Stratum

Definition

Stratum is a family of communication protocols used to coordinate cryptocurrency mining equipment with pools and related infrastructure. It carries information about mining jobs and submitted work so that devices know what to hash and operators can evaluate their contributions. Stratum is not Bitcoin's consensus mechanism and does not change what full nodes consider a valid block. Stratum V2 includes distinct components for mining communication, job declaration, and template distribution, allowing different roles to be separated. Its design also supports stronger transport security and arrangements that can give miners more influence over transaction selection. Whether those capabilities are available depends on the actual equipment, software, pool support, and configuration. A connection labeled Stratum therefore does not establish a particular payout method or level of decentralization. The protocol handles coordination, while the pool agreement and underlying blockchain rules govern different parts of the mining process.