What is PolygonScan and How Can You Use it?

Many blockchain protocols like Ethereum, Tron, and Polygon have native tokens and transaction records, which can be viewed via blockchain explorers. Blockchain explorers exist to store and record data associated with any cryptocurrency. They act as search engines (like Google) that help users look up information relating to a cryptocurrency transaction.

The native token for Polygon is Matic, and PolygonScan is a blockchain explorer that records transaction details on the Polygon ecosystem. PolygonScan is one of the most famous blockchain explorers, thanks to the rise of the Polygon network. Since the creation of Polygon, over 3 billion transactions have been recorded. Details of these transactions are publicly recorded and can be viewed on PolygonScan.

This article will explain what PolygonScan is and how you can use it to search for near real-time and historical data on Polygon.

What is PolygonScan?

PolygonScan is a software (blockchain explorer) built by the Etherscan team. PolygonScan enables users to access records of transactions carried out on the Polygon blockchain network, including information such as transaction hashes, wallet addresses, tokens, and prices.

Other activities that can be performed on PolygonScan include search, API, analytics, and, subsequently, the creation of Dapps.

PolygonScan offers the following features:

Transaction Information

Users can search for and view details regarding individual transactions on the Polygon network. The details include information about the sender, recipient, transaction amount, timestamp, and more.

Block Information

Users can also view details of transactions about individual blocks in the Polygon blockchain. This allows users to explore and access data contained within each block in the ecosystem.

Address Information

Users can look up specific addresses on the Polygon network. This can help you view the history of a particular wallet address or smart contract. For users interested in monitoring ‘whales’ and how they buy tokens, this information can be necessary when making investment decisions. On the website, you can view top accounts that help you observe these addresses and see the value of tokens in the wallets.

Token and Contract Information

Users can access data related to tokens and smart contracts in the Polygon network. This includes information about token balances, contract codes, etc.

Real-Time Data

It typically provides real-time or near-real-time updates, allowing users to view the most recent transactions and blocks on the Polygon network.

Let’s delve into how you can use Polygonscan to get details about a transaction.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using PolygonScan

Accessing PolygonScan and Navigating the Dashboard

The first step to accessing Polygonscan is to go to the Polygonscan.com website. The first thing you see is the dashboard.

Source: Polygonscan.com

You can view MATIC’s price, market cap, number of transactions, latest block, and gas price on the homepage. There is also the home, blockchain, tokens, resources, and more section (we will explore what we can do under each section later). You can also sign in and create an account for free.

Searching Transactions

Imagine this. You’re trying to get some Matic tokens and have yet to receive them in your wallet address after some minutes. The sender claims to have sent it, but you have not seen the tokens in your wallet. The time it takes for cryptocurrencies to arrive varies, and some factors could cause delays. However, tracking the transaction on Polygonscan allows you to verify if the sender even initiated the transaction, and you can find out what may be delaying your tokens from arriving at your wallet address.

Here’s how to find details of transaction records on Polygonscan using a wallet address.

First, copy your wallet address. For this illustration, a Polygon address from a MetaMask wallet was used. After copying the wallet address, paste it into the search bar and click search as shown below.

Source: PolygonScan.com

Source: Polygonscan.com

The result of the search pulls up details about how much MATIC the wallet holds and the value and also pulls records of transactions carried, including the method of transaction used. The image shows the block each transaction was carried out on and where the transaction was sent. It also includes the transaction fee that was charged.

If there is an error in any transaction, the information containing the error will be shown.

Exploring Blocks

You can also explore blocks and find details on transactions carried out on each block, from the recent to previous ones. Under the Blockchain section, click on view blocks, as shown in the image below.

Source: Polygonscan.com

Source: Polygonscan.com

The explorer will pull up details of recent blocks to old ones. As highlighted in the image above, a recent block was used for this illustration.

Source: Polygonscan.com

The information in the block includes the timestamp, number of transactions, contract internal transactions carried out, the validator, reward, size, gas fee, and limits. It takes an average of 2.1s for each block to be built.

Viewing Addresses

To look up top-performing accounts or addresses on the Polygon network, click ‘top accounts’ under the blockchain section, as shown below. It will pull up top-performing addresses.

Source: Polygonscan.com

After selecting a particular wallet address of choice, you can find details of the address’s balance, value, and token. Additionally, you can view the transaction details carried out on the wallet address as shown below.

