snarkOS v3.4.x Announcement

Key Improvements in v3.4.x

1. Faster Prover Performance
   1. Optimization of the snarkVM library has achieved exponential improvements in proof time.
   2. Previously, importing multiple deployed programs required a complete circuit synthesis, which could take hours, but now it only takes a few seconds.
   3. After the update, AleoVM can skip the full synthesis of deployed contracts and use "dummy outputs" to maintain consistency, significantly improving efficiency.
2. More Efficient Validator Performance
   1. Significant improvement in block production speed due to optimization of fee verification caching.
   2. Faster Merkle root calculation and more efficient verification execution.
   3. These optimizations lay the foundation for the future expansion of the Aleo validator network.
3. API Enhancements
   1. New API GET /{network}/block/{height}/header to only retrieve block headers, without the need to fetch the entire block data.
   2. This significantly reduces bandwidth consumption and improves data query efficiency.
4. Other Optimizations
   1. Improved documentation of the synchronization logic for validators and clients, laying the foundation for future optimizations.
   2. This update did not involve Leo (the Aleo programming language), but important upgrades are expected in the future.

Complete changelog:

• https://github.com/ProvableHQ/snarkVM/compare/v1.3.0...3ced248
• https://github.com/ProvableHQ/snarkOS/compare/v3.3.2...ac316221d

v3.4.x Contributors

This update was made possible by the contributions of several developers, including **@acoglio, @d0cd, @elderhammer, @giddie, @ljedrz, @joske, @kpandl, @meetrick, @niklaslong, @raphexion, @raychu86, @ungaro, @vicsn, @zosorock**. Full announcement: https://provable.com/blog/announcing-snarkOS-v3.4.x

Impact and Development of Aleo Ecosystem with snarkOS v3.4.x

The upgrade to snarkOS v3.4.x not only represents a technical optimization, but it may also profoundly impact the development of the Aleo ecosystem, driving Aleo towards a more mature privacy computing network from the perspectives of developers, miners, users, DeFi, and dApp ecosystem.

1. Impact on the Developer Ecosystem: Faster zk-SNARKs Computation, Lowering the Development Threshold

• Performance optimization speeds up smart contract deployment → In the past, developers deploying contracts with multiple imports could face contract synthesis taking hours, but now this process has been optimized to seconds, significantly improving the development experience.
• Improved API queries enhance dApp interaction efficiency → snarkOS 3.4.x introduces the GET /{network}/block/{height}/header API, allowing developers to directly query block header information, reducing bandwidth consumption and accelerating dApp interactions.
• Leo language has not been updated yet, but more improvements are expected in the future → As Aleo's smart contract language, Leo may further improve the convenience of writing zk-SNARKs code in the future, combined with the performance optimizations of snarkVM.

📌 Potential Impact: ✅ More developers are willing to build Aleo dApps, especially privacy-related applications (such as DID, on-chain identity verification, private DeFi). ✅ Reduced contract deployment costs, allowing more small and medium-sized projects to enter the ecosystem, leading to faster ecosystem expansion.

2. Impact on Miners (PoW & PoS Ecosystem): Potentially More Stable Mining Rewards

• Faster transaction verification, improving the stability of mining pool revenue → Due to the improved efficiency of PoS validators in block packing, the transaction confirmation speed for PoW miners has increased, reducing orphan block losses caused by network latency.
• Improved zk-SNARKs computation efficiency may lower the hardware threshold → Previously, the heavy zk computation burden of some contracts, but now after optimization, PoW mining tasks may become more efficient, allowing more miners to participate.
• Increased possibility of combining mining and staking → In the future, Aleo may encourage miners to use their mining rewards to participate in staking (PoS), forming a "mining → staking → ecosystem participation" closed loop, improving the long-term rewards for miners.

📌 Potential Impact: ✅ Aleo mining pools (such as Oula Mining Pool) can operate more stably, with reduced fluctuations in miner rewards. ✅ Miners may be more willing to hold Aleo assets long-term, and some may even transition to the PoS validator role, enhancing network security.

3. Impact on User Experience: Faster Private Transactions, Potential DeFi Ecosystem Takeoff

• Improved zk computation efficiency, enhancing Aleo's private transaction experience → This further unleashes Aleo's potential as a "private version of DeFi platform", with user experience approaching mainstream chains (such as Ethereum, Solana).
• Lowering the threshold for privacy applications (such as SocialFi, DID) → Due to the acceleration of zk-SNARKs computation, applications like private chat, on-chain identity authentication, and other SocialFi applications can run more smoothly.
• Enhancing Aleo's competitiveness as a "Web3 privacy computing layer" → snarkOS 3.4.x gives Aleo a stronger performance advantage, widening the gap with competitors like Aztec and Iron Fish.

📌 Potential Impact: ✅ Private DeFi projects (such as Aleo-based DEX, private payment tools) may gradually be deployed. ✅ Users will find it easier to use Aleo dApps, leading to increased ecosystem activity.

4. Impact on Aleo's Future Development: A More Complete Ecosystem, Potentially Attracting More Web3 Projects

• Faster zk computation → Attracting more developers to migrate to Aleo.

In the past, the high threshold for zk-SNARKs applications led many Web3 developers to choose more mature zk solutions like Polygon zkEVM, ZKSync. Now, Aleo provides a more user-friendly zk computing environment, which may attract DeFi, gaming, privacy social, and other projects to migrate from other chains.

• More optimized PoW + PoS mechanism → Potentially attracting more capital inflow to Aleo

Currently, Aleo is still in the early stage with relatively low liquidity. With the optimization of the PoS staking mechanism, more institutions and large holders may be willing to hold Aleo tokens long-term, driving ecosystem growth.

📌 Potential Impact: ✅ Aleo's dApp ecosystem may experience large-scale growth, becoming one of the core platforms for zk computing. ✅ The interests of Aleo miners, developers, and users may become more aligned, forming a more stable ecosystem cycle. ✅ More Web3 projects may choose to build privacy computing applications on Aleo, expanding its influence.

Summary: SnarkOS v3.4.x accelerates the Aleo ecosystem

This upgrade not only optimized the performance of Aleo, but more importantly, it lowered the threshold for zk-SNARKs calculations, allowing miners, developers, and users to participate in ecosystem building more smoothly. SnarkOS v3.4.x is an important milestone in the maturity of the Aleo ecosystem, and this update may be a key turning point in the rise of Aleo!

Disclaimer: The above article content does not constitute any investment advice, investment requires caution, and independent thinking is important! If there are any similarities, it is purely coincidental!

For more details; Email: contacts@oula.networkDiscord: https://discord.gg/tPz6CXKM2WTwitter: https://x.com/oula_networkTelegram community: https://t.me/oulacommunityMedium: https://medium.com/@oula_networkWebsite: https://oula.network/zh/news#Blockchain #Web3 #Innovation