# SHA-256 Proof of Work Mining Algorithm — Telemetry, Multi-Coin Economics & Hardware Benchmarks

> Comprehensive technical and economic datasheet for the SHA-256 Proof of Work consensus algorithm.
> Catalogs real-time network difficulties, Poisson solo mining probabilities, hardware energy efficiency rankings, solo pools, and Cost of Production (CoP) metrics across all 9 SHA-256 blockchains.

## Telemetry & Metadata Freshness

- **As of (UTC)**: `2026-10-16T08:56:28Z`
- **Algorithm Name**: `SHA-256`
- **Algorithm Slug**: `sha-256`
- **Active Blockchains Tracked**: `9`
- **Dominant Hardware Class**: `ASIC-dominated`
- **Memory Architecture**: `Compute-bound (Non-memory-hard, raw throughput)`
- **AuxPoW Merged Mining**: `Supported (AuxPoW Merged Mining)`
- **Pricing & Valuation Currency**: `USD`
- **Canonical Oracle Hub**: `https://backpow.com/algos/sha-256`
- **Master Algorithm Directory**: `https://backpow.com/algos.md`
- **Model Context Protocol (MCP)**: `https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp` ([Documentation](https://backpow.com/mcp.md))
- **Master LLM Discovery Index**: `https://backpow.com/llms.txt`

## About SHA-256 Architecture & Consensus Mechanics

SHA-256 is the original Bitcoin proof-of-work: a fast, double-SHA-256 hash that is not memory-hard, so raw hashing throughput is everything. It has been ASIC-only for over a decade — modern SHA-256 miners reach hundreds of terahashes per second, and no CPU or GPU is remotely competitive.

### AuxPoW & Merged Mining Economics

SHA-256 is the canonical home of merged mining (AuxPoW), with Bitcoin as the parent chain. Among the coins tracked here, Fractal Bitcoin (FB) merge-mines roughly a third of its blocks against Bitcoin, and outside this list chains like Namecoin, Elastos, Syscoin and Rootstock all secure themselves with Bitcoin's hashpower. A single SHA-256 ASIC pointed at a merged-mining pool does the work once but is eligible for the parent block reward plus every child chain it merge-mines, at no extra hashrate or power cost. For a solo miner this stacks your block chances: the same terahashes can find a Bitcoin block and a merged-chain block in the same instant, so weigh a coin's standalone odds against what it lets you win for free on top.

## SHA-256 Solo Mining Feasibility & Poisson Mechanics

- **Easiest Coin to Solo Mine**: Quai-SHA (QUAI) — a block roughly every 4.9 years per GH/s of solo hashrate.
- **Representative Reference Miner**: [Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-xp-hyd) (ASIC) — Hashrate: `600.30 TH/s`, Power: `5340 W`, Efficiency: `112.42 GH/s per W`.
- **Expected Time to Block (Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd on Quai-SHA)**: ~4 min on average (Poisson arrival rate).

### Poisson Distribution Model for Solo Miners

In Proof of Work solo mining, block generation is an uncorrelated, memoryless Poisson process. Having mined for a week without finding a block does not increase the probability of finding one on the next hash.

1. **Expected Time-to-Block (Mean Duration)**:
   `E[T] = (H_net / H_user) * T_block` (seconds)
2. **Poisson Block Arrival Probability over duration t**:
   `P(k >= 1) = 1 - exp(-(H_user / H_net) * (t / T_block))`
3. **Solo Block Capture**:
   Solo miners receive 100% of the network block subsidy plus all transaction fees included in the block, minus any nominal pool fee (0% to 1.5%), with zero round-sharing pool variance dampening.

## Multi-Coin Telemetry & Mining Economics (9 Blockchains)

All active Proof of Work networks utilizing the SHA-256 hashing algorithm, ranked by solo block discovery feasibility (easiest network first):

