Can you mine Dogecoin?

Yes, you can mine Dogecoin. It is a proof-of-work network, so miners compete to add blocks and each block pays 10,000 new DOGE. In practice, Dogecoin mining is now an industrial business. The project's own guide says specialized Scrypt machines are the only profitable hardware, and most of the network's power comes from miners working on Litecoin at the same time. For the coin itself, see what is Dogecoin.

Can you mine Dogecoin with a GPU?

You can, but the returns are tiny. Dogecoin uses Scrypt, a different algorithm from bitcoin's, so mining hardware has to be built or configured for it. Trezor notes that ASIC miners designed for Scrypt now exist. Dogecoin.com says GPUs can still contribute hashrate but earn close to no profit against high energy bills.

The project guide also points out that some GPU owners mine a different coin and swap the proceeds for DOGE. That gets them Dogecoin but does nothing to secure its network. ASICs, by contrast, are expensive, loud and hot, and the guide says they need a ventilated space such as a garage. More on the machines is in what is an ASIC miner.

Can you mine Dogecoin on a laptop?

A laptop can run Scrypt mining software, but it would be competing with ASICs and its share of the network would be extremely small. Dogecoin.com says solo mining became far less likely to find a block as total hashrate grew. Pools let members combine power and split rewards, usually for a fee of around 1%. The same logic for bitcoin is laid out in can you mine bitcoin on a laptop.

Can you mine Dogecoin on your phone?

Not through a legitimate app store app running on the phone itself. Google Play's policy says it does not allow apps that mine cryptocurrency on devices, though it allows apps that manage mining remotely. Apple's guidelines say apps may not mine unless the processing happens off the device, such as cloud mining. Apps that advertise Dogecoin mining therefore have to be doing something else, such as remote management or cloud mining, and some cloud mining offers have been scams, as explained in do crypto mining apps work.

How does Dogecoin merged mining work?

Merged mining lets one piece of work count on two chains that use the same algorithm. Litecoin.com says that in 2014 Dogecoin's falling hashrate raised fears of a 51% attack, and Litecoin creator Charlie Lee suggested letting Dogecoin accept Scrypt proofs from other coins. Dogecoin hard-forked that year to allow it.

Since then, Litecoin miners can earn DOGE alongside LTC without extra hardware. Litecoin.com says Dogecoin's hashrate rose sharply once pools adopted it. For a home miner, this means competing against large pools mining both coins at once. Whether any setup covers its costs depends on electricity prices, hardware and coin prices, all of which change constantly.