Bitaxe on Stratum V2: Encrypted Solo Mining Setup

Published July 23, 2026, 19:00 UTC

A Bitaxe is the ideal solo lottery miner, but out of the box it talks to pools in plaintext Stratum V1. On any network you do not fully control, that means your payout address is readable and your hashrate is, in principle, hijackable. This guide shows the reliable way to run a Bitaxe over encrypted Stratum V2 today, plus a simpler TLS option if you want most of the security with none of the setup.

The honest state of Bitaxe and SV2

AxeOS, the firmware every Bitaxe runs, is built around Stratum V1. Native Stratum V2 support is an active area of development, but the dependable method right now does not wait on firmware: you put a small translation proxy between the Bitaxe and the pool. The proxy speaks encrypted V2 upstream to mkpool and plain V1 downstream to the Bitaxe on your own LAN, where plaintext is not a risk. The Bitaxe never leaves your network in the clear.

How the translation proxy works

The Stratum Reference Implementation (SRI) ships a translator built for exactly this. It runs on any always-on machine on your network, a Raspberry Pi, a mini PC, or the same box that runs your node, and it does two jobs at once:

Upstream: it opens an encrypted Stratum V2 (Noise) connection to mkpool and pins the pool's authority key, so that hop is sealed and authenticated.
Downstream: it presents an ordinary V1 stratum endpoint on your LAN that the Bitaxe connects to like any pool.

The full details of the SRI translator, including how it works with any V1 hardware, are in our Stratum V2 proxy guide. Here is the Bitaxe-specific setup.

Step 1: point the proxy at mkpool's SV2 endpoint

In the translator's configuration, set the upstream to your chain's mkpool SV2 endpoint and pin the authority key. For Bitcoin the endpoint is btc.mkpool.com:3340, and the canonical SV2 URL is:

stratum2+tcp://btc.mkpool.com:3340/9c9aZWzETaiJyqGGUSCn8GqFgTpxs96ert4d4jGeRnvxqRqhZar

The pool's authority public key, which the proxy pins to verify it reached the real mkpool, is:

9c9aZWzETaiJyqGGUSCn8GqFgTpxs96ert4d4jGeRnvxqRqhZar

It is also printed on every connect page. Always connect by hostname, never a raw IP, so the handshake matches the name behind mkpool's anycast network.

Step 2: point the Bitaxe at the proxy

In AxeOS, open the settings and set:

Stratum URL: the local address of the machine running the translator, for example 192.168.1.50.
Stratum port: the downstream V1 port the translator listens on (its config default, commonly 34255).
Stratum user: your own Bitcoin address, with an optional worker name like youraddress.bitaxe.
Password: x. Save and let the Bitaxe reconnect.

Your address travels only as far as the proxy in plaintext, and from there to the pool inside the encrypted V2 tunnel. Confirm accepted shares on the miners page.

The simpler alternative: Stratum over TLS

If running a proxy is more than you want, and you only care about encryption rather than the full V2 protocol, use TLS instead. AxeOS accepts a stratum+ssl:// URL, so you can point the Bitaxe straight at mkpool's TLS port (for Bitcoin, btc.mkpool.com:3334) with no extra hardware. You lose V2's binary framing and job declaration, but you gain encrypted, non-hijackable transport in one settings change. Full steps are in our Stratum TLS guide.

When native SV2 arrives

As AxeOS builds gain native Stratum V2 support, this gets even simpler: you will drop the proxy, paste the stratum2+tcp:// endpoint and authority key straight into the dashboard, and the Bitaxe will handle the Noise handshake itself. Until then, the translator is the proven path, and it works with every Bitaxe model you already own.

Whichever route you take, the economics are unchanged: mkpool stays zero-fee and non-custodial, SV2 endpoints serve full block templates with fees, and any block your Bitaxe finds pays your address directly. For pushing that little chip harder while you are at it, see Bitaxe overclocking.

Disclaimer: Firmware features change quickly. AxeOS Stratum V2 support, translator defaults, and port numbers above are current as of July 2026; always confirm against your firmware and the translator's own documentation before relying on them.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Bitaxe use Stratum V2?

Yes, in practice through a translation proxy. AxeOS, the Bitaxe firmware, is built around Stratum V1, so the dependable path today is to run the Stratum Reference Implementation (SRI) translator on a small always-on machine. It talks encrypted Stratum V2 to the pool and plain V1 to the Bitaxe, giving you V2's security without waiting on firmware.

Why bother running a Bitaxe over Stratum V2?

Because plain V1 is readable and hijackable on any untrusted network. Stratum V2 encrypts the session and authenticates the pool with a public key, so nobody can sniff your payout address or silently redirect your hashrate. For a device you may leave running for months, that matters.

What do I point the Bitaxe at?

You point the Bitaxe's stratum URL at the translation proxy running on your own network, usually a local IP address and a port you choose. The proxy, not the Bitaxe, holds the mkpool SV2 endpoint and authority key and does the encrypted talking to the pool.

Is there a simpler option than a proxy?

Yes: Stratum over TLS. If you only want encryption and not the full V2 protocol, point the Bitaxe at mkpool's TLS port using a stratum+ssl URL. It is a single setting change in AxeOS and closes the same snooping and hijacking risks, though without V2's binary framing or job declaration.

Does mining a Bitaxe over Stratum V2 change my payout?

No. mkpool is non-custodial and zero-fee across V1, TLS, and V2, and SV2 endpoints serve full block templates including transaction fees. Your wallet address is still your identity, and any block your Bitaxe finds pays that address directly. Only the transport changes, not the economics.

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Bitaxe on Stratum V2: Encrypted Solo Mining Setup

The honest state of Bitaxe and SV2

How the translation proxy works

Step 1: point the proxy at mkpool's SV2 endpoint

Step 2: point the Bitaxe at the proxy

The simpler alternative: Stratum over TLS

When native SV2 arrives

Frequently asked questions

Can a Bitaxe use Stratum V2?

Why bother running a Bitaxe over Stratum V2?

What do I point the Bitaxe at?

Is there a simpler option than a proxy?

Does mining a Bitaxe over Stratum V2 change my payout?

Mining insights in your inbox

Comments

Leave a comment

Keep reading

Stratum V1 vs V2: Every Difference That Matters

Stratum V2 Explained: Encrypted, Faster Mining

We value your privacy

The honest state of Bitaxe and SV2

How the translation proxy works

Step 1: point the proxy at mkpool's SV2 endpoint

Step 2: point the Bitaxe at the proxy

The simpler alternative: Stratum over TLS

When native SV2 arrives

Comments

Leave a comment