Gupax is a (Windows|macOS|Linux) GUI for mining [**Monero**](https://github.com/monero-project/monero) on [**P2Pool**](https://github.com/SChernykh/p2pool), using [**XMRig**](https://github.com/xmrig/xmrig).
The [Monero GUI](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui) software lets you run a Monero node (among other things). A Monero node connects you to other peers and lets you download Monero's [blockchain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain).
P2Pool as a concept was [first developed for Bitcoin](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/P2Pool) but was [never fully realized](https://github.com/p2pool/p2pool) due to many limitations. These limitations were fixed when SChernykh rewrote P2Pool from scratch for Monero. P2Pool combines the best of solo mining and traditional pool mining:
* ***It's decentralized:*** There's no central server that can be shutdown or pool admin that controls your hashrate
* ***It's permissionless:*** It's peer-to-peer so there's no one to decide who can and cannot mine on the pool
* ***It's trustless:*** Funds are never in custody, all pool blocks pay out to miners directly and immediately
Both Monero and P2Pool have built in miners but XMRig is quite faster than both of them. Due to issues like [anti-virus flagging](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/3829#issuecomment-1018191461), it is not feasible to integrate XMRig directly into Monero or P2Pool, however, XMRig is still freely available for anyone to download with the caveat being: you have to set it up yourself.
By default, though, Gupax will use a [Community Monero Node](#community-monero-nodes) so you don't even have to run your own full Monero node to start mining on P2Pool:
1. [Download the bundled version of Gupax for your OS here](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/releases) or from [gupax.io](https://gupax.io/downloads)
2. Extract somewhere (Desktop, Documents, etc)
3. Launch Gupax
4. Input your Monero address in the `[P2Pool]` tab
5. Select a [`Community Monero Node`](#community-monero-nodes) that you trust
5. Start P2Pool
6. Start XMRig
You are now mining to your own instance of P2Pool, welcome to the world of decentralized peer-to-peer mining!
_Notes:_
- _[What is bundled? What is standalone?](#bundled-vs-standalone)_
- _If you'd like to get deeper into the settings, see [Advanced.](#advanced)_
In this tab, there is the updater and general Gupax settings.
If `Check for updates` is pressed, Gupax will compare your current `Gupax/P2Pool/XMRig` versions against the latest releases using the [GitHub API](#where-are-updates-downloaded-from) and update them automatically if needed.
Below that, there are some general Gupax settings:
| Setting | Function |
|--------------------|-----------|
| `Update via Tor` | Causes updates to be fetched via the Tor network. Tor is embedded within Gupax; a Tor system proxy is not required
| `Auto-Update` | Gupax will automatically check for updates at startup
| `Auto-P2Pool` | Gupax will automatically start P2Pool at startup
| `Auto-XMRig` | Gupax will automatically start XMRig at startup
| `Ask before quit` | Gupax will ask before quitting (and notify if there are any updates/processes still alive)
| `Save before quit` | Gupax will automatically saved any un-saved setting on quit
P2Pool Simple allows you to ping & connect to a [Community Monero Node](#community-monero-nodes) and start your own local P2Pool instance on the `Mini` sidechain.
To start P2Pool, first input the Monero address you'd like to receive payouts from. You must use a primary Monero address to mine on P2Pool (starts with a 4). It is highly recommended to create a new wallet since addresses are public on P2Pool!
**Be aware: [There are negative privacy implications when using Monero node not in your control.](https://www.getmonero.org/resources/moneropedia/remote-node.html)** Select a community node that you trust. If you'd like to manually specify a node to connect to, see [Advanced.](#advanced)
XMRig Simple has a log output box, a thread slider, and `Pause-on-active` setting.
If XMRig is started with `Pause-on-active` with a value greater than 0, XMRig will automatically pause for that many seconds if it detects any user activity (mouse movements, keyboard clicks). [This setting is only available on Windows/macOS.](https://xmrig.com/docs/miner/config/misc#pause-on-active)
Gupax will prompt for your `sudo` password to start XMRig with and do all the things above.
XMRig Simple will always mine to your own local P2Pool (`localhost:3333`), if you'd like to manually specify a pool to mine to, see [Advanced](#advanced).
It is recommended to verify the hash and PGP signature of the download before using Gupax.
Download the [`SHA256SUM`](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/releases/latest) file, download and import my [`PGP key`](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/blob/main/pgp/hinto-janaiyo.asc), and verify:
```bash
sha256sum -c SHA256SUM
gpg --import hinto-janaiyo.asc
gpg --verify SHA256SUM
```
Q: How can I be sure the P2Pool/XMRig bundled with Gupax hasn't been tampered with?
A: Verify the hash.
You can always compare the hash of the `P2Pool/XMRig` bundled with Gupax with the official hashes found here:
Make sure the _version_ you are comparing against is correct. If they match, you can be sure they are the exact same. Verifying the PGP signature is also recommended:
--no-startup Disable all auto-startup settings for this instance
--reset-state Reset all Gupax state (your settings)
--reset-nodes Reset the manual node list in the [P2Pool] tab
--reset-pools Reset the manual pool list in the [XMRig] tab
--reset-all Reset the state, the manual node list, and the manual pool list
--ferris Print an extremely cute crab
```
By default, Gupax has `auto-update`&`auto-ping` enabled. This can only be turned off in the GUI which causes a chicken-and-egg problem. To get around this, start Gupax with `--no-startup`. This will disable all `auto` features for that instance.
The default resolution of Gupax is `1280x960` which is a `4:3` aspect ratio.
This can be changed by dragging the corner of the window itself or by using the resolution sliders in the `Gupax Advanced` tab. After a resolution change, Gupax will fade-in/out of black and will take a second to resize all the UI elements to scale correctly to the new resolution.