Source: Polygonscan.com

This feature allows traders and investors to keep track of big investors called ‘whales.’ Whales are crypto holders who own a large percentage of a token. By monitoring their transaction activity, traders can get insights into when to buy cryptocurrencies.

Token and Contract Information

Under the ‘tokens’ section on the homepage, you can see lists of ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155 tokens. For this illustration, ‘ERC-20 tokens by market cap’ was clicked.

Source: Polygonscan.com

Here, you can find details like the total supply, number of holders and transfers done, contract address, official site of the token, and social media accounts.

You can also find details of transaction records of trading activities on the token, as shown below.

Source: Polygonscan.com

Gas Data

Polygonscan also displays details like the gas price, gas used for each transaction, and fees. Here’s how to read and interpret the gas data.

Source: Polygonscan.com

• Gas Price: The gas price is the amount offered to the validator to perform a transaction. From the snapshot above, the gas price for the transaction was 46 Gwei. Gwei is a smaller unit of an asset, in this case MATIC. 1 MATIC equals 1 billion Gwei. Hence, for this transaction, 0.000000046 MATIC tokens were offered to the validator to approve the transaction.
• Gas Limit and Usage by Txn: The gas limit and usage by transaction reveal the amount of gas supplied for the transaction and the amount eventually used. Hence, for the transaction above, 19.5 million gas units were supplied, and only 45.29% of the amount supplied was consumed during the transaction.
• Gas Fees: This is the base gas fee when the transaction is executed. Note that the base gas fee varies at each time. Typically, the more transactions there are to process, the higher the gas fees. For the transaction above, the base gas fee was 42.070838626 Gwei.
• Burnt Fees: This is the total amount of MATIC burnt for this transaction. It is also the amount of fees saved from the value the user was willing to pay, which in this case is 0.37157 MATIC.

Understanding Polygonscan’s Gas Tracker

Polygonscan has a gas tracker that reveals the average gas per transaction. The gas tracker helps users know their expected transaction fees at a given time. Notably, gas contract fees are typically higher than gas fees for regular transactions.

To access the gas tracker, click on the “Gas” section as highlighted in the image below:

Source: Polygonscan.com

Here’s a view of the Gas tracker:

Source: Polygonscan.com

From the snapshot above, it is evident that standard transactions cost less than the fast and rapid.

Difference Between PolygonScan and Other Scans

PolygonScan vs. Etherscan

Although Polygonscan is built on the framework of Etherscan by the same development team and has similar features, the main difference is the blockchain network. PolygonScan works on the Polygon network, while Etherscan runs on the Ethereum network.

Additionally, another difference between the two is the features each offers. Because Etherscan was developed before Polygonscan, its features are more comprehensive. In contrast, Polygonscan still has features in beta and will be rolled out for use in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PolygonScan Free to Use?

Accessing Polygonscan to navigate the basic Polygon ecosystem is entirely free. You can use the Polygon Explorer to view pending transactions, contract internal transactions, view blocks, see top accounts, and verify contracts. You can also view ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155 top tokens and transfers. Further, you can see charts and top statistics on Polygon

For developers, PolygonScan.com states that it offers two API plans: a set of free community endpoints and API PRO, which can be used to access additional blockchain data. The premium plan for the Polygonscan APIs bears a monthly cost ranging between $199/month and $399/month. However, the free version of the Polygon Explorer provides enough information for regular users.

How Often is Data on PolygonScan Updated?

Typically, the frequency of updates on Polygonscan is in real time. The data continuously updates new transactions and blocks performed on the Polygon network. This ensures that users can access the latest and most accurate information on the network. You can see transactions carried out one second ago on the website.

Can I Use PolygonScan for Other Networks?

You cannot use Polygonscan to access details of other networks. PolygonScan is primarily designed to explore the Polygon network. That is why each blockchain network has its blockchain explorer. For example, Binance Smart Chain’s explorer is Bscscan, Solana’s is Explorer.solana.com, Ethereum’s is Etherscan, and other networks have their dedicated explorers.

However, you can use Polygonscan to view ERCs-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155 top tokens and transfers.

It is best to use the appropriate blockchain explorer for the specific network you want to explore because each blockchain network usually has distinct addresses, tokens, and transaction data.

Conclusion

PolygonScan is a valuable tool for traders, developers, and anyone interested in monitoring and understanding the activities on the Polygon network. It also helps users track and verify transactions and smart contracts, providing transparency and visibility into the Polygon blockchain ecosystem. While the Explorer has a premium version built specifically for developers to access more data, the free software provides enough information for an average user.