Photo: Mark Agnor – shutterstock.com
So you want to dive into the world of crypto currencies, mine yourself and have got the appropriate hardware? Then all you need is the right software tools to lay the foundation for your digital assets. We’ll show you the (in our estimation) five best tools to do cryptomining.
CGMiner already has a few years under its belt. The tool is operated via a simple command line interface, which could deter many users who are used to a slightly more modern user interface.
CGMiner is written in the C programming language, which means that the cryptomining tool runs on almost all operating systems. In addition, CGMiner runs with special mining hardware as well as with all kinds of GPUs. The program only needs the credentials for the mining pool of your choice and then automatically detects which hardware is available for mining purposes. The software is extremely adaptable and offers an excess of setting options – however, the Windows version is often unruly when installed.
Bitminter is one of the oldest, most reliable and sophisticated cryptominers ever. Bitminter works equally well with both APPLICATION-specific integrated circuit (ASICs) and GPUs. The graphically appealing user interface makes working with the mining software a pleasure. The hashrate is represented in MH/s (millions of hashes per second) and to start mining cryptocurrency, the start button is pressed as in the car.
In addition, Bitminter also offers access to various statistics, which you can use to check the progress of your mining operations in no time at all. The user interface also includes a text console that keeps you informed about updates for hardware and software.
The big disadvantage of the bitminter cryptominer: It is designed exclusively for use in the associated mining pool. If you want to use the tool, you can’t avoid registering with Bitminter. As a result, you are then also forced to accept their terms when it comes to dividing up the cryptomining returns.
The BFGMiner tool is based on the design of the CGMiner, but is intended exclusively for use with ASIC mining hardware and not for mining cryptocurrency via graphics card. As befits a special software, BFGMiner comes with a lot of settings and features that allow the software to be almost completely adapted to your individual cryptocurrency needs (even if you know what you are doing).
With the help of the BFGMiner, for example, the operating temperature of connected devices can be monitored and several mining pools can be accessed at the same time. The cryptominer prevents connections to unreachable pools from the outset, which increases the mining efficiency.
Although the interface of the cryptomining software is not necessarily all the rage – but it fulfills its purpose. Commendable: This tool for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and Co. also supports the setup of hotkeys – in case you need to act really fast.
MultiMiner provides a graphical overlay for BFGMiner. What’s the point? First and foremost, the setting options for advanced users are thus also more accessible to beginners.
The cryptocurrency mining tool has a setup wizard on board to help you connect to a mining pool. Once this is done, MultiMiner automatically searches for and finds connected devices and provides information about them in a clear table. At this point, you can also inquire about your daily “mined” profit – depending on which cryptocurrency you generate and what hardware is used for it.
You can also configure MultiMiner to automatically mine the cryptocurrency that is currently promising the biggest profit. Or the one that is easiest to mine.
EasyMiner is also a graphical front-end interface – but for the cryptominers CGMiner and CPUminer. Again, this tool makes it extremely easy to start mining cryptocurrency: it automatically creates a Litecoin wallet and starts mining.
EasyMiner’s dashboard is attractively designed and presents all available information and options in a simple and understandable way.
In a mining pool, a group of users come together to mine cryptocurrency together. The proceeds are then divided among the participants. Popular mining pools include:
Some mining pools already include corresponding software tools. In addition, there are also various special operating systems designed to mine cryptocurrencies. These can also be equipped with several of the software tools presented here. These include, for example:
A common problem with cryptocurrency mining software is possible conflicts with antivirus solutions. These can occur not only during the installation, but possibly already when downloading a cryptominer.
The reason for this is the increasing popularity of “cryptojacking” among criminal hackers: Cryptomining software is infiltrated into a user’s computer, where the tool now generates crypto currencies without the user’s knowledge. If you get problems with security solutions when using cryptominers, you only have to add the program in question to your whitelist.
This post is based in part on an article from our UK sister publication TechAdvisor.
