Prover
A prover generates zero-knowledge proofs on the Aleo network. Provers have two roles: producing execution proofs for user transactions, and solving coinbase puzzles to earn block rewards.
For transactions, someone must run the program function in SnarkVM and produce a proof of correct execution. This can be the user (client-side proving) or a delegated proving service. The resulting proof is small and fast to verify, but generating it takes significant CPU and memory. Delegated services let users on lightweight devices participate without doing the heavy cryptographic work themselves.
For coinbase puzzles, provers compete to generate valid solutions to a cryptographic puzzle. Successful solutions are included in blocks, and the prover earns Aleo credits. This works like proof-of-work mining but produces useful cryptographic work rather than arbitrary hash computation.
Provers are not validators. Validators verify proofs and produce blocks through staking. Provers generate proofs through computation. A single operator can run both, but the hardware requirements differ: proving is CPU/GPU-intensive, validation needs reliable uptime and connectivity.