Block Explorers
How to verify transactions and explore blockchain data yourself
What is a Block Explorer?
A block explorer is a website that lets you search and browse blockchain data. Every transaction, address balance, and block is publicly viewable—the explorer just makes it human-readable.
Block explorers are like Google for blockchains. They're essential tools for verifying transactions, checking addresses, and understanding what's happening on the network.
Think of it like a public ledger viewer
What You Can Do
Verify transactions: Check if a transaction was confirmed, how many confirmations it has, and see all the details like sender, recipient, amount, and fees.
Check address balances: See how much crypto any public address holds and its complete transaction history.
Monitor pending transactions: See if your transaction is in the mempool waiting to be confirmed, and estimate how long it might take.
Research smart contracts: View contract code, transaction history, and interactions on platforms like Etherscan.
Common Block Explorers
Bitcoin: Blockchain.com, Blockstream.info, Mempool.space. Each has different features—Mempool.space is particularly good for fee estimation.
Ethereum: Etherscan is the standard. It includes contract verification, token tracking, and DeFi analytics.
Multi-chain explorers: Tools like Blockchair support multiple blockchains in one interface.
Other chains: Most blockchains have their own explorers. Solana has Solscan, Polygon has Polygonscan, etc.
How to Use Them
Search by transaction hash (TXID): The unique identifier for each transaction. Paste it to see full details and confirmation status.
Search by address: See all transactions to and from an address, current balance, and token holdings.
Search by block number: View all transactions in a specific block and when it was mined.
Reading transaction details: Look for confirmation status, gas fees paid, input data for contract calls, and success/failure status.
Why Block Explorers Matter
- Independent verification—don't trust, verify
- Troubleshoot stuck or failed transactions
- Research addresses before transacting (scam checking)
- Understand network conditions and fee levels
Privacy Considerations
- •Anyone can view your transaction history by knowing your address
- •Linking addresses to identities creates privacy risks
- •Your exploration queries may be logged by the service
- •Don't assume blockchain privacy—most chains are fully transparent
Key Takeaways
- Block explorers let you browse and search blockchain data
- Use them to verify transactions independently
- Different blockchains have different explorers
- Search by transaction hash, address, or block number
- Remember: blockchain data is public—plan for privacy accordingly