Welcome to AO

AO is a decentralized compute system where countless parallel processes interact within a single, cohesive environment. Built on the AO-Core protocol, it uses the actor model inspired by Erlang - each process operates independently yet connects through native message-passing, creating a web of autonomous computation.

HyperBEAM is the current production network that provides high-performance message processing and instant HTTP access to your process state.

Start Building in Minutes

Get hands-on immediately with AO development using modern HyperBEAM patterns.

Prerequisites

• NodeJS version 20+
• A code editor of your choice

Step 1: Install AOS

npm i -g https://get_ao.arweave.net

Step 2: Start AOS with HyperBEAM

Connect directly to a HyperBEAM node for the best experience:

aos --node https://forward.computer

For development, you can also use the default:

aos

You authenticate using a keyfile. If you have an Arweave wallet, specify it with --wallet [location]. Otherwise, a new keyfile is generated at ~/.aos.json.

Step 3: Your First Process

After connecting, you'll see the AOS welcome screen and your personal process prompt:

default@aos-2.0.10[Inbox:1]>

This is your personal server in the AO computer! Try your first command:

default@aos-2.0.10[Inbox:1]>

You just sent a message that was permanently stored on Arweave and processed by a distributed compute network. Your process is a decentralized server that's resilient, permanent, permissionless, and trustless.

Step 4: Try Exposing State via HTTP

Unlike older systems, modern AO development uses HyperBEAM to expose process state via HTTP. Try this simple example:

-- Create a simple counter
Counter = Counter or 0

Handlers.add(
  "Increment",
  Handlers.utils.hasMatchingTag("Action", "Increment"),
  function(msg)
    Counter = Counter + 1
    -- Expose the counter value via HTTP
    Send({
      device = 'patch@1.0',
      counter = Counter
    })
  end
)

Step 5: Test Your Process

Send a message to increment the counter:

Send({ Target = ao.id, Tags = { Action = "Increment" } })

Step 6: Read State via HTTP

Your counter value is now instantly available at:

  https://forward.computer/<process-id>~process@1.0/compute/counter

This is the power of HyperBEAM - instant HTTP access to your process state!

Step 7: Load a Blueprint

Start with a community blueprint to learn more patterns:

.load-blueprint chat

What's Next?

Continue to Building with HyperBEAM to learn advanced patterns, or explore Concepts & Migration for deeper understanding.

Need Help?

• Join the Discord community
• Browse the Tutorials for hands-on projects
• Check the Guides for step-by-step patterns