Deployment
Deployment is the process of publishing a compiled Aleo program to the blockchain. A deployment transaction stores the program's bytecode (Aleo instructions) and the verifying keys for each function on-chain. Once confirmed, the program is permanently available for anyone to call.
Deployment costs more than a standard execution transaction because it stores verifying keys that validators need for every future execution of that program. The fee scales with key size, which scales with program complexity. The process goes: write in Leo (or Aleo instructions), compile to produce bytecode and key pairs, then broadcast a deployment transaction with the compiled artifacts and fee payment. The program's constructor runs during deployment to set its upgrade policy.
Program names follow the name.aleo convention and must be globally unique. Once claimed, no other program can use that name. Programs can import other already-deployed programs, so deployment order matters for composable applications.