Key Takeaways
Etherscan is a free block explorer for the Ethereum network that allows anyone to search transactions, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and on-chain data.
No account is required for basic use, but registering will unlock extras such as transaction alerts and developer API access.
Etherscan V2, launched in 2024, introduced a redesigned interface and unified multi-chain search across Ethereum and supported Layer 2 networks.
Etherscan is a block explorer for the Ethereum blockchain. Whether you want to verify that a transaction has arrived, check what a smart contract does before interacting with it, or review which protocols have permission to spend your tokens, Etherscan gives you free access to public on-chain data. This guide covers the main features and how to use each one.
What Is Etherscan?
Etherscan indexes all public activity on the Ethereum network and presents it in a searchable format. You can look up any transaction, wallet address, smart contract, or token using a transaction hash, wallet address, or contract address. All activity on Ethereum is publicly visible, and Etherscan works as a search engine for this data.
Etherscan V2, launched in 2024, introduced a redesigned interface and unified multi-chain search. Users can now search across Ethereum mainnet and a range of supported Layer 2 networks from a single platform, making it easier to track activity across the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
Do I Need an Account to Use Etherscan?
You don’t need to create an account to use most of Etherscan's features. Basic searches require only a wallet address, transaction ID (TXID), or contract address.
Creating a free Etherscan account unlocks additional functionality, including transaction alerts for specific wallet addresses, access to the developer API, and the ability to set up custom data feeds.
Etherscan does not provide a crypto wallet. To make transactions on Ethereum, you will need a separate wallet such as MetaMask or Binance Wallet.
Why Should I Use Etherscan?
Etherscan gives you transparency into your own on-chain activity and the broader Ethereum ecosystem. Common reasons to use it include:
Confirming whether a transaction has been received and finalized
Verifying the smart contract behind a DApp before interacting with it
Reviewing and revoking token approvals to reduce exposure to potential contract exploits
Researching tokens before buying, including checking the contract address and holder distribution
Spotting potential rug pulls by checking what project developers are doing with their tokens
Checking whether a wallet address has been flagged by the community for scams or phishing
How to Find a Transaction or Wallet on Etherscan
Tracking a transaction is one of the most common reasons to visit Etherscan:
Go to etherscan.io and paste your transaction hash into the search bar at the top of the page. For this guide, we’ll use a public TXID: 0xf248c7e015245926f150006c8a5584d84259a23a8c5171282c95e3c2e2a1c292
Press enter to open the transaction detail page.
Key fields on the transaction detail page:
Transaction Hash: the unique identifier for this transaction
Status: whether the transaction succeeded, failed, or is pending
Block: the block number the transaction was included in, plus the confirmation count
Timestamp: when the block containing the transaction was added to the chain
From / To: the sending address and the receiving address or smart contract
Value: the amount of ETH transferred
Transaction Fee: the total fee paid to process the transaction
Gas Price: the cost per unit of gas for the transaction
To check a wallet rather than a single transaction, paste the wallet address into the search bar instead. We’ll use the receiving wallet address from the above transaction we just tracked as an example, the address being: 0x52a94197CCCB021c930aC17EA1b309296dA16ea1
The wallet overview page shows the current ETH balance, token holdings, and a full transaction history. Scroll down a little and sure enough, we’ll see the transaction that we just searched up.
One thing worth noting: following the Dencun upgrade in March 2024, Ethereum introduced a new transaction type as part of EIP-4844. If you see a transaction labeled as blob-carrying on Etherscan, it relates to data posted to Ethereum by a Layer 2 network rather than a standard ETH transfer.
How to Find a Token Contract Address on Etherscan
If you need to add a token to your wallet manually or verify you are interacting with a legitimate contract, here is how to find it:
Open Etherscan's Token Tracker page from the main navigation.
Tokens are sorted by market cap by default. Use the search field to find the token you are looking for.
Click the token to open its detail page. You can then find the contract address under the "Other Info" section.
Cross-referencing a token's contract address against the project's official website or verified sources can reduce the risk of interacting with a copycat token.
How to Look Up Smart Contracts on Etherscan
You can read and interact with smart contracts directly through Etherscan. Using the Uniswap ERC-20 token contract as an example, where its address is 0x1f9840a85d5aF5bf1D1762F925BDADdC4201F984:
Paste the contract address into the Etherscan search bar.
From the contract overview page, click the [Contract] tab.
The [Read Contract] tab lets you query publicly available contract data, such as checking the token balance of a specific wallet or reviewing spending permissions that have been granted.
The [Write Contract] tab lets you interact directly with the contract. This can be useful when a DeFi platform's website is unavailable and you need to access funds or execute an action through the contract itself. Click [Connect to Web3] to link a wallet such as MetaMask or Binance Web3 Wallet before using this feature.
Etherscan also offers an AI-powered Code Reader that can explain what a smart contract's code does in plain language.
This is particularly useful if you want to understand a contract's behavior before interacting with it but are not familiar with Solidity.
How to Check Gas Prices on Etherscan
Gas fees on Ethereum change based on network demand. Etherscan's Gas Tracker displays current gas prices across different speed tiers, alongside estimated wait times. This helps you estimate how much a transaction will cost and decide whether to send it immediately or wait for lower congestion.
The Gas Tracker also includes a historical gas price chart, which can help identify periods of lower network activity if you have some flexibility on timing.
How to Check and Revoke Token Approvals
When you interact with a DeFi protocol or DApp, you typically grant its smart contract permission to spend tokens from your wallet. These permissions, called token approvals, remain active indefinitely unless you revoke them. An unlimited approval to a contract that is later exploited can put your funds at risk.
Here’s how you can use Etherscan's Token Approval Checker to manage these permissions:
You can find the Token Approval Checker under the [More] tab on the Etherscan homepage.
Connect your wallet to view all active approvals linked to your address.
Review which contracts have permission to spend your tokens and the approved amount for each.
Click Revoke on any approval you no longer need and confirm the transaction in your wallet.
A small gas fee is required to process each revocation, as revoking an approval is itself a transaction on Ethereum. Reviewing active approvals periodically is a practical security habit, particularly after using new DeFi protocols or participating in airdrops.
Closing Thoughts
Etherscan is free and easy to use. It's a great tool when you want to find out more information than you can get directly from your wallet or exchange. Etherscan is also the basis for other block explorers like BscScan, so learning to use means you can have skills that are easily transferable. Whether you want to confirm a transaction’s status or check out your favorite DApp’s smart contract, Etherscan is a good place to start.
Further Reading
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