Chain Tools
Discover quality Web3 tools and DApps
About Etherscan
Etherscan is the leading blockchain explorer for Ethereum, providing a window into all on-chain activity. Founded in 2015, Etherscan has become an essential tool for anyone interacting with Ethereum—from developers debugging contracts to users tracking transactions to researchers analyzing on-chain data.
The platform lets users search for any transaction, address, token, or smart contract on Ethereum. Key features include transaction tracking, contract verification and reading, token transfers and holdings, gas price tracking, and detailed analytics. Etherscan also provides APIs for developers to programmatically access blockchain data. Their verified contract feature has become a standard—users routinely check if contracts are 'verified on Etherscan' before interacting.
Etherscan has expanded to support other EVM chains through separate explorers: Polygonscan, Arbiscan, Optimistic Etherscan, BSCScan, and more. The team also built Blockscan Chat for wallet-to-wallet messaging. With billions of page views and millions of API calls daily, Etherscan is fundamental infrastructure that makes Ethereum's transparency accessible to everyone.
Key Features
Transaction Tracking
Look up any transaction with detailed status, gas used, and decoded data
Contract Verification
Verify and read smart contract source code for transparency and trust
Token Tracking
Explore ERC-20 and ERC-721 token transfers, holders, and analytics
Gas Tracker
Real-time gas price tracking with slow, average, and fast estimates
Address Analysis
View complete transaction history, token balances, and contract interactions
Developer APIs
Programmatic access to blockchain data for building applications
Use Cases
Transaction Verification
Confirm transaction status and details after sending crypto
Contract Research
Read verified contract code before interacting with DeFi protocols
Wallet Analysis
Research addresses to understand holdings and transaction patterns
Token Discovery
Find new tokens, check legitimacy, and analyze holder distribution
Debug & Develop
Developers use Etherscan to debug transactions and test contracts
Project Info
Frequently Asked Questions
Etherscan is a blockchain explorer that lets you search and analyze everything on Ethereum. Paste any transaction hash, wallet address, contract address, or ENS name into the search bar. You'll see complete details: for transactions (status, value, gas), for addresses (balance, history, tokens), for contracts (code, interactions). It's the go-to tool for verifying anything on-chain.
Go to the contract address, click 'Contract' tab, then 'Verify & Publish.' Select the compiler version and optimization settings used during deployment, paste your source code (or upload flattened file), and submit. Once verified, anyone can read the contract code and interact with read/write functions through Etherscan. Most reputable projects verify their contracts.
Pending means the transaction is in the mempool waiting to be included in a block. Common causes: gas price too low (miners prioritize higher gas), network congestion (many pending transactions), or nonce issues. You can 'speed up' by resubmitting with higher gas (same nonce) or wait. Etherscan shows pending transactions but they haven't been confirmed yet.
The team behind Etherscan operates explorers for many EVM chains: Polygonscan (Polygon), Arbiscan (Arbitrum), Optimistic Etherscan (Optimism), BSCScan (BNB Chain), and others. Each explorer works similarly but for its respective chain. They share the same interface and features, just different blockchain data.
Etherscan's revenue comes from: advertising (banner ads on the site), premium API plans (free tier has rate limits, paid plans offer more calls), and enterprise services. The basic explorer is free to use. They also receive grants from the Ethereum Foundation. Despite being critical infrastructure, Etherscan is a private company, not a protocol.