OCEAN Mining Pool Review & Setup Guide: The Cypherpunks Pool

Every block mined on a centralized pool is a vote for the status quo. Every block mined on OCEAN is a vote for Bitcoin as it was meant to be.

If you believe in the original promise of Bitcoin — permissionless, censorship-resistant, decentralized money — then who constructs your blocks matters. It matters enormously. And right now, two or three mining pools control over half the network hashrate, deciding which transactions get included and which get filtered. That is not what Satoshi built.

OCEAN is the answer. Not just another pool, but a fundamental rearchitecture of how pooled mining should work — non-custodial, transparent, and for the first time since the early days of Bitcoin, putting block template construction back in the hands of individual miners.

At D-Central Technologies, our mission is the decentralization of EVERY layer of Bitcoin mining. OCEAN’s mission is our mission. This is not a sponsored review. This is a conviction piece from one team of Mining Hackers to you.

What Is OCEAN? The Pool That Changed the Rules

OCEAN (ocean.xyz) is a Bitcoin mining pool founded by Luke Dashjr, one of Bitcoin’s longest-serving Core developers, and Bitcoin Mechanic, a seasoned Bitcoin mining expert. Launched on November 28, 2023, with a $6.2 million seed round led by Jack Dorsey (CEO of Block, Inc.), OCEAN was built on a single radical premise: miners, not pools, should decide what goes into blocks.

OCEAN is the spiritual successor to Eligius, one of Bitcoin’s earliest mining pools, also created by Luke Dashjr back in 2011. Eligius pioneered non-custodial payouts and transparent operations before shutting down in 2017. OCEAN picks up where Eligius left off — but with vastly more sophisticated technology.

The pool has gained significant momentum. As of early 2026, OCEAN commands roughly 2% of global Bitcoin hashrate — modest by the standards of behemoths like Foundry or AntPool, but massive in terms of ideological impact. In April 2025, Tether announced it would deploy both existing and future hashrate on OCEAN, a landmark endorsement that signaled institutional recognition of decentralized mining infrastructure.

Key Facts at a Glance

Why OCEAN Matters: The Centralization Crisis in Bitcoin Mining

Let’s be blunt about the state of Bitcoin mining in 2026. According to Hashrate Index data:

• Foundry USA controls approximately 32% of network hashrate
• AntPool holds around 17%
• The top 3 pools combined exceed 55% of total hashrate

This is a centralization emergency. When a handful of pool operators decide which transactions are included in blocks, Bitcoin’s censorship resistance — its most critical property — is compromised. Governments can pressure two or three companies to filter transactions, enforce blacklists, or comply with sanctions at the protocol level. That is not theoretical. It is happening.

OCEAN attacks this problem at its root by doing three things no other major pool does simultaneously:

1. Non-custodial payouts — Your bitcoin never touches OCEAN’s wallet. Payouts come directly from the coinbase transaction to your address.
2. Miner-constructed block templates — Through the DATUM protocol, you run your own Bitcoin node and decide which transactions go into blocks. The pool never even sees your transaction list.
3. Full transparency — Every share, every payout, every block template is auditable. OCEAN’s TIDES system lets you mathematically verify you received your exact fair share.

For anyone aligned with solo mining principles but needing the variance reduction of a pool, OCEAN is the closest thing to solo mining with consistent payouts.

OCEAN’s Core Features: A Deep Dive

TIDES: Transparent Index of Distinct Extended Shares

TIDES is not just a payout method — it is a verifiable, auditable system that redefines how mining rewards should be distributed.

How TIDES Works:

• The system maintains a rolling share log containing the latest 8 blocks worth of work at current network difficulty
• Each share is tracked individually with its order retained — no aggregation, no “shifts,” no shortcuts
• When a block is found, the total reward (block subsidy + transaction fees) is split proportionally among all miners based on their share of work within the window
• Shares are never removed from the log — they can be rewarded multiple times (averaging 8 times) as new blocks are found
• There is a 99.97% probability that every share gets rewarded at least once

TIDES vs. Other Payout Methods:

In OCEAN’s own words: “TIDES is what PPLNS was originally supposed to be.” Traditional PPLNS implementations lose resolution through aggregation. TIDES maintains per-share granularity, which means you get the mathematically exact payout you earned — no more, no less.

Non-Custodial Payouts: Your Keys, Your Bitcoin

This is the feature that sets OCEAN apart from every other major pool. When OCEAN finds a block, miners are paid directly from the coinbase transaction. Your bitcoin never sits in OCEAN’s wallet waiting for withdrawal. The pool literally cannot steal your funds because they never hold them.

