b10c
@b10c.bsky.social
Bitcoin developer and observer - https://b10c.me
In the current Bitcoin mining landscape with proxy pools like AntPool & friends, 6 mining pools produce and mine more than 95% of the block templates.
Bitcoin mining is highly centralized today.
b10c.me/blog/015-bit...
Bitcoin mining is highly centralized today.
b10c.me/blog/015-bit...
Bitcoin Mining Centralization in 2025
This post explores Bitcoin Mining Centralization in 2025 by looking at the hashrate share of the current five biggest mining pools. It presents a Mining Centralization Index and updates it with the as...
b10c.me
April 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM
In the current Bitcoin mining landscape with proxy pools like AntPool & friends, 6 mining pools produce and mine more than 95% of the block templates.
Bitcoin mining is highly centralized today.
b10c.me/blog/015-bit...
Bitcoin mining is highly centralized today.
b10c.me/blog/015-bit...
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
This (x.com/boerst/statu...) post by boerst inspired me to dig into the invalid "AntPool & friends" mining jobs a bit deeper. Findings:
- happens during forks
- likely bug in AntPool coinbase building
- probably not selfish mining
- proxy pools affected too
b10c.me/observations...
- happens during forks
- likely bug in AntPool coinbase building
- probably not selfish mining
- proxy pools affected too
b10c.me/observations...
Invalid mining jobs by AntPool & friends during forks
Looking deeper into @boerst’s recent observation about invalid mining jobs by AntPool & friends to discuss his hypothesis about “selfish mining” and “glitchy template code”. I conclude that it’s proba...
b10c.me
March 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM
This (x.com/boerst/statu...) post by boerst inspired me to dig into the invalid "AntPool & friends" mining jobs a bit deeper. Findings:
- happens during forks
- likely bug in AntPool coinbase building
- probably not selfish mining
- proxy pools affected too
b10c.me/observations...
- happens during forks
- likely bug in AntPool coinbase building
- probably not selfish mining
- proxy pools affected too
b10c.me/observations...
.@mempool the accelerated transaction https://mempool.space/tx/1e3674b914e20c8ac2c62d3537c1c2c4f45c5ce07ad2beeae2c1877b8a538abc shows 8.33 s/vB in the block-audit but only 3.40 s/vB on the transaction page.
Based on the position in the block 8.33 s/vB should be correct. Based on the accelerated...
Based on the position in the block 8.33 s/vB should be correct. Based on the accelerated...
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
.@mempool the accelerated transaction https://mempool.space/tx/1e3674b914e20c8ac2c62d3537c1c2c4f45c5ce07ad2beeae2c1877b8a538abc shows 8.33 s/vB in the block-audit but only 3.40 s/vB on the transaction page.
Based on the position in the block 8.33 s/vB should be correct. Based on the accelerated...
Based on the position in the block 8.33 s/vB should be correct. Based on the accelerated...
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
here's an RSS feed for anyone interested https://miningpool.observer/template-and-block/sanctioned-feed.xml
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
here's an RSS feed for anyone interested https://miningpool.observer/template-and-block/sanctioned-feed.xml
miningpool-observer alerting about a "Sanctioned Transaction missing from Block" on @f2pool_offical's block 875575.
I think it was reasonable for F2Pool not to include it as they knew about transactions paying a higher fee - but I'll keep an eye on it
https://miningpool.observer/template-and-bl...
I think it was reasonable for F2Pool not to include it as they knew about transactions paying a higher fee - but I'll keep an eye on it
https://miningpool.observer/template-and-bl...
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
miningpool-observer alerting about a "Sanctioned Transaction missing from Block" on @f2pool_offical's block 875575.
I think it was reasonable for F2Pool not to include it as they knew about transactions paying a higher fee - but I'll keep an eye on it
https://miningpool.observer/template-and-bl...
I think it was reasonable for F2Pool not to include it as they knew about transactions paying a higher fee - but I'll keep an eye on it
https://miningpool.observer/template-and-bl...
fyi @mempool this address shows a negative balance for me
node210 fra (v3.1.0-dev) [01df22ef][17255d15]
https://mempool.space/address/3JP3zF7LoeoAotqkNGdvX5szUyNPwd937d
node210 fra (v3.1.0-dev) [01df22ef][17255d15]
https://mempool.space/address/3JP3zF7LoeoAotqkNGdvX5szUyNPwd937d
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
fyi @mempool this address shows a negative balance for me
node210 fra (v3.1.0-dev) [01df22ef][17255d15]
https://mempool.space/address/3JP3zF7LoeoAotqkNGdvX5szUyNPwd937d
node210 fra (v3.1.0-dev) [01df22ef][17255d15]
https://mempool.space/address/3JP3zF7LoeoAotqkNGdvX5szUyNPwd937d
Someone working on something like this?
