⛏️ Bitcoin Solo Mining Pool Speed Test

Why Use This Tool?

When solo mining Bitcoin, even small differences in connection speed can affect your mining efficiency. This script tests connectivity to major solo mining pools worldwide, measuring both network latency and full stratum protocol response times to help you choose the optimal pool server.

How It Works

The script performs two tests for each pool:

1. PING TEST - Measures basic network latency using ICMP
2. STRATUM HANDSHAKE - Measures complete connection time including the mining.subscribe protocol handshake (this is what your miner actually experiences)

All servers are tested concurrently for fast results (~5-10 seconds total).

Requirements

• Python 3.6 or higher
• No external dependencies (uses only standard library)
• Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Installation

Clone the repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/mweinberg/stratum-speed-test.git
cd stratum-speed-test

Make it executable (Linux/macOS):

chmod +x stratum_test.py

Usage

Quick Test (Default)

Test all preconfigured pools with 1 run each:

python3 stratum_test.py  # or just 'python' on some systems

Multiple Runs for Accuracy

Run multiple tests per server and get average with min-max range:

python stratum_test.py --runs 3

Valid options: --runs 1, --runs 2, or --runs 3

Test a Specific Pool

Test a single pool server:

python stratum_test.py solo.atlaspool.io 3333
python stratum_test.py solo.atlaspool.io 3333 --runs 2

JSON Output

Get machine-readable output for automation:

python stratum_test.py --json
python stratum_test.py --runs 3 --json > results.json

Preconfigured Mining Pools

The script includes 16 popular Bitcoin solo mining pools organized by region:

Example Output

================================================================================
BITCOIN SOLO MINING POOL SPEED TEST
================================================================================

This script helps Bitcoin solo miners find the fastest stratum mining pool
server from their location...

============================================================
Testing from: Baltimore, United States
(Note: Location based on IP geolocation - may differ if using VPN/proxy)
Your IP: 203.0.113.42
Network: AS12345 Example ISP

Testing 16 servers (runs: 1)...
  Progress: 16/16

Results:
+-----------------+--------+-------------------------+-------+-----------+--------------+
| Pool Name       | CC     | Host                    | Port  | Ping (ms) | Stratum (ms) |
+-----------------+--------+-------------------------+-------+-----------+--------------+
| AtlasPool.io    | *MANY* | solo.atlaspool.io       | 3333  | 12        | 32           |
| US SoloHash     | US     | solo-ca.solohash.co.uk  | 3333  | 22        | 55           |
| LuckyMiner      | US     | btc.luckymonster.pro    | 7112  | 31        | 64           |
| Public Pool     | US     | public-pool.io          | 21496 | BLOCKED   | 119          |
| Parasite Pool   | US     | parasite.wtf            | 42069 | 52        | 121          |
| KanoPool        | US     | stratum.kano.is         | 3333  | 76        | 142          |
| US CKPool       | US     | solo.ckpool.org         | 3333  | 75        | 148          |
| solo.cat        | US     | solo.cat                | 3333  | 71        | 149          |
| zSolo           | FR     | btc.zsolo.bid           | 6057  | 100       | 203          |
| UK SoloHash     | UK     | solo.solohash.co.uk     | 3333  | 93        | 204          |
| SoloMining.de   | DE     | pool.solomining.de      | 3333  | 105       | 205          |
| EU LuckyMonster | FR     | btc-eu.luckymonster.pro | 7112  | 98        | 205          |
| EU CKPool       | DE     | eusolo.ckpool.org       | 3333  | 111       | 211          |
| DE SoloHash     | DE     | solo-de.solohash.co.uk  | 3333  | 108       | 211          |
| AU CKPool       | AU     | ausolo.ckpool.org       | 3333  | 304       | 3814         |
| FindMyBlock     | FR     | eu.findmyblock.xyz      | 3335  | 103       | N/A          |
+-----------------+--------+-------------------------+-------+-----------+--------------+

Summary:
------------------------------------------------------------
Fastest Ping:    AtlasPool.io (12 ms)
Fastest Stratum: AtlasPool.io (32 ms)

RECOMMENDATION: Consider using AtlasPool.io (solo.atlaspool.io:3333)
                for optimal mining performance from your location.

Understanding the Results

Status Messages

• Number (e.g., 52) - Response time in milliseconds
• BLOCKED - Ping failed but stratum succeeded (ICMP blocked by firewall - this is normal)
• N/A - Connection failed or timed out (server unreachable or down)

Which Metric Matters?

Stratum (ms) is the most important metric - this is the actual time your mining hardware experiences when connecting to the pool. Lower is better.

Ping (ms) shows basic network latency. If ping shows "BLOCKED" but stratum works, the pool is still usable (some pools block ICMP for security).

Recommendations

The script recommends all pools within 3ms of the fastest stratum time. If multiple pools are recommended, they all offer similar performance from your location.

Tips for Best Results

1. Run from your mining network - Test from the same network connection your miners use
2. Run multiple times - Use --runs 3 for more accurate results
3. Test at different times - Network conditions vary throughout the day
4. Consider geographic location - Pools closer to you typically have lower latency
5. VPN affects results - Location detection is based on IP geolocation

Troubleshooting

"N/A" for both ping and stratum

• Server might be down
• Port might be blocked by firewall
• DNS resolution might have failed
• Check if you can reach the server: ping hostname

"BLOCKED" for ping

• Normal - some pools block ICMP ping for security
• As long as stratum works, the pool is usable

Script hangs or is slow

• Some servers might be timing out (5 second timeout per server)
• Try testing a specific server to isolate the issue
• Check your internet connection

Permission errors on Linux/macOS

• Make the script executable: chmod +x stratum_test.py
• Or run with: python3 stratum_test.py

Technical Details

Concurrency

• Tests all servers simultaneously using 16 concurrent threads
• Total test time: ~5-10 seconds (limited by slowest server)
• Thread-safe and works on all platforms

Timeouts

• Ping timeout: 2 seconds
• Stratum connection timeout: 5 seconds
• Multiple runs have 0.1 second delay between attempts

Network Requirements

• Outbound TCP connections to pool ports (typically 3333, 7112, etc.)
• Outbound ICMP for ping tests (optional - script works without it)
• HTTPS access to ipify.org and ip-api.com for IP/location lookup

Privacy & Security

• The script only connects to pool servers you're testing
• IP geolocation uses public APIs (ipify.org, ip-api.com)
• No data is collected or sent to third parties
• All connections are outbound only
• Source code is open and auditable on GitHub

License & Support

License: GPL-3.0 License - Free to use and modify under the terms of the GNU General Public License v3.0

GitHub Repository: github.com/mweinberg/stratum-speed-test

Version: 2.0 - November 2025