Payout details:

• On-chain minimum: 0.01048576 BTC (approximately 1,048,576 satoshis)
• Lightning payouts: Available for miners below the on-chain threshold — set up BOLT12 offers for threshold-free payouts
• Accumulation: If your balance has not reached the threshold by the time a block is found, it accumulates until it does

For home miners running a single Antminer or a few Bitaxes, Lightning payouts are particularly valuable — you do not have to wait for a massive balance to see your sats arrive.

Block Template Selection: You Choose What Goes in Your Blocks

On traditional pools, the pool operator constructs the block template — deciding which transactions to include and which to exclude. Miners just hash whatever template they are handed. This means a pool operator under government pressure could silently censor transactions, and individual miners would never know.

OCEAN flips this model with DATUM (more on this protocol below). When running DATUM, you build your own block template using your own Bitcoin full node. The pool never sees your transaction list. They only receive merkle branches — cryptographic hashes — sufficient to verify your work without knowing what transactions you chose.

This is the single most important innovation in pooled mining since pooled mining was invented. It means that even within a pool, every miner maintains individual sovereignty over transaction selection.

OCEAN vs. Traditional Mining Pools: Head-to-Head Comparison

The verdict: If your priority is maximum short-term payout predictability and you trust pool operators with your funds, FPPS pools like Foundry or F2Pool deliver consistent returns. If your priority is sovereignty, censorship resistance, and aligning with Bitcoin’s values, OCEAN is in a class by itself.

For a deeper comparison of all major pools, see our comprehensive Best Bitcoin Mining Pools 2026 guide.

The DATUM Protocol: Decentralized Block Construction for Every Miner

DATUM — Decentralized Alternative Templates for Universal Mining — is OCEAN’s open-source protocol that allows individual miners to construct their own block templates while still participating in a pool.

How DATUM Works

1. You run a Bitcoin full node — This is your local copy of the entire Bitcoin blockchain and mempool. Your node sees every unconfirmed transaction and can build block templates from them.
2. You run a DATUM gateway — This lightweight software sits between your full node and your mining hardware. It takes block templates from your node and translates them into work assignments for your ASICs.
3. Your miner hashes your template — Your ASIC (Antminer, Bitaxe, etc.) works on the block template you constructed, not one handed to you by the pool.
4. You share only merkle branches with OCEAN — The pool receives cryptographic proof of your work but never sees the actual transactions in your template. They cannot reject your template because they do not know what is in it.
5. If you find a block, your node broadcasts it — You independently propagate the winning block to the Bitcoin network. The pool does not broadcast for you.

DATUM vs. Stratum V2: Key Differences

Both DATUM and Stratum V2 aim to decentralize block template construction, but they take fundamentally different approaches:

The critical difference: With Stratum V2, the pool can theoretically reject your template during “negotiation” because it sees your full transaction list. With DATUM, the pool is mathematically blind to your template contents — it only sees merkle branches. This makes censorship by the pool architecturally impossible, not just policy-based.

The tradeoff? Stratum V2 is more bandwidth-efficient (binary vs. JSON) and includes encryption. DATUM prioritizes censorship resistance above all else.

Both protocols are massive improvements over legacy Stratum V1. For a complete technical breakdown, read our Stratum V2 Complete Guide.

OCEAN Pool Setup Guide: Step-by-Step

Setting up on OCEAN is straightforward. Below we cover two paths: traditional ASICs (Antminer S19/S21 series) and open-source miners (Bitaxe/AxeOS).

Basic Setup: Any Bitcoin Miner (Stratum V1)

This method works with any ASIC miner and does not require running a full node. You still benefit from OCEAN’s non-custodial payouts and TIDES system — but the pool constructs your block template (similar to traditional pools).

What you need:

• Any Bitcoin ASIC miner (Antminer, Whatsminer, Avalon, Bitaxe, etc.)
• A Bitcoin wallet address (P2PKH, P2SH, Bech32, or Taproot)
• Network connection

Connection details:

Stratum URL: stratum+tcp://mine.ocean.xyz:3334
Username:    YOUR_BITCOIN_ADDRESS
Password:    x

Optional worker naming:

Username: YOUR_BITCOIN_ADDRESS.worker1

Append a period and a name to identify individual miners on your OCEAN dashboard.

