Welcome to ao
AO is a decentralized compute system where countless parallel processes interact within a single, cohesive environment. Each process operates independently, yet they are seamlessly connected through a native message-passing layer, similar to how websites form the World Wide Web.
AO + AOS: The rocket and your rocket fuel.
Typically when you use AO, you will interact with it through its operating system: AOS.
AOS is an abstraction layer that runs in your processes, making it easy to use the full functionality of the AO computer. In this cookbook, you will learn everything you need to know about getting started with the AO computer using AOS.
Mainnet and Legacynet
AO Mainnet launched on February 8, 2025, introducing AO Core and enabling onchain computation with payments and relays.
AO Legacynet launched on February 27, 2024, providing a fee-free environment for early adopters to experiment with AO’s hyper-parallel architecture.
Mainnet Documentation
Phase 1 of Mainnet AO Core is now live in relay mode through HyperBEAM nodes, which serve as payment gateways to AO. See the guide below to get started.
Legacynet Documentation
These tutorials explore AO Legacynet, covering everything from building chatrooms to developing autonomous, decentralized bots. It’s a great starting point for experimenting with AO’s hyper-parallel architecture.