// Setting up a Bitcoin node with Stratum V2 in a box (the easy way)

“Stratum V2 is an updated version of the well-known Stratum mining protocol. It allows miners to create their own block templates, which helps reduce the centralization of mining pools. Unlike the original Stratum, setting up Stratum V2 is a bit more involved because it requires running your own Bitcoin node to generate block templates. This guide will walk you through the setup process step by step.”

If you prefer to have an even more geeky / nerd approach you can set all the component manually. This is explained in a separate tutorial here.

Hardware Requirements

Hardware requirements for your server are similar to those for a standard Bitcoin node, especially if you have only a few miners. You don’t need a lot of storage because it can be pruned. An old gaming laptop would work perfectly for this. We recommend using an old gaming laptop because its screen serves as a built-in debug tool and usually they have good RAM and CPU. This is useful for those who are not familiar with using command line interfaces.

• Disk Space: 100 GB (sufficient for a pruned node)
• RAM: 4 GB
• CPU Requirement: Any Core i5 / AMD 64 bits equivalent from the past 6 years will suffice.
• Internet Usage ¹:
  • Download: 15 GB per month, plus a one-time initial download of about 400 GB
  • Upload: 150 GB per month

Software Requirements

For this setup, Ubuntu Server would work well, but it only offers a command line interface. We recommend using Xubuntu a lightweight distribution that includes a graphical desktop, making it easier to use. Make sure you select the “Long Term Support” (LTS) version to benefit from an extended support. You can download it from the official website. It’s assumed that you know how to create a live USB installer and boot your computer from it. If not, we have an in-depth one hour video tutorial in our paid course “Escape The Technocracy”. There are also many guide available on the Internet.

Installation Process

Preparing the server

Once you have Xubuntu installed on your server, open a terminal and make sure it is updated.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Download the script

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Urban-Hacker/Stratum-V2-in-a-box/main/install.sh

Make it executable

chmod +x install.sh

Run it

./install.sh

After the installation process is finished you need to do two things. First running the bitcoin daemon and then starting the stratum proxy. Go in the “Stratum V2 in a box” folder (it is placed your home directory /home/your_name/stratum_v2/Stratum-V2-in-a-box) and open a terminal.

./run_bitcoin_node.sh start
./run_proxy.sh your_bitcoin_address

You can then point your miner to the IP address of your server just like you would for a normal pool.