Antminer S19/S21 Series Setup

1. Access your miner’s web interface — Connect to your Antminer’s IP address via a web browser (typically found through your router’s DHCP table or using an IP scanner).
2. Navigate to Miner Configuration — Go to Configuration > Miner Configuration in the Antminer web interface.
3. Enter Pool 1 (primary):

   URL:      stratum+tcp://mine.ocean.xyz:3334
   Worker:   bc1qYOURADDRESS.antminer01
   Password: x

4. Enter Pool 2 (backup — optional): You can add a second OCEAN URL or a backup pool. For maximum uptime, some miners use a different pool as fallback.
5. Save and apply — Click “Save & Apply.” Your miner will restart and begin hashing against OCEAN.
6. Verify on dashboard — Visit ocean.xyz/stats/YOUR_BITCOIN_ADDRESS to confirm your miner is submitting shares. Give it 10-15 minutes for initial shares to appear.

Important notes for Antminer users:

• Some Antminer models have a username character limit — if your full Bitcoin address plus worker name exceeds it, shorten the worker name
• Bech32 (bc1q…) and Taproot (bc1p…) addresses are fully supported and recommended for lower on-chain fees
• If running custom firmware like Braiins OS+, the setup is the same — just enter the OCEAN stratum URL in the firmware’s pool configuration

For a complete guide on setting up Antminers from scratch, see our How to Start Bitcoin Mining guide.

Bitaxe / AxeOS Setup

The Bitaxe is the perfect companion for OCEAN. An open-source solo miner running on a decentralized pool — it does not get more cypherpunk than that.

1. Connect to your Bitaxe’s web interface — Power on your Bitaxe and connect to its WiFi AP (or access it via your local network if already configured).
2. Navigate to Settings — Open the AxeOS web interface in your browser.
3. Configure the pool settings:

   Stratum URL:  mine.ocean.xyz
   Stratum Port: 3334
   Username:     bc1qYOURADDRESS.bitaxe01
   Password:     x

4. Save and restart — The Bitaxe will connect to OCEAN and begin submitting shares.
5. Monitor on OCEAN dashboard — Check ocean.xyz/stats/YOUR_BITCOIN_ADDRESS to see your Bitaxe’s contributions.

Important notes for Bitaxe users:

• Bitaxe models (Supra, Ultra, Gamma, GT, Hex) all produce relatively low hashrate (500 GH/s to 3+ TH/s). On OCEAN, your rewards will be small and accumulate slowly — Lightning payouts via BOLT12 are strongly recommended so you receive sats without waiting to hit the 0.01 BTC on-chain threshold
• If you were previously solo mining on public-pool or ckpool and want to switch to OCEAN for pooled payouts with better consistency, simply update your stratum URL
• All Bitaxe variants are supported — check our Bitaxe Hub for model-specific setup guides

Advanced Setup: DATUM Protocol (Full Decentralization)

For miners who want maximum sovereignty — constructing their own block templates and contributing to Bitcoin’s censorship resistance — DATUM is the way.

Requirements:

• A machine capable of running a Bitcoin full node (Bitcoin Core recommended — ~600+ GB storage, 4+ GB RAM)
• The DATUM gateway software (open-source, available at github.com/OCEAN-xyz/datum_gateway)
• Your ASIC miner(s) pointed to the DATUM gateway instead of OCEAN’s stratum directly

High-level setup:

1. Install and sync Bitcoin Core — Download from bitcoincore.org. Initial sync takes 1-3 days depending on hardware. Ensure txindex=1 is set for full transaction indexing.
2. Install DATUM gateway — Clone the repository and build following OCEAN’s documentation at ocean.xyz/docs/datum-setup.
3. Configure DATUM gateway — Point it to your local Bitcoin node’s RPC interface and set your payout Bitcoin address.
4. Point your miners to the DATUM gateway — Instead of mine.ocean.xyz:3334, your miners connect to your local DATUM gateway’s address (e.g., stratum+tcp://192.168.1.100:3333).
5. Verify on OCEAN dashboard — Your miners will appear on your OCEAN stats page, now with the DATUM flag — and you enjoy the 50% fee discount (1% instead of 2%).

The DATUM gateway and Bitcoin node can run on the same machine. A Raspberry Pi 5 with an SSD, a mini PC, or even a Start9 or Umbrel node can handle this. The DATUM gateway is lightweight — it is the full node that requires more resources.

Profitability Considerations: TIDES vs. FPPS vs. PPS

Let’s address the question every miner asks: “Will I make less money on OCEAN?”

The Honest Answer

Short-term, block-to-block: FPPS pools (Foundry, F2Pool, Braiins Pool) provide the most predictable payouts because they pay estimated transaction fees regardless of whether the pool finds a block. OCEAN’s TIDES only pays from actual blocks found, which introduces some variance.

Long-term, over weeks and months: TIDES trends toward the maximum possible payout. Because TIDES distributes actual block rewards (subsidy + real transaction fees) rather than estimates, miners receive the true value of their contributed hashrate. During periods of high transaction fees, TIDES can actually outperform FPPS since FPPS pools estimate fees conservatively.

