In brief

SolScan is an alternative Solana blockchain explorer. It gives you access to blockchain data related to transactions, contracts, accounts and more. If you regularly use Solana or encounter any problems, understanding how to use the blockchain explorer is extremely helpful.

SolScan also has a DeFi and NFT dashboard and an analytics platform you can use. You can also use SolScan's API to create your own custom feed. All of these have been introduced in the website's header.


Introduce

Solana is a Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchain where project developers can build DApps, tokens, and smart contracts. Like any other chain of operations, users need an intuitive way to access blockchain data. Similar to BscScan and EtherScan, Solana also has a dedicated block explorer called SolScan. Let's take a look at its most important features and a few basic instructions.



What is SolScan?

SolScan is a blockchain explorer used to search for information on the Solana blockchain. It's a popular solution for a full-fledged Solana explorer. SolScan turns complex transaction data into something that can be easily read. The block explorer provides access to anything recorded on-chain, including cryptocurrency transactions, addresses, smart contracts, blocks, blocks, tokens and more. It is free to use and does not require an account, but you can create an account and log in to use advanced functions.


Why should I use SolScan?

Using an explorer is essential for anyone dealing with a blockchain network. If you're not sure where your stake went or perhaps a transaction is still pending, you should use SolScan to find out what happened. All the information on SolScan comes directly from  the Solana blockchain, so you can be sure it's accurate. Using SolScan or any blockchain explorer will help you understand the mechanics of the DApps you interact with and the transactions you make.

SolScan uses the same format as EtherScan, so using it is also relatively easy. Many users prefer its layout to the official SolScan explorer. SolScan is free to use and it also contains a number of useful analysis tools, lists and graphs. This explorer also contains a set of public APIs that can be leveraged by third-party applications and custom tools to retrieve real-time data from SolScan.


How to look up transactions and addresses on SolScan?

One of SolScan's most used features is the transaction and address search function. With an accurate hash chain, you can quickly access a large amount of information including transaction fees, confirmations, timestamps, associated addresses, and much more.

Transaction

1. Every Solana transaction is recorded on the Solana mainnet with a signature. It's a long string of numbers and letters that looks like this:

5JLcGJQfZjEEuh1bSDqyw2iEfLuFRoYRJY1paoSwrZC8c8zZFW3VqvxsJgjW3bsUjTrpEUDEtvs83PxsuR6hUWqz

2. Copy and paste the signature into SolScan's search bar and press enter.


3. You will now see all available information about the transaction you are looking for. The information is divided into three categories: [Overview], [SOL Balance Change], and [Token Balance Change].


4. The [Overview] category will have almost all the detailed information you need. Let's take a look at each item:

Signature

An alphanumeric string uniquely assigned to each transaction. It is an identifier similar to Ethereum's transaction hash string or TxID.

Block

The block number your transaction was added to. These numbers are sequential and indicate the position of your transaction in the history of the blockchain.

Timeline

The timestamp is associated with the block in which your transaction was processed.

Result

Confirmation status of the transaction.

Signer (Signer)

Wallet address where the transaction was made.

Fee

Fee paid to execute the transaction.

Main Actions

Overview of trading-related activities.

Previous Block Hash (Previous block hash string)

An alphanumeric hash string that identifies the previous block.

Instruction Details (Instruction Details)

A detailed log of transaction actions.

Program Log

Detailed log of instructions/action results.


5. For more information, you can open the [SOL Balance Change] and [Token Balance Change] tabs to view data about the transaction's token balance changes with all parties involved.

Address

Finding out about a personal address is similar. You can check the detailed history of the address's activities. This can give you an overview of a particular wallet's transactions and smart contract interactions.

1. Find the Solana address you want to view. It's shorter than the signature and looks like this:

138KHwTqKNWGLoo8fK5i8UxYtwoC5tC8o7M9rY1CDEjT

2. Copy and paste the signature into SolScan's search bar and press enter.


3. You will now see all the information about the transaction you are looking for. The [Overview] section shows the current account balance, while the bottom tabs mainly show transaction history.


How to find tokens on SolScan?

Tokens can be easily verified on SolScan and you can see full details about them. You just:

2. Copy and paste the signature into SolScan's search bar and press enter. In this example, we used the wrapped token version of Bitcoin (BTC), but you can also use the wrapped token version of Ethereum (ETH) or any other SPL token in the Solana network.

The token address looks like this:

9n4nbM75f5Ui33ZbPYXn59EwSgE8CGsHtAeTH5YFeJ9E

2. If you entered the address correctly, you will see the following information.


Token

Fully Diluted Market Cap (Fully Diluted Market Cap)

This is the total maximum supply multiplied by the current price of the token. It's called dilution because it includes locked tokens.

Max Total Supply (total supply)

The total number of tokens that will exist for a particular cryptocurrency, whether pre-mined or issued in the future.

Holders (Owner)

Number of addresses holding tokens.

Social Channels (Social channels)

Links to the token's official social media channels.

Token name

Name and code of the token in the format: [token name (TICKER)].

Token address (Active addresses)

Separate alphanumeric addresses are assigned as identifiers for each token.

Owner Program

A distinct class type and ID indicates the specific owner program responsible for reading and writing data to the blockchain.

Authority (Author)

The account (usually with multiple signatures) has the authority to authenticate transactions within the network.

Decimals

The degree of divisibility of a single token (number of decimals allowed).

Tag

Description tags are used to indicate the nature of the token. It can be used to find similarly classified tokens.

Transaction

A complete and ordered list of all token transactions.

Holders (Owner)

Full list of all accounts holding tokens sorted by total holdings and percentage.

Analysis

Graph of token distribution and holders.

Market

List of all markets and pairs that support the token.


How to find out active accounts on Solana?

1. You can find out the number of active accounts and other key blockchain metrics by clicking [Analytics].


2. SolScan analytics page has lots of information about network nodes, transactions per second (TPS), new tokens, new NFTs and more. Under the [Accounts] heading, you can find the number of daily active wallets.


3. Note that you can select different time periods in the top right corner.


How to access the DeFi dashboard on SolScan

1. Some of the largest DEXs in the Solana ecosystem have dashboards integrated into the Solana blockchain explorer. You can quickly find them in the [Defi] tab.


2. Let's look at Orca. This dashboard displays basic information about Total Value Locked (TVL), volume, and active trading pairs available in their liquidity pools.


How to access the NFT dashboard on SolScan

1. SolScan makes it easy to view new NFTs, trades, and collectibles from the NFT dashboard. You can find this section in the website header.


2. The NFT dashboard will allow you to search for any available NFTs on Solana. The [Collections] tab will give you a list of NFT projects based on volume. The [Trades] tab will show the most recent sales, while [New NFTs] will list the most recently minted NFTs.



summary

With a Solana block explorer, you can check out the latest Metaverse NFTs, investigate a node, or check out a new startup's wallet. This tool is an indispensable part of any blockchain ecosystem. SolScan has become one of the most used applications in the Solana community, so understanding its layout and user interface will definitely benefit you.