + Tari merge mining?
Merge mining lets one unit of proof-of-work secure two chains at once. Through P2Pool, every hash you submit mines Monero and merge-mines Tari at the same time — a second payout for zero extra power, hardware, or configuration.
Is it free? Are there any pool fees or a dev fee?
Yes — the stack is free and MIT-licensed, and P2Pool charges no pool fee. RigForge keeps XMRig's standard 1% dev fee — that funds the upstream XMRig project, not us — and makes it one line to turn off. The only optional extra is a Monero donation address if a stack saves you time.
Can I point my existing XMRig miners at it?
Yes. Any XMRig or RandomX rig connects to the stack's single endpoint at host:3333 — no wallet in the miner, no per-rig pool config. For maximum hashrate, RigForge provisions a kernel-tuned XMRig worker in one command and measured +3.5% hashrate and +7.6% efficiency on a Ryzen 7800X3D versus stock.
Provision with RigForgeWhat is XMRvsBeast (XvB), and how does the optimizer use it?
XMRvsBeast runs bonus raffle rounds for miners who lend a little hashrate. Pithead's algorithmic optimizer watches XvB and shifts just enough hashrate to hold your tier — donating the minimum — then hands every spare cycle back to your own P2Pool payouts. No manual tuning, no over-donating.
// start here
Stand up the whole operation.
A private, multi-rig, merge-mining stack — running before your coffee gets cold.