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Someone working on something like this?
testnet4 looks more like forknet4 right now
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
testnet4 looks more like forknet4 right now
I had another look at similarities between mining pool block template by comparing the Merkle branches in the mining jobs. This confirms suspicion about proxy pools and raises the question if some pools are directly peering with each other.
https://b10c.me/observations/12-template-similarity/
https://b10c.me/observations/12-template-similarity/
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I had another look at similarities between mining pool block template by comparing the Merkle branches in the mining jobs. This confirms suspicion about proxy pools and raises the question if some pools are directly peering with each other.
https://b10c.me/observations/12-template-similarity/
https://b10c.me/observations/12-template-similarity/
really like this image from the chapter on open-source development of @kallerosenbaum's Bitcoin development philosophy
https://bitcoindevphilosophy.com/#opensource
https://bitcoindevphilosophy.com/#opensource
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
really like this image from the chapter on open-source development of @kallerosenbaum's Bitcoin development philosophy
https://bitcoindevphilosophy.com/#opensource
https://bitcoindevphilosophy.com/#opensource
During the fork at height 853051 between Foundry and Binance Pool, Foundry mined on their own block and won.
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
During the fork at height 853051 between Foundry and Binance Pool, Foundry mined on their own block and won.
The first version 3 Bitcoin transaction�‰
https://mempool.space/tx/110da331fd5336038316c4709404aea5855afed21f054f5bba01bfef099d5da1
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The first version 3 Bitcoin transaction�‰
https://mempool.space/tx/110da331fd5336038316c4709404aea5855afed21f054f5bba01bfef099d5da1
No drop in inbound connections to my Bitcoin P2P monitoring nodes since the start of the #cloudstrike incident.
(matches my assumption that most nodes probably don't run on Windows servers with cloudstrike installed)
(matches my assumption that most nodes probably don't run on Windows servers with cloudstrike installed)
March 18, 2025 at 6:35 PM
No drop in inbound connections to my Bitcoin P2P monitoring nodes since the start of the #cloudstrike incident.
(matches my assumption that most nodes probably don't run on Windows servers with cloudstrike installed)
(matches my assumption that most nodes probably don't run on Windows servers with cloudstrike installed)
mining pool game theory during forks
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
mining pool game theory during forks
Todays fork between Foundry (winning) and AntPool again shows that AntPool (& friends/proxies) isn't mining on their own block during a fork.
AntPool first send an empty job mining on their own block but then switched to Foundry's block and found a block on it.
AntPool first send an empty job mining on their own block but then switched to Foundry's block and found a block on it.
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Todays fork between Foundry (winning) and AntPool again shows that AntPool (& friends/proxies) isn't mining on their own block during a fork.
AntPool first send an empty job mining on their own block but then switched to Foundry's block and found a block on it.
AntPool first send an empty job mining on their own block but then switched to Foundry's block and found a block on it.
Another fork between AntPool (loosing) and Foundry (winning). While my data shows that all pools besides Foundry mined on AntPool's block, ViaBTC found a block on Foundry's block.
Also, we see forks now almost every other day now..
Also, we see forks now almost every other day now..
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Another fork between AntPool (loosing) and Foundry (winning). While my data shows that all pools besides Foundry mined on AntPool's block, ViaBTC found a block on Foundry's block.
Also, we see forks now almost every other day now..
Also, we see forks now almost every other day now..
Another fork between @AntPoolofficial (losing) and @FoundryServices (winning). While AntPool and friends started off mining an empty block on AntPool's block, they switched to Foundry's block with the next (non-empty) mining job.
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Another fork between @AntPoolofficial (losing) and @FoundryServices (winning). While AntPool and friends started off mining an empty block on AntPool's block, they switched to Foundry's block with the next (non-empty) mining job.
During today's fork between ViaBTC (losing) and AntPool (winning), AntPool & a few other pools briefly mined empty blocks on AntPools block before switching to ViaBTCs.
Foundry ended up mining a block on AntPool's block causing AntPool, despite giving up on it's block, to win.
Foundry ended up mining a block on AntPool's block causing AntPool, despite giving up on it's block, to win.
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
During today's fork between ViaBTC (losing) and AntPool (winning), AntPool & a few other pools briefly mined empty blocks on AntPools block before switching to ViaBTCs.
Foundry ended up mining a block on AntPool's block causing AntPool, despite giving up on it's block, to win.
Foundry ended up mining a block on AntPool's block causing AntPool, despite giving up on it's block, to win.
* in the second image, it should have been height 848860 and not 848861
March 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
* in the second image, it should have been height 848860 and not 848861