Résumé
Etherscan is a blockchain explorer for the Ethereum network. The website allows you to search transactions, blocks, wallet addresses, smart contracts and other data on the blockchain. It is one of the most popular Ethereum blockchain explorers and is free to use.
Using Etherscan can help you understand exactly how you interact with blockchain, other wallets, and DApps. This knowledge can also help you stay safe and spot suspicious behavior.
To use Etherscan, you will need a wallet address, transaction ID (TXID), contract address, or other identifier to paste into the search box. The information you see will depend on what you're looking at, but most of it will include transactions, addresses, timestamps, and associated amounts.
You can also interact directly with smart contracts to perform transactions, check gas fees and search for airdrops with Etherscan.
Introduction
If you use Ethereum for anything other than HODLing or sending a few transactions, learning how to navigate the blockchain is extremely beneficial. Etherscan is one of the most popular options, so it's a great place to start learning the basics. You can use most features without having to connect your wallet or even open an account. Let's go over the most common ways to use Etherscan and what you can do with the information you find.
What is Etherscan?
Etherscan is a block explorer that lets you view public data on transactions, smart contracts, addresses, and more on the Ethereum blockchain. All interactions on Ethereum are public, and Etherscan lets you view them like a search engine. You can use a transaction hash (transaction ID) to verify all associated activity, including tokens, smart contracts, and wallet addresses.
You do not need to register with Etherscan, but you can create an account to benefit from additional features. For example, you can set alerts to be notified of incoming transactions, access developer tools, and create data feeds.
Etherscan does not provide you with an Ethereum wallet to use or store your private keys. You cannot use it for trading either. It only serves as a source of blockchain information and a smart contracts database. To transact or store cryptocurrencies, you will 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 reliable and popular block explorers in Ethereum. However, it is more important to understand why you should use a block explorer like Etherscan to view on-chain information. Having more knowledge about how you interact with blockchain can help you better understand what's happening with DApps and transactions. This knowledge can also protect you and help you detect suspicious blockchain activity.
For example, whale alerts tell you if large amounts of cryptocurrencies have been moved to an exchange. Although this is not always the case, this information can suggest an important correction. You can also see what the founders of a project are doing with their project's tokens. This can help you spot potential scams or “rug pulls,” a situation where developers abandon their projects and sell their tokens.
How to search for a transaction and wallet on Etherscan?
One of the basic functions of Etherscan is transaction tracking. Understanding how to track your cryptocurrency is fundamental to unlocking all the rest of the information on a blockchain. For example, imagine that you sent 0.025 Ether (ETH) from your wallet to the following public address: 0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a.
You also paid a transaction fee of 0.001559212674537 ETH. After completing the transaction, your wallet displays this TXID:
0x80a3cc0f344651b3de745b2f1efbe8d35d4f348e95b345c8a840ebf955414fa5.
Let's say you want to check the confirmation count of the transaction and see if it was sent successfully.
1. Go to the Etherscan homepage and find the search box at the top of the page.
2. Next, copy and paste the transaction number (TXID) into the search box and tap the search icon.
3. You can now view all the details regarding your specific transaction:
4. You can also tap the [Click to view more] button to get more detailed information, but for now, let's just review the default view:
From the data above, it is easy to see that the transaction was successful and received enough confirmations. You can also check the status of your transaction by viewing the receiving wallet.
To do this, you will need to return to the search bar and paste the wallet receipt address:
0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a
At the bottom of the page we can see the list of all transactions associated with the address:
The transaction in red is the 0.025 ETH transaction you originally sent. You can see it marked as Inbound, indicating that it is an incoming transaction. At the top of the page you can also see an overview of the wallet balance.
How to search for smart contracts on Etherscan?
If you regularly interact with smart contracts in DApps, it's good to learn how to find them on Etherscan. This way you can verify that you are sending your funds to the correct contract.
If you need to add a new token to your wallet, you will need to find the contract address of the token. The smart contract address contains the logic of the token, such as how token transfers are performed as well as other behaviors.
To find the address of a token, you can go to CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, or to the official project website. You can also visit https://etherscan.io/tokens.
Always make sure you are adding the correct token address by double-checking it with the websites mentioned above. Let’s take a look at the ERC-20 Uniswap token on Ethereum:
0x1f9840a85d5af5bf1d1762f925bdaddc4201f984
1. Copy and paste the smart contract address into the search box.
2. You will now see details about the contract balance and other general information regarding the Uniswap token (UNI) contract.
3. Below we have more options to view, including transactions, a comments section and the smart contract itself. Then click [Contract] to see the options available to interact with and read the Uniswap rules.
4. The [Read Contract] tab displays general information about the contract. It allows you, for example, to query the balance of specific addresses or wallets that have permission to use the token in your wallet.
Clicking [Write contract] allows you to interact directly with the contract. This is useful when DeFi platforms and DApps are unavailable, perhaps due to a technical issue or website outage. In some cases, you can try to interact with the smart contract without using the project API.
By clicking [Connect to Web3], you will be able to connect a crypto wallet like MetaMask or Binance Chain Wallet and interact with the contract.
The simplest thing here would be to carry out a token transfer. Using [Transfer From], you can transfer tokens from an address you have permission to to other addresses.
[Transfer] allows you to transfer the token associated with the contract from your connected wallet. The transaction below would send 1 UNI from our connected wallet to the address of the pasted receiving wallet. You should also make sure to include the correct amount of decimal places for the amount you wish to send.
Most users will never need to use these functions. However, it is still useful to know where they are in case you need to access funds stored in a smart contract.
How to check gas prices on Etherscan
Gas prices are part of Ethereum's transaction fees. These fees change depending on the block your transaction is included in. Each block has a fixed fee that differs based on network traffic. The Etherscan gas tracker shows you the difference in price and confirmation time for different gas prices. This is a useful tool for predicting roughly how crowded the network is and how much you will likely have to pay to make a simple transfer or interact with a more complex smart contract.
To conclude
Etherscan is free and easy to use, and it's a great tool when you need more information than your wallet or exchange can show you. For the most basic functions, you can learn how to use them in a short time. Etherscan is also the basis for other block explorers like BscScan, making your skills easily transferable. Whether you want to confirm the status of a transaction or view the smart contract of your favorite DApp, Etherscan is a good place to start.
