To mine a cryptocurrency, you need mining software.

Mining software is the program that:
communicates with the mining pool
uses your hardware to calculate hashes based on the coin’s algorithm
sends shares to the pool as proof of the work done

To see the mining software for a specific coin, check the Mining Softwares section.

Compatibility (very important)
Each mining software supports specific devices (ASIC, GPU, CPU) and specific algorithms. That’s why you must always check compatibility between:
coin → algorithm → hardware → software
If even one of these doesn’t match, mining won’t work or will be inefficient.

Dev fee (developer fee)
Most mining software includes a dev fee, which is a small commission for the developer.
In practice, a small percentage of your hashrate is temporarily used to mine for the developer instead of you. This happens automatically and usually in short intervals.

Average dev fee: around 1% but can vary depending on the software.

This means that if you mine for 100 minutes, about 1 minute of work goes to the developer.