What is Etherscan and How to Use It?

TL;DR
Etherscan is a blockchain finder for the Ethereum network. This website allows you to search for transactions, blocks, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and other on-chain data. Etherscan is one of the most popular Ethereum blockchain finders and is free to use.
Using Etherscan can help you understand exactly how to interact with the blockchain, other wallets, and DApps. This knowledge can also help you stay safe and track suspicious behavior.
To use Etherscan, you need a wallet address, transaction ID (TXID), contract address, or other identifier to paste into the search field. The information you see will depend on what you're looking for, but most of it will include the transaction, address, timestamp, and associated amount.
You can also interact directly with smart contracts to make transactions, check gas fees, and search for airdrops via Etherscan.

IntroductionIf you use Ethereum for more than just HODLing or sending a few transactions, learning how to navigate the blockchain is very useful. Etherscan is one of the most popular options, making it a great place to start learning the basics. You can use most of its features without having to connect to a wallet or even open an account. Let's learn the most common ways to use Etherscan and the actions that can be taken with the information found.
  
What is Etherscan?Etherscan is a block finder that allows you to view public data about transactions, smart contracts, addresses, and more on the Ethereum blockchain. All interactions on Ethereum are public and Etherscan allows you to view them like a search engine. You can use transaction hashes (transaction IDs) to examine all related activity, including tokens, smart contracts, and wallet addresses.
You don't need to register with Etherscan, but you can create an account for additional functionality. For example, you can set alerts to receive notifications about incoming transactions, access developer tools, and create data feeds.
Etherscan does not provide an Ethereum wallet to use or store your private keys. You also cannot use it for trading. Etherscan only functions as a blockchain information source and smart contract database. To make transactions or store crypto, you need a crypto wallet such as Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Math Wallet, or Binance Chain Wallet.

Why should I use Etherscan?Etherscan is one of the most trusted and popular block finders for Ethereum. However, it is more important to understand why you should use a block finder like Etherscan to check on-chain information. Having more knowledge about how you interact with blockchain can help you understand what's happening with DApps and transactions better. This knowledge can also help you stay safe and help you track suspicious blockchain activity.
For example, whale alerts notify you when a large amount of cryptocurrency has been moved to an exchange. This information can signal a big sale, although this is not always the case. You can also see the activities of the founders of a project regarding their project tokens. This can help you track potential fraud or rug pulls, which are situations where developers abandon their projects and sell their coins.

How to search for transactions and wallets on EtherscanA basic feature of Etherscan is tracking transactions. Understanding how to track your cryptocurrency is the key to unlocking all the other blockchain information. For example, imagine you have sent 0.0025 ether (ETH) from a wallet to the following public address: 0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a.
You also pay a transaction fee of 0.001559212674537 ETH. After making a transaction, your wallet will display this TXID:
0x80a3cc0f344651b3de745b2f1efbe8d35d4f348e95b345c8a840ebf955414fa5
Suppose you want to check the number of confirmations the transaction has and see whether it was sent successfully.
1. Go to the Etherscan main page, then look for the search field at the top of the page.

2. Next, copy and paste the transaction ID (TXID) into the search field, then press the search icon.

3. You can now see all the details regarding your specific transaction:

4. You can also press the [Click to see More] button, but let's just study the default view for now:
Transaction Hash (Transaction Hash)
A string containing numbers and letters (TXID) associated with a particular transaction.
Status
Whether your transaction failed, is in progress, or was successful.
Block (Block)
The block number that includes your transaction. You can also see how many of your transactions have been confirmed. This is the number of blocks added to the chain after your transaction block.
Timestamp (Time Mark)
Timestamp of the block to which your transaction was added.
From
The wallet address that made the transaction.
To (Ke)
Recipient address or smart contract.
Value (Nilai)
The amount sent in the transaction.
Transaction Fee (Transaction Fee)
Fees paid to carry out transactions.
Gas Price (Gas Price)
Cost per gas unit for transactions.
TXN Type (Genis TXN)
Information about whether a transaction was made with the old gas system (1) or the new EIP-1559 block fee system (2).

From the above data, it is easy to know that the transaction was successful and received sufficient confirmation. You can also check the transaction status by viewing the recipient's wallet.
For this, you need to go back to the search bar and copy the recipient's wallet address:
0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a

At the bottom of the page, we can see a list of all transactions related to that address:

The transaction in the red box is the 0.025 ETH you sent initially. You can see that this transaction is marked as In, indicating that the address searched is the receiving party. At the top of the page, you can also see a summary of your wallet balance.

How to search for smart contracts on EtherscanIf you interact with smart contracts on DApps regularly, it's a good idea to learn how to find them on Etherscan. That way, you can double-check that you are sending funds to the correct contract.
If you need to add a new token to your wallet, you must find the contract address of that token. Smart contract addresses contain token logic, such as how token transfers are carried out and other behavior.
To find the token address, you can go to CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, or the project's official website. You can also check https://etherscan.io/tokens.
Always make sure that you add the correct token address by double checking it using the website mentioned above. Let's take a look at Uniswap's ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum:
0x1f9840a85d5af5bf1d1762f925bdaddc4201f984
1. Copy and paste the smart contract address into the search field.

2. You will now see details regarding the contract balance and other general information related to the Uniswap (UNI) token contract.

3. Below that, there are more options to view, including transactions, the comments section, and the smart contract itself. Click [Contract] next to the available options to view the available options for interacting and reading Uniswap rules.

4. The [Read Contract] tab shows general contract information. For example, this tab allows you to query the balance of specific addresses or wallets that have permission to use tokens in your wallet.

Clicking [Write Contract] will allow you to interact with the contract directly. This is useful when DeFi platforms and DApps are not available, perhaps due to technical issues or website downtime. In some cases, you can try to interact precisely with the smart contract without using the project API.
Clicking [Connect to Web3] will allow you to connect to a crypto wallet such as MetaMask or Binance Chain Wallet and interact with the contract.

The simplest action here is to transfer coins. Using [transferFrom], you can transfer an address token with permissions that you have to another address.
[transfer] allows you to transfer associated contract tokens from connected wallets. The transaction below will send 1 UNI from our linked wallet to the recipient's attached wallet address. You should also make sure to include the correct number of decimal places for the amount you want to send.
Most users will never need to use these features. However, it's a good idea to know where it is if you need to access funds stored in a smart contract.

How to check gas prices on EtherscanGas prices are part of Ethereum transaction fees. These fees change depending on the block your transaction is included in. Each block has a set fee that differs depending on network traffic. The gas tracker on Etherscan displays differences in price and time against various gas prices. This tool is useful in getting a rough prediction of network congestion and how much you are likely to have to pay to send a simple transfer or interact with a more complex smart contract.


ClosingEtherscan is free and easy to use, and is a great tool when you need more information than your wallet or exchange can display. You can learn how to use most of its basic features in a short period of time. Etherscan is also the basis for other block finders like BscScan, so your skills can be transferred easily. Etherscan is a good place to start, whether you want to confirm transaction status or are looking for your favorite DApp smart contract.