jgarzik/cpuminer
FreeCPU miner for bitcoin
FreeFree tier
About jgarzik/cpuminer
A multi-threaded CPU miner for Bitcoin, originally developed by Jeff Garzik. It supports multiple SHA256 implementations (via Crypto++, SSE2, VIA PadLock) and is designed to run on Unix-like systems and Windows via MinGW. The project has been archived and is read-only as of July 2022, meaning it is no longer maintained or updated.
Key Features
Multi-threaded CPU mining
Supports multiple SHA256 implementations (Crypto++, SSE2, VIA PadLock, 4-way)
Compatible with Bitcoin mining protocols via libcurl and jansson
Buildable on Linux, macOS, and Windows (MinGW)
Open source under GPL-2.0 license
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Open source with permissive GPL-2.0 license
- Multi-threaded for better CPU utilization
- Supports various SHA256 acceleration methods
- Small codebase, easy to study
Cons
- Archived and no longer maintained
- CPU mining is extremely inefficient for modern Bitcoin mining (ASICs dominate)
- Limited to Bitcoin (SHA256) only
- No user-friendly graphical interface
Best For
Bitcoin mining on CPU hardwareEducational purposes to understand mining software architectureLegacy or low-hashrate mining experiments
FAQ
What is cpuminer?
cpuminer is a multi-threaded CPU miner for Bitcoin. It mines blocks using the SHA256 algorithm on standard CPUs.
Is cpuminer still maintained?
No, the repository was archived by the owner on July 2, 2022, and is now read-only.
What dependencies does cpuminer require?
It requires libcurl and optionally jansson (included in-tree). For building from source, you need autoconf and make.
How do I build cpuminer on Linux?
Run './autogen.sh' (if from git), then 'CFLAGS="-O3 -Wall -msse2" ./configure', then 'make'.
Is cpuminer suitable for modern Bitcoin mining?
No, CPU mining is not profitable for Bitcoin due to the dominance of ASICs. cpuminer is primarily for educational or experimental purposes.