If you have changed your OS's pixel scaling, you may need to resize Gupax to see all UI correctly.
The minimum window size is: `640x480`
The maximum window size is: `2560x1920`
Fullscreen mode can also be entered by pressing `F11`.
By default, Gupax updates via Tor. In particular, it uses [`Arti`](https://gitlab.torproject.org/tpo/core/arti), the official Rust implementation of Tor.
Instead of bootstrapping onto the Tor network every time, Arti saves state/cache about the Tor network (circuits, guards, etc) for later reuse onto the disk:
Long-term state is saved onto the disk in the "OS data folder", using the [TOML](https://github.com/toml-lang/toml) format. If not found, default files will be created.
Given a slightly corrupted `state.toml` file, Gupax will attempt to merge it with a new default one. This will most likely happen if the internal data structure of `state.toml` is changed in the future (e.g removing an outdated setting). The node/pool database cannot be merged.
If Gupax can't read/write to disk at all, or if there are any other big issues, it will show an un-recoverable error screen.
Along with the updater and settings mentioned in [Simple](#simple), `Gupax Advanced` allows you to change:
- The PATH of where Gupax looks for P2Pool/XMRig
- Gupax's resolution
- The selected tab on startup
**Warning:** Gupax will use your custom PATH/binary and will replace them if you use `Check for updates` in the `[Gupax]` tab. There are sanity checks in place, however. Your PATH MUST end in a value that _appears_ correct or else the updater will refuse to start:
| Binary | Accepted values | Good PATH | Bad PATH |
| `P2Pool Main` | LESS frequent shares that are MORE valuable | Results in MORE outputs worth LESS | 20 shares, 100 outputs worth `0.006 XMR` | `0.6 XMR` |
| `P2Pool Mini` | MORE frequent shares that are LESS valuable | Results in LESS outputs worth MORE | 100 shares, 20 outputs worth `0.03 XMR` | `0.6 XMR` |
| `Solo mining` | No shares, only payouts | 1 output | 1 output worth the block reward: `0.6 XMR` | `0.6 XMR` |
In the end, it doesn't matter _too much_ which sidechain you pick, it will all average out. Getting LESS but more valuable outputs may be desired, however, since the transaction cost to combine all of them (`sweep_all`) will be cheaper due to being comprised of less outputs.
The overriding command arguments will completely override your Gupax settings and start XMRig with those arguments.
**Warned:** If using this setting, use `[--no-color]` and make sure to set `[--http-host <IP>]`&`[--http-port <PORT>]` so that the `[Status]` tab can work!
The manual pool list allows you save and connect up-to 1000 custom Pools (regardless if P2Pool or not):
| `HTTPS API IP` | The IP XMRig's HTTP API server will bind to | `localhost/127.0.0.1` | It must be a valid IPv4 address or a valid domain name | 255 characters |
| `HTTP API Port` | The port XMRig's HTTP API server will bind to | `18088` | `[1-65535]` | 5 characters |
The remaining buttons control miscellaneous settings (both are disabled by default, as P2Pool does not require them):
| DNS | DNS connections will usually be handled by your OS (or whatever custom DNS setup you have). If using Tor, DNS requests for updates [*should*](https://tpo.pages.torproject.net/core/doc/rust/arti/) be routed through the Tor network automatically | All of the above | All of the above |
These are the community nodes used by Gupax in the `[P2Pool Simple]` tab. If you would like to have a node added/removed, please submit an [Issue](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/issues) with the reasoning.
In general, a suitable node needs to:
- Be fast
- Have good uptime
- Have RPC enabled
- Have ZMQ enabled
- Have an owner known by the general Monero community
The `--release` profile in Gupax is set to prefer code performance & small binary sizes over compilation speed (see [`Cargo.toml`](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/blob/main/Cargo.toml)). Gupax itself (with all dependencies already built) takes around 1m30s to build (vs 10s on a normal `--release`) with a Ryzen 5950x.
You'll need the development versions of libraries like `OpenSSL`, `SQLite`, and maybe some other ones already installed on your system. Read the compiler errors to see which ones are missing from your system and search around to see which packages you'll need to install depending on your distro.
This will build Gupax with the MSVC toolchain (`x86_64-pc-windows-msvc`). This is the recommended method and is how the pre-compiled release binaries are built.
GitHub's API blocks request that do not have an HTTP `User-Agent` header. [For privacy, Gupax randomly uses a recent version of a `Wget/Curl` user-agent.](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/blob/2b80aa027728ddd193bac2e77caa5ddb4323f8fd/src/update.rs#L134)
---
### Can I quit mid-update?
If you started an update, you should let it finish. If the update has been stuck for a *long* time, it may be worth quitting Gupax. The worst that can happen is that your `Gupax/P2Pool/XMRig` binaries may be moved/deleted. Those can be easily redownloaded. Your actual `Gupax` user data (settings, custom nodes, pools, etc) is never touched.
Although Gupax uses a temporary folder (`gupax_update_[A-Za-z0-9]`) to store temporary downloaded files, there aren't measures in place to revert an upgrade once the file swapping has actually started. If you quit Gupax anytime before the `Upgrading packages` phase (after metadata, download, extraction), you will technically be safe but this is not recommended as it is risky, especially since these updates can be very fast.
Gupax itself uses around 100-300 megabytes of memory.
Gupax also holds up to [500,000 bytes](https://github.com/hinto-janaiyo/gupax/blob/2b80aa027728ddd193bac2e77caa5ddb4323f8fd/src/helper.rs#L63) of log data from `P2Pool/XMRig` to display in the GUI terminals. These logs are reset once over capacity which takes around 1-2 hours.
