Install Umbrel on Windows to mine solo at home

Running your own Bitcoin node A computer that keeps a full copy of Bitcoin and checks every block itself. Run your own node is not just one more piece of software. The node is Bitcoin Core: it checks every block and every transaction itself, trusting nobody. You can connect your wallet to it to keep your lookups private, and you rely less on third-party services.

I use Umbrel because it is the easiest way to start: a clear interface, and an app store from which you install Bitcoin Node and then Public Pool A server that machines connect to. A regular pool shares the earnings, a solo pool does not. Solo or pool?, without building anything by hand.

• A Windows PC with Docker Desktop. Docker Desktop relies on WSL2 to run Linux containers.
• Disk space: the full blockchain weighs several hundred gigabytes, plan for an SSD of at least 1 TB.
• Patience: the node’s first sync takes several hours, even several days, depending on the machine, the disk and the connection. That is normal.

Most important: follow the steps in order.

Open a Windows terminal and type:

wsl -l -v

Look at the VERSION column next to Ubuntu: if it says 2, you are good. If Ubuntu is on version 1, convert it with wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2. If there is no Ubuntu at all, install it with wsl --install -d Ubuntu.

1. Open Docker Desktop, then Settings.
2. In General, check that Use the WSL 2 based engine is ticked.
3. In Resources, then WSL integration, enable integration with Ubuntu.
4. Click Apply & restart.

Simplifying a lot: Windows hosts Docker, Docker relies on WSL2, and WSL2 provides the Linux environment Umbrel needs.

Umbrel is not the node itself: it is the dashboard that installs and manages apps. In the Ubuntu terminal, create a dedicated folder and open a configuration file:

mkdir -p ~/umbrel && cd ~/umbrel
nano compose.yaml

Paste this configuration, from the Umbrel image for Docker (dockur/umbrel):

services:
  umbrel:
    image: dockurr/umbrel
    container_name: umbrel
    pid: host
    privileged: true
    ports:
      - 80:80
      - 443:443
      - 2000:2000
    volumes:
      - ./umbrel:/data
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    restart: always
    stop_grace_period: 1m

What it says, plainly: use a ready-made Umbrel image, open port 80 to reach the interface from the browser, keep the data in the umbrel folder so it survives a restart, and let Umbrel drive Docker to manage its apps.

Save (Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X) and start it:

docker compose up -d

The command downloads what it needs, creates the container and starts it in the background. Then open http://localhost in your browser and create the admin account.

In Umbrel, open the App Store, search for Bitcoin Node and click Install. This app runs Bitcoin Core: it downloads the blockchain, checks blocks and transactions, and runs your node at home.

The first sync is very long. It is not an error: the machine is checking Bitcoin’s whole history since 2009.

Without waiting for the sync to finish, go back to the App Store, search for Public Pool and install it. Good news: the app is configured automatically to work with your node. No manual pool install, you stay in Umbrel from start to finish.

Open the app: it gives you the connection details for your miner. Bitcoin Node validates the network, Public Pool receives your miners, and Umbrel ties it all together. The pool can only hand out work once the node is synced.

Bitaxe, NerdQAxe or any compatible machine, the idea is the same. In the Public Pool app, note the pool address and the Stratum The language machines and pools speak. port, then fill in these fields in your miner’s interface:

Save: the miner connects to your own pool. In Public Pool you follow the total hashrate Computing power: the number of attempts per second of a machine or of the whole network. The higher it is, the more tickets you play in each draw., each miner, your best shares An attempt good enough to be counted by the pool. It proves your machine is working, even if it is not enough to find a block. and the rewards sent to your address. If the miner does not connect, check that Windows Firewall lets the Stratum port through.

1. Prepare Windows for Docker with WSL2.
2. Start Umbrel.
3. Install Bitcoin Node.
4. Install Public Pool.
5. Connect the miner with the pool address and your Bitcoin address.

The hard part is not typing the commands, it is staying patient during the sync. After that you have your own node and your own entry point to mine solo at home, depending on nobody. A question? Discord is there. And if you would rather install nothing, my FindMyBlock pool takes three fields.