What's Etherscan and How to Use it?

Introduction

As a blockchain browser for the Ethereum network, Etherscan provides users with the ability to search for information about transactions, blocks, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and other on-chain data. It is one of the most popular blockchain browsers, and users on Ethereum can use it for free.

Users can get to know the interaction information between blockchains, wallet addresses, and other DApps by using Etherscan in an accurate way. Therefore, they are able to obtain useful information, such as reminders of suspicious status in terms of security.

If users want to use Etherscan, they need to provide a wallet address, Ethereum’s transaction ID (TXID), contract address, and another identification code. Although the information a user can search depends on the keywords the user puts in the search box, most of them are about the transaction, wallet address, timestamp, and related amount.

Meanwhile, the browser allows users to directly interact with the smart contract on Etherscan to conduct transactions, check the gas fee, or search for some user-related preferential information such as airdrops.

What’s Etherscan?

Etherscan, one of the most popular blockchain browsers at present, allows users to view and trade on the Ethereum blockchain, and query public information such as smart contracts, wallet addresses, etc.

Generally speaking, all users’ actions on Ethereum are open to the public, and Etherscan can help query this information. It is similar to a search engine. The most common one is to query the transaction ID to check its related activities, including tokens, smart contracts, and wallet addresses.

Like most browsers in Web2, Etherscan allows users to access it without registration. However, if they create an account, they can use additional functions, similar to many browsers which will provide more functions if users have an account. However, the accounts created by users will not be mixed with their crypto wallets. Instead, they are separate accounts.

Essentially, Etherscan is a blockchain browser that is mainly used as a tool. It will not provide any user with an Ethereum wallet that can be used to store any private keys. Users cannot use the browser to trade. The single role is to act as a source of blockchain information and a database for queries.

What are the benefits of using Etherscan?

Thanks to the huge number of users on Ethereum, Etherscan, as the official blockchain browser launched by Ethereum, has always been regarded as the most reliable and popular blockchain browser.

In the very beginning, many users used Etherscan as an easy-to-use tool for information queries when faced with a large number of transactions, contracts, and other information. After all, there are lots of chains filled with tremendous information, which makes it hard for users to seize the best chance to act if they simply use various traditional media to understand market information.

With Etherscan, users are able to query all kinds of information and get a better understanding of the current market movements. Especially for some investors who already have certain crypto knowledge, Etherscan can help them further understand various DApps and related content of transactions in the market. Meanwhile, the browser can secure users’ assets against dangers and risks at a certain level, as well as assist users to observe different relevant information in the market.

For example, Etherscan will notify users as soon as a large amount of cryptocurrency is moved to an exchange. Although such information will not necessarily affect users’ behavior and decision-making, it is likely to indicate the occurrence of a large number of sell-offs and prompt users to see how the corresponding project team handles the token.

Users can also use Etherscan to directly view the ranking of popular tokens and various transaction information according to the contract standard of Ethereum itself. At present, popular tokens and transaction transfer information of ERC720, ERC721, and ERC1155 can be queried on Etherscan.

Moreover, information related to Ethereum itself, including price, supply, market value, nodes, and transaction fees, can be intuitively queried through Etherscan. However, for users, the most valuable function of the browser is to help them keep up with the instant information about the projects they focus on and participate in on the chain, offering users the current project status and preparing them for responses in advance.

How to query transactions and wallet addresses using Etherscan?

（Source: etherscan.io）

Tracking transaction information on the chain is the most basic function of Etherscan, allowing users to obtain all key information on different blockchains as long as they know how to track their own cryptocurrencies using the browser.

If a user sends the cryptocurrency in the Ethereum block to a wallet address on Ethereum, he can get a TXID in his wallet after confirming the sending and paying the corresponding Gas fee.

If you want to check the number of transaction confirmations and check whether it was successfully sent, you can go to Etherscan to query information about this transaction.

First, you need to go to https://cn.etherscan.com/, the homepage of Etherscan. Second, fill in the TXID in the search box to query the detailed information about the corresponding transaction.

Of course, if you search directly for the address that receives the transaction, you can also check the corresponding transaction status and transaction list, with an overview of the wallet balance included.

How to use Etherscan to query smart contracts?

（Source: etherscan.io）

If a user has participated in a certain project for a period of time and is associated with the relevant smart contract, then the user had better know whether his wallet address is written into the contract.