| Blockchain | Ticker | Network Hashrate | Block Time | Block Reward | Spot Price (USD) | Cost of Production (USD) | Gross Margin | Time to Block (Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd) | Datasheet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Quai Network](https://backpow.com/Quai-SHA) | QUAI | 122.27 PH/s | 1 s | 7.84 QUAI | 0.00914 | 0.00496 | +45.7% | 4 min | [QUAI.md](https://backpow.com/Quai-SHA.md) |
| [Unobtanium](https://backpow.com/Unobtanium) | UNO | 7.69 PH/s | 180 s | - | - | - | - | 39 min | [UNO.md](https://backpow.com/Unobtanium.md) |
| [DigiByte](https://backpow.com/DGB-SHA) | DGB | 34.31 PH/s | 75 s | 247.93 DGB | 0.00357 | 0.00260 | +27.2% | 71 min | [DGB.md](https://backpow.com/DGB-SHA.md) |
| [Fractal](https://backpow.com/Fractal) | FB | 129.71 PH/s | 45 s | 6.25 FB | 0.38353 | 0.23390 | +39.0% | 2.7 hours | [FB.md](https://backpow.com/Fractal.md) |
| [BitcoinII](https://backpow.com/BitcoinII) | BTCII | 16.37 PH/s | 955 s | 50 BTCII | 0.14417 | 0.07831 | +45.7% | 7.2 hours | [BTCII.md](https://backpow.com/BitcoinII.md) |
| [Peercoin](https://backpow.com/Peercoin) | PPC | 8.64 PH/s | 2700 s | 37.61 PPC | 0.39939 | 0.15536 | +61.1% | 10.8 hours | [PPC.md](https://backpow.com/Peercoin.md) |
| [eCash](https://backpow.com/eCash) | XEC | 41.89 PH/s | 620 s | 1,812,500 XEC | 0.00000664 | 0.00000359 | +45.9% | 12.0 hours | [XEC.md](https://backpow.com/eCash.md) |
| [BitcoinCash](https://backpow.com/BitcoinCash) | BCH | 3.22 EH/s | 608 s | 3.13 BCH | 281.010 | 156.787 | +44.2% | 37.8 days | [BCH.md](https://backpow.com/BitcoinCash.md) |
| [Bitcoin](https://backpow.com/Bitcoin) | BTC | 1046.66 EH/s | 554 s | 3.14 BTC | 82,176.00 | 46,328.94 | +43.6% | 30.7 years | [BTC.md](https://backpow.com/Bitcoin.md) |

## SHA-256 Mining Hardware Benchmarks & Efficiency Rankings

Top mining devices supporting SHA-256 ranked by energy efficiency (hashrate per Watt descending). A higher hashrate per Watt lowers electricity overhead per hash, lowering your Cost of Production:

| Mining Device | Hardware Class | Hashrate | Power (Watts) | Energy Efficiency | Benchmark Datasheet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-xp-hyd) | ASIC | 600.30 TH/s | 5340 W | 112.42 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s23-xp-hyd.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-xp-hyd.md) |
| [Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Ultra Hydro](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-ultra-hydro) | ASIC | 885.91 TH/s | 8373 W | 105.81 GH/s per W | [bitdeer-sealminer-a4-ultra-hydro.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-ultra-hydro.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S23 Hyd](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-hyd) | ASIC | 578.84 TH/s | 5510 W | 105.05 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s23-hyd.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-hyd.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer U3S23H](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-u3s23h) | ASIC | 1.16 PH/s | 11020 W | 105.03 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-u3s23h.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-u3s23h.md) |
| [Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Pro Air](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-air) | ASIC | 336.47 TH/s | 3363 W | 100.05 GH/s per W | [bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-air.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-air.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S23e Hyd 2U](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23e-hyd-2u) | ASIC | 864.13 TH/s | 8650 W | 99.90 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s23e-hyd-2u.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23e-hyd-2u.md) |
| [Hammer Miner Thor X1](https://backpow.com/hardware/hammer-miner-thor-x1) | ASIC | 2.11 TH/s | 22 W | 95.69 GH/s per W | [hammer-miner-thor-x1.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/hammer-miner-thor-x1.md) |
| [Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Pro Hydro](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-hydro) | ASIC | 680.61 TH/s | 7412 W | 91.83 GH/s per W | [bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-hydro.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a4-pro-hydro.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S23](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23) | ASIC | 318.64 TH/s | 3500 W | 91.04 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s23.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S21 XP+ Hyd](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hyd) | ASIC | 499.30 TH/s | 5500 W | 90.78 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hyd.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hyd.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S23 Immersion](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-immersion) | ASIC | 443.28 TH/s | 5300 W | 83.64 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s23-immersion.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s23-immersion.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S21j XP Hydro](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21j-xp-hydro) | ASIC | 495.89 TH/s | 5940 W | 83.48 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s21j-xp-hydro.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21j-xp-hydro.md) |
| [Bitmain Antminer S21 XP Hydro](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hydro) | ASIC | 473.00 TH/s | 5676 W | 83.33 GH/s per W | [bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hydro.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitmain-antminer-s21-xp-hydro.md) |
| [Bitdeer Sealminer A3 Pro Hydro](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-hydro) | ASIC | 660.20 TH/s | 8250 W | 80.02 GH/s per W | [bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-hydro.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-hydro.md) |
| [Bitdeer Sealminer A3 Pro Air](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-air) | ASIC | 289.59 TH/s | 3625 W | 79.89 GH/s per W | [bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-air.md](https://backpow.com/hardware/bitdeer-sealminer-a3-pro-air.md) |

