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General Questions

Salud is a privacy-preserving medical records management system built on the Aleo blockchain. It allows you to store, manage, and share your medical records with complete privacy and control.Key features:
  • Privacy-first design with end-to-end encryption
  • Blockchain-powered permanent storage
  • Share records with doctors using time-limited access tokens
  • View access history and manage permissions
Yes! Your medical data is encrypted before it leaves your browser and stored as private records on the Aleo blockchain.Privacy features:
  • End-to-end encryption: Data is encrypted client-side before reaching any server
  • Zero-knowledge: Even the backend can’t read your medical records
  • You control the keys: Only you can decrypt and view your health data
  • Private records: Only you can see your record contents on the blockchain
Salud is free to use on the Aleo testnet for development and testing. Each blockchain transaction (creating records, granting access) requires a small amount of Aleo credits.For testing:
  • Use the Aleo testnet with free test credits
  • Request testnet credits from the Aleo faucet
  • Enable Demo Mode for unlimited free testing (no blockchain)
Your private key is the ONLY way to decrypt your medical records. If you lose it:
  • You will permanently lose access to your encrypted records
  • Records remain on the blockchain but are unreadable
  • No one, including Salud developers, can recover them
Always:
  • Store your private key in a secure password manager
  • Keep a backup in a safe location
  • Never share your private key with anyone

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Wallet & Private Keys

Salud requires direct access to your private key because it encrypts your medical data BEFORE sending it to the blockchain.Why browser wallets don’t work:
  1. Data Encryption: Medical records are encrypted using your private key client-side. Browser wallets don’t expose the private key needed for this encryption.
  2. Transaction Signing: Salud needs to encrypt data, generate cryptographic proofs, and create access tokens - operations that browser wallets don’t provide.
  3. Session Management: The backend maintains a session with your wallet to interact with Aleo. Browser extensions can’t maintain this server-side session.
The benefit: This design provides medical-grade privacy that browser wallets can’t offer. Your health data gets HIPAA-grade encryption with zero-knowledge privacy.
Yes! You can absolutely use your existing wallet.The private key you paste into Salud is the same private key that powers your Leo/Shield wallet. You’re not creating a new wallet - you’re using your existing wallet’s private key in a specialized medical app.To use your existing wallet:
  1. Export your private key from Leo/Shield Wallet
  2. Paste it into Salud
  3. You’re connected!
It’s like using the same bank account on different banking apps.
From Leo Wallet:
  1. Open Leo Wallet browser extension
  2. Click on your account/avatar
  3. Go to Settings → Security & Privacy
  4. Click “Export Private Key”
  5. Enter your password
  6. Copy the private key (starts with APrivateKey1...)
  7. Paste it into Salud’s connect screen
Security reminder: Never share your private key with anyone or paste it on untrusted websites.
From Shield Wallet:
  1. Open Shield Wallet extension
  2. Go to Account Settings
  3. Select “Export Private Key”
  4. Authenticate with your password
  5. Copy the private key
  6. Paste it into Salud
Security reminder: Keep your private key secure and never share it.
No problem! You have two options:Option 1: Generate a new account in Salud
  1. Click “Generate New” button on the wallet connect screen
  2. Save the generated private key securely
  3. The app will automatically connect with this new account
  4. Tip: You can later import this account into Leo Wallet using the private key
Option 2: Create a wallet first
  1. Install Leo Wallet or Shield Wallet browser extension
  2. Create a new account
  3. Export the private key and use it in Salud
Your private key is handled securely:
  • Only kept in memory during active sessions
  • Never permanently stored on disk
  • Never sent to any third-party services
  • Only used to establish a session with the backend
  • Session ends when you disconnect or close the browser
Best practices:
  • Only use Salud from the official repository/deployment
  • Never share your private key with anyone
  • Store it in a secure password manager
  • For production use, consider hardware wallets

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Records & Sharing

  1. Click “New Record” button
  2. Fill in title, description, and record type
  3. Enter medical data (will be encrypted before sending)
  4. Submit - record is stored on Aleo blockchain
Your data is encrypted in your browser before being sent to the blockchain.
  1. Click on a record
  2. Select “Share with Doctor”
  3. Enter doctor’s Aleo address
  4. Set access duration (1 hour to 7 days)
  5. Generate QR code or share access token
The doctor can scan the QR code or use the access token to view the record.
You control the access duration when sharing:
  • Minimum: 1 hour
  • Maximum: 7 days
  • Custom durations available
Access automatically expires after the set duration. You can also revoke access manually at any time.
Yes! You can revoke doctor access at any time through the access management interface, even before the expiration time.
No. Your records are stored as private records on the Aleo blockchain:
  • Only you can decrypt and read the content
  • The blockchain only stores encrypted data
  • Doctors can only access records you explicitly share with them
  • Even Salud developers cannot read your records
Records are fetched from the blockchain when you connect. This may take 10-15 seconds.If records still don’t appear:
  • Wait for blockchain sync to complete
  • Check browser console for sync status
  • Disconnect and reconnect your wallet
  • Verify record creation in backend logs

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Technical Questions

Demo Mode allows you to test Salud without spending real Aleo credits or making blockchain transactions.To enable Demo Mode: Add to backend/.env:
DEMO_MODE=true
In Demo Mode:
  • ✅ All features work normally
  • ✅ Records are stored in localStorage
  • ✅ No real blockchain transactions
  • ⚠️ Records won’t persist across different browsers/devices
Perfect for development and testing!
Salud is currently configured for Aleo Testnet:
  • Free to use with test credits
  • Perfect for development and testing
  • Records are real but use testnet tokens
To switch to mainnet (when available), update ALEO_API_URL in backend .env.
The backend is required to:
  • Maintain sessions with Aleo wallets
  • Interact with the Aleo blockchain on your behalf
  • Facilitate record creation and access grants
  • Sync records from the blockchain
Important: The backend never stores your medical data - it only facilitates blockchain transactions.
Yes! Salud is open source and can be self-hosted:
  1. Clone the repository
  2. Install dependencies for backend and frontend
  3. Configure environment variables
  4. Run backend and frontend servers
See the Installation Guide for detailed instructions.
Frontend:
  • React 18
  • TypeScript 5.0
  • Vite 5.0
  • Zustand for state management
Backend:
  • Node.js
  • Express
  • Aleo SDK
Blockchain:
  • Aleo blockchain
  • Leo programming language
  • Smart contract: salud_health_records_v2.aleo

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