Block explorer

A block explorer is an online tool or application that helps users browse and explore information stored on blockchains like transactions, market cap, wallet addresses, etc.

Block explorers are crucial to enhance the transparency and usability of blockchains. They provide an easy way for users to track blockchain activity on their own. For example, users often track their own crypto transactions via a block explorer.

Block explorers usually give you insights and statistics about a blockchain network, like the total number of transactions and addresses, but also the latest blocks added, the latest transactions or the current price of cryptocurrencies, for example. They also offer a search function for you to get more in-depth data.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of information you can find on block explorers:

• Transaction data: Users can search for a specific transaction on block explorers and get more details about it, like the sender’s and recipient’s address, the amount, or time, for example. It also allows users to check the status of the transaction, if it’s pending or confirmed.
• Confirmation details: In the case of confirmed transactions, users can also see how many confirmations a particular transaction got.
• Address lookup: Users can equally search for wallet addresses to get information about their balance and transactions and track the activity associated with the wallet.
• Block information: Users can learn more about blocks using a block explorer, including the block height, timestamps, the number of transactions it contains, and block hash.
• “Rich list”: Some block explorers offer a feature called Rich List that allows users to view only the top wallet address with the most cryptocurrency holdings. This helps users understand better the distribution of wealth in the network.