## SHA-256 Solo Mining Pools

Solo pools allow miners to retain 100% of the block reward on SHA-256 blockchains while connecting through standard Stratum protocols without hosting a local full node:

| Blockchain | Ticker | Tracked Solo Pools | Best Pool | Pool Fee | Stratum Endpoint | Solo Pool Datasheet |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Unobtanium Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Unobtanium) | UNO | 7 | [bowserlab.ddns.net](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Unobtanium) | 1% | - | [UNO.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Unobtanium.md) |
| [Fractal Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Fractal) | FB | 11 | [jackpool.ru](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Fractal) | 0.5% | - | [FB.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Fractal.md) |
| [BitcoinII Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinII) | BTCII | 30 | [sneakattack.se](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinII) | 0% | - | [BTCII.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinII.md) |
| [Peercoin Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Peercoin) | PPC | 14 | [grandpool.io](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Peercoin) | 0.01% | - | [PPC.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Peercoin.md) |
| [eCash Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/eCash) | XEC | 29 | [fenixpool.com](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/eCash) | 0% | - | [XEC.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/eCash.md) |
| [BitcoinCash Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinCash) | BCH | 69 | [harshy.site](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinCash) | 0% | - | [BCH.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/BitcoinCash.md) |
| [Bitcoin Solo Pools](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Bitcoin) | BTC | 84 | [web.public-pool.io](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Bitcoin) | 0% | - | [BTC.md](https://backpow.com/solo-pools/Bitcoin.md) |

## Frequently Asked Questions about SHA-256 Mining

### What is the easiest SHA-256 coin to solo mine right now?

Quai-SHA (QUAI) — a block roughly every 4.9 years per GH/s of solo hashrate. This ranks SHA-256 coins by how much solo hashrate it takes to find one block, recalculated from live network difficulty on every build update.

### How long would a Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd take to solo mine a Quai-SHA block?

About one block every 4 min on average at 600.30 TH/s, using Quai-SHA's live network hashrate. Real results follow a Poisson distribution around this mean.

### Can I merge-mine (AuxPoW) SHA-256 coins?

SHA-256 is the canonical home of merged mining (AuxPoW), with Bitcoin as the parent chain. Among the coins tracked here, Fractal Bitcoin (FB) merge-mines roughly a third of its blocks against Bitcoin, and outside this list chains like Namecoin, Elastos, Syscoin and Rootstock all secure themselves with Bitcoin's hashpower. A single SHA-256 ASIC pointed at a merged-mining pool does the work once but is eligible for the parent block reward plus every child chain it merge-mines, at no extra hashrate or power cost. For a solo miner this stacks your block chances: the same terahashes can find a Bitcoin block and a merged-chain block in the same instant, so weigh a coin's standalone odds against what it lets you win for free on top.

### Can I solo mine SHA-256 coins?

Yes. BackPow computes the Poisson-based solo block-hit probability for every SHA-256 coin from live network difficulty and hashrate, giving miners realistic odds rather than averages.


## Machine-Readable Interfaces & Autonomous Agent Access

Autonomous agents, LLM scrapers, and programmatic mining allocators can query BackPow via standardized interfaces:

### 1. Model Context Protocol (MCP)
BackPow operates a live Model Context Protocol server at `https://mcp.backpow.com/mcp` with zero authentication or API keys required:
- `list_pow_coins`: Filter active networks by algorithm (`algorithm="SHA-256"`).
- `get_hardware_benchmarks`: Inspect hashrates, power draw, and net USD profitability across SHA-256 devices.
- `calculate_solo_mining_odds`: Compute Poisson block arrival probabilities for custom hashrates on any coin.
- `get_cost_of_production`: Query electricity cost floors across all algorithms at arbitrary electricity rates.

### 2. Direct Telemetry & REST API
- Algorithm Canonical URL: `https://backpow.com/algos/sha-256`
- Per-Coin Telemetry Endpoints: `https://backpow.com/coins-data/{CoinId}.json`
- Mining Hardware Index: `https://backpow.com/hardwareIndex.json`
- OpenAPI Schema: `https://mcp.backpow.com/openapi.json`

### 3. Machine-Readable Ecosystem Datasheets
- Master AI Index: `https://backpow.com/llms.txt`
- Algorithms Directory: `https://backpow.com/algos.md`
- Proof of Work Coins Directory: `https://backpow.com/coins.md`
- Mining Hardware Directory: `https://backpow.com/hardware.md`
- Solo Mining Pools Directory: `https://backpow.com/solo-pools.md`
- Protocol & Poisson Methodology: `https://backpow.com/methodology.md`
- Public REST API Documentation: `https://backpow.com/api.md`
- MCP Architecture Guide: `https://backpow.com/mcp.md`

## Provenance & Attribution

- **Canonical URL**: `https://backpow.com/algos/sha-256`
- **Repository**: https://github.com/BackpowCom/backpow-mcp-server
- **Data License**: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- **Suggested Citation**: `BackPow — SHA-256 Proof of Work Mining Algorithm Datasheet, https://backpow.com/algos/sha-256.md`
- **Disclaimer**: BackPow is an independent data oracle. Difficulty, network hashrates, and market prices update continuously; data snapshots represent build-time state.