The real calculation:

When OCEAN Makes Financial Sense

• High-fee environments: When transaction fees spike (ordinals, runes, high-demand periods), TIDES passes the full fee revenue to miners. FPPS pools pocket the difference between estimated and actual fees.
• Long time horizons: Over months of mining, TIDES’ rolling window averages out variance effectively. If you are mining through the next halving and beyond, the math works.
• Non-custodial premium: What is the value of never having your bitcoin held by a third party? If Mt. Gox, FTX, and every other custodial failure taught us anything, it is that counterparty risk has real cost.
• DATUM discount: Running DATUM cuts your fee in half (1% vs 2%), making OCEAN cost-competitive with most FPPS pools.

For a detailed comparison of pool mining vs. solo mining economics, including when solo mining makes sense, check our dedicated guide.

Who Should Use OCEAN?

OCEAN is not for everyone — and that is by design. Here is who benefits most:

The Cypherpunk Miner

You run Bitcoin because you believe in permissionless money. You do not want a pool operator deciding which transactions are valid. You run your own node, verify your own blocks, and OCEAN lets you do all of this while still getting pooled payouts. DATUM was built for you.

The Sovereignty-Focused Home Miner

You mine at home with an Antminer, a Bitaxe, or a custom space heater build. You do not want your bitcoin sitting in a pool’s wallet. OCEAN’s non-custodial payouts mean your sats go directly to your wallet from the coinbase transaction — no withdrawal needed, no counterparty risk.

The Decentralization Advocate

You understand that Bitcoin’s security depends on hashrate distribution. Mining on Foundry or AntPool — no matter how convenient — concentrates power in too few hands. Every terahash you point at OCEAN directly strengthens Bitcoin’s censorship resistance. This is praxis, not just ideology.

The Technical Miner

You already run a Bitcoin full node. You enjoy optimizing your mining setup. Running DATUM is a natural extension of your existing infrastructure, and the 50% fee discount rewards your technical investment.

The Privacy-Conscious Miner

OCEAN requires no KYC. No account creation. No email. Just your Bitcoin address. Point your miner and start hashing. In an industry where even some pools are moving toward identity verification, OCEAN’s permissionless access is a breath of fresh air.

Who Might Prefer a Different Pool

• Large-scale industrial miners prioritizing maximum payout predictability may prefer FPPS pools like Foundry
• Miners who need daily payouts of very small amounts without Lightning setup may find the 0.01 BTC on-chain threshold slow to reach with limited hashrate
• Miners in jurisdictions where regulatory compliance requires using a KYC-compliant pool

OCEAN and D-Central: A Shared Mission

At D-Central Technologies, we have been saying it since 2016: the decentralization of EVERY layer of Bitcoin mining is not optional — it is existential.

OCEAN represents exactly the kind of infrastructure Bitcoin needs. Not just at the protocol layer, but at the mining layer — the layer where physical work secures the network. When we sell you a Bitaxe, when we build you a custom space heater, when we repair your Antminer — we are not just selling hardware. We are equipping you to participate in Bitcoin’s security model.

Pointing that hardware at OCEAN closes the loop. You are mining with hardware that serves your interests (heating your home, stacking sats), on a pool that serves Bitcoin’s interests (decentralized block construction, censorship resistance, transparent payouts).

This is what it means to be a Mining Hacker. Not just running miners — but running them in a way that strengthens the network for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line: Mine With Conviction

OCEAN is not the easiest pool. It is not the biggest pool. It does not offer the most predictable day-to-day payouts. But it is the pool that most closely aligns with why Bitcoin exists in the first place.

In a world where two or three pool operators can decide which transactions get confirmed, OCEAN offers a radically different vision: one where every miner is a sovereign participant in Bitcoin’s consensus. Where your bitcoin is never held by a third party. Where the blocks you mine contain the transactions you chose.

That matters. It matters more than a fraction of a percent in pool fees. It matters more than payout smoothing. It matters because Bitcoin without decentralized mining is just another payment network controlled by a handful of gatekeepers.

D-Central has been building for this future since 2016. Whether you are mining on a Bitaxe Gamma at your desk or an Antminer S21 in your garage, pointing your hashrate at OCEAN is one of the most meaningful things you can do for Bitcoin’s long-term security.

Set up your miner. Point it at mine.ocean.xyz:3334. Run a node if you can. Build your own blocks. Stack non-custodial sats.

This is what Mining Hackers do.

Need hardware to get started? Browse our Bitaxe collection for open-source solo miners, or check our complete miner comparison to find the right ASIC for your setup. Questions? Contact our team — we have been building decentralized mining infrastructure since 2016.