Similarly, it is also necessary to inquire about contract-related information in a timely manner when participating in transactions in some projects, especially when it involves linear long-term returns, which is particularly significant for many users.

The relevant content can be queried through Etherscan. For example, when you participate in the pre-sale campaigns of some NFT projects, you can check the contract writing status through Etherscan after sending the corresponding funds. This way, you can confirm that the funds you sent have gone to the correct address, protecting you from being deceived.

However, when querying contracts, users often enter the relevant cryptocurrencies, which take up the largest share of transactions in the market. The query of the corresponding smart contract address on Etherscan is the query of the logic of the cryptocurrency itself, such as methods for transfer, dividends, and other behaviors.

The contracts corresponding to different cryptocurrencies vary. Users can query their official websites or directly query the corresponding currency on Etherscan to find the corresponding contract address.

Enter the address of the contract you want to search in the search bar on Etherscan, and you can see the balance details of the contract and other information related to the corresponding cryptocurrency contract. You can also view more options, including transactions, comments, and smart contracts. Besides, users can view the options available to interact and read about the rules of cryptocurrency.

Relevant information about the corresponding contract can also be viewed. Some operable options are available. If a specific address is entered, the balance information of the corresponding contract can be directly queried in the user’s wallet.

Users can also add their own wallet address in Etherscan to interact directly with the contract, such as transferring, writing, etc. However, general users will basically not use such functions, because these actions are usually carried out on the cryptocurrency project platform corresponding to the contract. Certainly, if the server of the project platform crashes, users can do these actions using Etherscan.

（Source: etherscan.io）

It is also possible for users to publish their own contracts in Etherscan. The browser will also provide verification functions.

How to use Etherscan to check real-time gas fee prices?

The Gas fee price is the component of the Ethereum transaction fee and will fluctuate due to the influence of the block in which the user trades.

The transaction fee of each block fluctuates due to the differences in traffic. Etherscan has a tool to help track the price of the gas fee, which allows users to view the price changes of the corresponding cryptocurrency for price fluctuations, thus noticing the impact of time on price changes.

To a certain extent, this practical tool can help users predict the degree of network congestion, as well as the gas fee price that needs to be paid when conducting a transfer or interacting with a certain contract, so that users can decide their own trading strategies.

（Source: etherscan.io）

How to use Etherscan to query on-chain data?

Etherscan can help users easily query the blockchain data in Ethereum. Etherscan aggregates the data about the overall profile, transactions, tokens, and different networks involved. This integrated page presentation allows users to easily query the address, the active users during 24h to 72h, and the supply of different block networks.

Of course, other paths in Etherscan can also help users find the information they want.

（Source: etherscan.io）

When using Etherscan, users can directly query different active indicators as shown in the following picture on the Ethereum Directory page of Ethereum.

（Source: etherscan.io）

It lists the exchanges on Ethereum, wallet applications that support Ethereum, and entries for various windows for querying cryptocurrency prices and lists.

Users can directly check different blocks in Ethereum and various addresses participating in transactions on the homepage but, generally, need to query specific contracts and wallet addresses to see more accurate data.

（Source: etherscan.io）

（Source: etherscan.io）

Etherscan also intuitively shows the total amount of transactions in Ethereum within a certain period of time in the form of charts.

（Source: etherscan.io）

The content on the Ethereum Charts & Statistics page of the Etherscan platform also serves as a very useful tool, which allows users to link to various crypto websites. They are summarized and presented in the form of a chart. For many new blockchain users, they are relatively user-friendly.

Ethereum Charts & Statistics is therefore a very good tool that can be used to learn blockchain knowledge, which can effectively save the time of querying and visiting corresponding websites.

（Source: etherscan.io）

Conclusion

Etherscan is widely recognized and used because it does not require a transaction fee and is quite easy to use.

Moreover, Etherscan allows users to get information about the mining pool, blockchain basic knowledge, various exchanges, and intuitive cryptocurrency prices and trends.

Overall, Etherscan is a prime tool that not only allows users to obtain information about wallets or exchanges but also provides them with a quick way to learn how to use the blockchain in a short period of time.

We can also say that Etherscan is the basis for other blockchain explorers like BscScan. That means if you’re familiar with Etherscan, you can quickly get started with other blockchain browsers. For every blockchain user, learning Etherscan can be a good start for other blockchain browsers.