Equilibrium / Selected work / SnarkOS & SnarkVM

SnarkOS & SnarkVM

P2P networking, zkVM optimization, and Narwhal-Bullshark consensus for Aleo, a privacy L1.

In production
AleoHQ/snarkOS AleoHQ/snarkVM
Client Aleo
Ecosystems Aleo
Stack Rust
Delivered by Equilibrium Labs (now Equilibrium)

Overview

Aleo is a layer-1 blockchain that combines privacy with programmability. Equilibrium has collaborated closely with the Aleo core engineering team to build SnarkOS (P2P networking and node software), SnarkVM (the zkVM), and the Narwhal-Bullshark proof-of-stake consensus.

SnarkOS is the full node software for Aleo, handling P2P networking and communication between nodes, verifying transactions, and achieving consensus. SnarkVM is the virtual machine for zero-knowledge proofs, including the core cryptography of the protocol. Narwhal-Bullshark is a DAG (directed acyclic graph) based mechanism that separates the mempool (Narwhal) from consensus (Bullshark).