# 8) Expected performance (realistic)

* Hash rates on Raspberry Pi 4/5 are **very low** compared to desktop CPUs. Random benchmarks and community reports show Pi yields are orders of magnitude smaller — treat it as demonstration/learning. If profit is your goal, a modern x86_64 CPU (e.g., Ryzen) is far better. ([Monero Stack Exchange][2])

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# 9) Optional: Docker / Kubernetes / multiple Pis

If you want to scale to multiple Pi nodes, consider Docker images (ARM64 builds) and an orchestration layer to manage config and monitoring. There are community Dockerfiles for ARM XMRig — search for xmrig arm64 docker. ([DEV Community][5])

---

# 10) Security & legal notes

* Mining is legal in most places, but check local electricity and tax rules.
* Don’t run third-party binary blobs from untrusted sources. Build from source or use reputable releases.
* Pools may require registration or have KYC for payouts — verify pool policies.

below is a **practical, ready-to-run guide** for *real* crypto mining on a Raspberry Pi (ARM64). I’ll focus on **Monero (XMR)** because it’s one of the few widely-used, CPU-friendly coins (RandomX). **Important**: Raspberry Pi can run a real miner and submit shares to a pool, but its hashpower and profitability are very low compared with desktop/server CPUs. I’ll give compile/run instructions, a sample xmrig config, a systemd service, and operational tips — plus explicit warnings about performance and power costs. Sources for the most important claims are cited as requested. ([wantclue.de][1])

# What we'll do

1. Install Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit and prerequisites.
2. Build XMRig from source (ARM64).
3. Configure XMRig to mine with a pool.
4. Run it as a systemd service.
5. Monitor and optional tuning.

# Requirements (hardware & notes)

* Raspberry Pi 4/5 with **64-bit OS** (Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit or other arm64 distro). Use a Pi 4/5 for best performance. ([wantclue.de][1])
* Good active cooling (heatsink, fan). RandomX uses CPU heavily.
* Reliable internet & power supply.
* Monero wallet address (or pool username/email). Use a proper wallet (GUI or CLI).
* (Optional) Multiple Pi units — mining scales linearly but still tiny.

# 1) Prepare the Pi (64-bit OS + packages)

Flash a **64-bit Raspberry Pi OS** image (Raspberry Pi Imager → Raspberry Pi OS (Other) → 64-bit). Then SSH or open terminal and run:

bash

# update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y



# install build deps

sudo apt install -y git build-essential cmake libuv1-dev libssl-dev libhwloc-dev

# libhwloc-dev helps XMRig schedule threads for CPU topology

(If you prefer prebuilt containers, there are Docker images for ARM64 too — but building from source gives compatibility.) ([wantclue.de][1])

# 2) Build XMRig from source (ARM64)

bash

# clone

git clone https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig.git

cd xmrig



# create build dir and cmake

mkdir build && cd build

cmake .. -DXMRIG_DEPS=ON



# build (use all CPU cores)

make -j$(nproc)

Notes:

* Some users reported needing minor tweaks or additional libs on ARM; if cmake fails, inspect error messages and install missing -dev packages. There are community threads describing fixes for Pi/ARM. ([GitHub][3])

If compilation succeeds you’ll have xmrig binary in build/.

# 3) Get a Monero wallet & choose a pool

* Create a Monero wallet (official GUI or CLI) and get your **wallet address**.
* Choose a mining pool (e.g., pool.minexmr.com, supportxmr.com, mineXMR) — each has a host:port and sometimes stratum options. Pools update over time; check the pool docs for the correct port and settings. ([exolix.com][4])

# 4) Sample xmrig config (quick start)

XMRig accepts CLI flags or a JSON config. Create config.json in the build folder (or use the --url --user flags). Example minimal config:

json

{

 "autosave": true,

 "cpu": {

 "enabled": true,

 "huge-pages": true,

 "hw-aes": false,

 "priority": null,

 "memory-pool": false,

 "max-threads-hint": 100

 },

 "pools": [

 {

 "url": "pool.minexmr.com:4444",

 "user": "YOUR_MONERO_WALLET_ADDRESS",

 "pass": "raspberrypi",

 "keepalive": true,

 "algo": null,

 "coin": null

 }

 ]

}

Replace YOUR_MONERO_WALLET_ADDRESS with your actual address. You can also add rig-id or worker name in pass or user depending on pool. Use pool docs to find recommended ports (TLS, non-TLS) and URLs. ([exolix.com][4])

Alternatively run directly:

bash

./xmrig -o pool.minexmr.com:4444 -u YOUR_ADDRESS -p pi-worker

# 5) Run and test

From build/:

bash

./xmrig

You’ll see console output: accepted shares, hash rate, threads used. Monitor CPU load with htop.

# 6) Create a systemd service (auto-start)

Create /etc/systemd/system/xmrig.service:

ini

[Unit]

Description=XMRig Monero miner

After=network.target



[Service]

ExecStart=/home/pi/xmrig/build/xmrig --config=/home/pi/xmrig/build/config.json

Nice=0

User=pi

Restart=on-failure

LimitNOFILE=4096



[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable + start:

bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

sudo systemctl enable xmrig

sudo systemctl start xmrig

sudo journalctl -u xmrig -f

# 7) Tuning & tips

* **Threads**: RandomX efficiency depends on cache per thread (L1/L2/L3). Raspberry Pi has small caches; using too many threads lowers per-thread efficiency. Start with 1–2 threads and measure. ([Monero Stack Exchange][2])
* **Huge pages**: XMRig uses huge pages for RandomX; ensure vm.nr_hugepages is set and hugepages available. If permission errors, run as root or enable hugepages.
* **Thermals**: Monitor temps (vcgencmd measure_temp); throttle will reduce hash. Use active cooling.
* **Power vs reward**: On a Pi, electricity cost may exceed any mined value. Monitor energy draw (USB power meter) and estimate ROI.
* **ARM optimizations**: Some ARM CPUs and OS kernels provide better performance; community builds or patches may improve performance (see threads). ([GitHub][3])