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Stratum V2

Stratum V2 (Sv2) is a next-generation mining protocol that addresses the centralization risks inherent in the original Stratum protocol by giving miners control over block template construction.

Why Stratum V2 Matters​

In Stratum V1, the pool operator builds the block template. This creates:

  • Censorship risk — pools can exclude transactions
  • Fee sniping risk — pool can redirect rewards
  • Single point of failure — compromised pool affects all connected miners

Sv2 inverts this: miners (or their proxies) construct templates; the pool only coordinates difficulty and rewards.

Key Improvements​

  • Job Negotiation — miner proposes template; pool approves or rejects
  • Encrypted channels — TLS-like security between miner and pool
  • Bandwidth efficiency — binary protocol, less overhead
  • Decentralized payout aggregation — can split rewards without trusting pool

Implementations​

Relationship to DATUM​

  • Sv2 is a protocol standard for template negotiation
  • DATUM is an implementation that uses similar principles (miner-side templates)
  • Both push template control to the edge of the network
  • Sv2 is pool-facing; DATUM is node-facing (your own Bitcoin node)

References​

  • Meetup #30: Decentralized Mining Workshop ^[raw/decentralized-mining-workshop-meetup-30.md]

Resources​