The Chia network continues to evolve with the highly anticipated rollout of its official farming pool protocol. In a recent video session titled "Chia Pools for Pool Operators," Chia founder Bram Cohen and core team members unveiled critical insights into the design, security model, and technical architecture behind the new protocol. This update marks a major step forward in making Chia farming more accessible, secure, and decentralized.
Unlike traditional Proof-of-Work (PoW) blockchains where mining pools control block creation, Chia’s unique Proof-of-Space mechanism demands a fundamentally different approach. The new farming pool protocol is engineered to preserve decentralization while enabling fair reward distribution — all without compromising user security or autonomy.
Core Design Principles of the Chia Farming Pool Protocol
At the heart of the Chia farming pool system are several foundational principles that ensure both farmer and pool operator safety, promote network health, and prevent centralization risks.
Farmers Never Need to Trust the Pool
One of the most significant innovations is that farmers do not need to trust their chosen farming pool. This is achieved by eliminating the need for farmers to share private keys with any third party. All signing operations remain local on the farmer's machine.
In PoW systems, miners contribute hash power but don’t handle transaction signing — so trust isn’t as critical. However, in Chia’s Proof-of-Space model, farmers generate proofs that involve cryptographic signatures tied to their keys. Without safeguards, this could allow malicious actors to engage in dual farming — submitting proofs to multiple pools simultaneously.
To prevent this, Chia uses smart contracts and cryptographic binding to ensure each plot is committed to a single pool at any given time — without locking farmers in permanently.
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Separation of Block Creation and Reward Distribution
A key architectural decision is the complete separation between block creation and reward distribution:
- Farmers create blocks using their plots and full nodes.
- Farming pools only manage reward allocation, collecting rewards and distributing them proportionally based on contribution.
This means pools cannot manipulate block content or censor transactions — a major improvement over traditional mining pools where operators have full control over what gets included in a block.
Additionally, transaction fees go directly to the farmer who wins the block, not the pool. This incentivizes honest behavior and strengthens decentralization by rewarding individual participants directly.
1.75 / 0.25 Reward Split: A Defense Against Pool Attacks
Chia implements a fixed 1.75 / 0.25 reward split:
- 1.75 XCH goes to the pool for proportional distribution among contributing farmers.
- 0.25 XCH is paid directly to the winning farmer.
This split is hardcoded into the consensus layer and cannot be changed — even by future upgrades. It serves two vital purposes:
- Prevents large pools from launching selfish attacks against smaller ones.
- Ensures individual farmers are rewarded for actual block wins, reducing dependency on pool payouts.
As block rewards halve over time, the amounts will decrease proportionally, but the ratio remains fixed to maintain long-term network stability.
What Is a Singleton? The Backbone of Chia Pooling
The concept of a Singleton is central to how Chia manages farming pool membership and identity on-chain.
Understanding Singleton Mechanics
A Singleton is a unique, non-fungible object on the Chia blockchain — similar in concept to an NFT. Each one has a globally unique ID and can only exist once at any time.
Here’s how it works:
- A user creates a Singleton using a genesis coin (any standard XCH coin).
The Singleton contains metadata such as:
- Pool URL
- Public key
- Current difficulty
- Target payout address
- This data is stored immutably on-chain.
Crucially, a Singleton cannot be modified. To update information (e.g., switching pools), the existing Singleton must be spent to create a new one with the same ID but updated details. This process ensures transparency and auditability while allowing flexibility.
Each plot is cryptographically linked to a Singleton, which in turn points to a specific farming pool. This binding prevents multi-pool cheating while still allowing farmers to switch pools freely — without replotting.
Seamless Pool Switching & Backup Flexibility
Farmers enjoy unprecedented freedom in managing their participation:
Change Pools Anytime — No Replotting Required
Switching pools takes just a few clicks:
- Initiate a change via your wallet interface.
- Create a new Singleton pointing to the new pool.
- After a cooldown period (to prevent abuse), your plots begin contributing to the new pool.
No need to regenerate terabytes of plot files — a game-changer for usability and decentralization.
Automatic Node Sync Across Devices
If you run multiple machines with the same 24-word mnemonic (seed), connecting one device to a pool automatically configures all others. There’s no manual setup required — ideal for users managing distributed storage setups.
This feature enables robust backup systems and simplifies large-scale farming operations.
How Points Work: Measuring Farmer Contribution
Instead of tracking raw hash rate like PoW chains, Chia uses a point-based system to measure contribution fairly:
- Each proof submitted earns points based on its difficulty.
- Higher difficulty = more valuable proof = more points.
- Example: A farmer with 1000 difficulty earns 100x more points than one with 10 difficulty.
Pools track these points in their internal databases and use them to calculate payout shares. Farmers can monitor their point balance in real-time through their client interface.
👉 Learn how modern blockchain networks reward contributors fairly and transparently.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I use one plot with two different farming pools?
No. Each plot is bound to a single Singleton, which can only point to one farming pool at a time. Attempting to farm for multiple pools simultaneously would constitute cheating and is prevented by cryptographic constraints.
Can a farming pool ban me?
Yes, indirectly. While pools cannot stop you from directing your Singleton toward them, they can refuse to pay out rewards — effectively banning you from receiving distributions. Always choose reputable pools with transparent policies.
Can a farming pool run away with my rewards?
Theoretically, yes — during the payout window (typically up to three days), a malicious pool could collect all rewards and disappear without paying farmers. That’s why reputation matters. Fortunately, you can always switch pools immediately if you suspect foul play.
How do I create and use a Singleton?
Use the official Chia GUI wallet:
- Go to the "Pool" tab.
- Select "Join a Pool" and enter the pool URL or address.
- The wallet automatically creates a Singleton linked to your plots.
New users without XCH can get starter funds (mojos) from the official Chia faucet at faucet.chia.net.
Does setting proof limits also cap farm size?
No. Proof limits and total storage capacity are independent. For example, a farmer with 100 PiB of space can adjust difficulty settings so that their daily proof count matches someone with just 1 TiB — giving them full control over resource usage and network load.
Is the 1.75 / 0.25 reward split permanent?
Yes. This ratio is embedded in consensus rules and cannot be altered, even via soft fork. It exists to protect network health by preventing dominant pools from attacking competitors. Transaction fees going directly to farmers further reinforce this defense.
Final Thoughts: Building a Decentralized Future
Chia’s farming pool protocol represents a bold leap toward truly decentralized participation. By decoupling block creation from reward management, leveraging cryptographic Singletons, and empowering farmers with full control, Chia sets a new standard for fairness and security in blockchain farming.
Anyone can run a pool — though it requires technical expertise and compliance with KYC/AML standards. There will be no official Chia-operated pool, reinforcing the team’s commitment to decentralization.
While no exact launch date has been announced, the team confirmed that once the testnet version runs smoothly for three consecutive days without major bugs, the mainnet rollout will follow immediately.
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