# Aleo mainnet goes live: a programmable blockchain with private state, after four testnets

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/aleo-mainnet-goes-live-a-programmable-blockchain-with-private-state-4bfd1ba6
Date: 18 Sep 2024
About: [Aleo](https://technooptimist.io/companies/aleo.md) · [Aleo network](https://technooptimist.io/crypto/aleo-mainnet.md)
Original source: https://aleo.org/post/announcing-aleo-mainnet/

Aleo launched its layer-1 network combining zero-knowledge proofs with public and private state. Apps written in its Leo language can keep chosen data hidden; consensus runs on AleoBFT, and provers earn rewards for zero-knowledge work.

## Key facts

- 350 applications had been deployed; over 350 teams were building.
- Over 100,000 GPUs were solving proof-of-succinct-work puzzles.
- Uses Varuna, a batching proof system derived from Marlin; a16z crypto research helped design AleoBFT.

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