Transparency is one of the biggest benefits of blockchain technology. Thanks to a blockchain explorer, anyone with internet access can see into any network’s inner workings and verify the status of transactions and analyze what’s happening inside the protocol.
Let’s explore the ways explorers can be used, and the value they bring to crypto holders, traders, and developers.
What exactly is a blockchain explorer
Blockchain or block explorer is an application that lets you view the data on a blockchain. It could be a website or an app, but it has to be connected to the network in order to work properly.
For instance, Etherescan is a popular tool that uses data from Ethereum nodes to create a user-friendly interface.
Different websites may provide different levels of information, depending on the protocol they use.
All blockchain explorers will have a dashboard with key indicators, as well as separate tabs showing an in-depth overview of various aspects of a protocol.
What you can find on a block explorer
Let’s take a NEAR Protocol Explorer by GetBlock as an example.
GetBlock makes it easier for crypto product developers and general users to connect with various networks. The team hosts nodes to several popular protocols, including Bitcoin, Arbitrum, Sui, and Ethereum.
GetBlock provides its users with real-time blockchain data by extracting the information from blockchains and packaging it into explorers.
Search bar
Search boxes are widely used across blockchain explorers, allowing users to find information by entering a piece of data.
You can access a detailed overview of any given transaction by feeding it a wallet address, transaction ID (TxID/ hash), or the number of a stand-alone block.
The website will provide a receipt for each transaction, including the time and date of a payment or transfer, the addresses involved, fees applied and more.
Token economics
You can see the value of Near in USD and BTC, price action, capitalization, burned tokens and market dominance on the main dashboard. Some explorers also have charts showing gas fee dynamics.
Overall status of the network
The explorer is a tool that shows the number of active nodes on the blockchain, accounts and blocks, along with some other analytics.
For users, it’s easy to get a bird’s-eye view of the chain and see what’s happening right now.
Data specific to a protocol
Etherscan will provide a list of verified contracts in all the details, depending on the type of protocol.
The following information is given in the case of Near Explorer:
- Validator nodes are rewarded for their activity when they stake a certain amount of tokens or in total.
- A breakdown of the number of transactions, block size and gas limits for each block
- Separate your accounts, and track all the money you spend.
- The latest transaction pool from the network.
Researchers and investors use these instruments to examine every aspect of a specific network.
More about GetBlock
Blockchain Explorers is a nice complement to GetBlock’s main service, which is providing RPC endpoint maintenance for developers to integrate Web3 functionality into their applications and direct access to network-related data for average crypto users.
GetBlock provides access to shared and dedicated node services at both free and paid levels in its suite, allowing startups and enterprises alike to avoid the hassle of running their own nodes.
Summing up
Blockchain explorers are a great way to get insight into a blockchain. They will provide you with all the latest network data in an easy-to-read format, completely for free. However, if you’re an experienced user and want access to more blockchains at once, GetBlock’s nodes are just what you need.