What is Etherscan? A Beginner's Guide to the Ethereum Block Explorer
Etherscan lets you look up any Ethereum transaction, wallet, or smart contract in seconds. Here's what it shows you and how to use it.
What is Etherscan?
Etherscan is a block explorer for the Ethereum network. It is a website that lets you look up any transaction, wallet address, token, or smart contract on Ethereum. Think of it as a public search engine for the blockchain.
Because Ethereum is transparent by design, every transaction ever made is permanently recorded on-chain. Etherscan reads that data and presents it in a format that humans can actually understand. It was launched in 2015 by Matthew Tan and has become the default tool for anyone who wants to verify what is happening on Ethereum.
Etherscan does not hold any funds. It is read-only. You cannot send transactions from it. It just shows you what is already there.
What Can You Look Up?
| What you want to find | How to search |
|---|---|
| A specific transaction | Paste the transaction hash (0x…) into the search bar |
| Your wallet balance and history | Paste your wallet address (0x…) |
| An ERC-20 token and its holders | Search the token name or contract address |
| A smart contract’s code | Paste the contract address |
| Current gas prices | Go to etherscan.io/gastracker |
Everything on Etherscan is public. If someone sends you ETH, they can see your full transaction history just by searching your address. This is normal and expected on a public blockchain.
How to Read a Transaction
When you search a transaction hash on Etherscan, you see a page with several fields. Here is what the most important ones mean:
- Status: Shows “Success” or “Failed.” A failed transaction still costs gas.
- Block: The block number the transaction was included in. Higher is more recent.
- Timestamp: Exact date and time the transaction was confirmed.
- From: The wallet address that sent the transaction.
- To: The wallet address or smart contract that received it.
- Value: How much ETH was transferred.
- Transaction Fee: What was paid in gas. Calculated as (Base Fee + Priority Fee) x Gas Used.
- Gas Price: The fee rate in Gwei at the time of the transaction.
If you sent ERC-20 tokens instead of ETH, look at the “ERC-20 Tokens Transferred” section lower on the page. Token transfers show the token amount, name, and the sender and receiver addresses.
How to Check Your Wallet
Paste your wallet address into the Etherscan search bar and you get a full picture of that address:
- ETH Balance: Current balance in ETH and its USD equivalent
- Token Holdings: All ERC-20 tokens held by the address
- Transactions tab: Complete history of every transaction, oldest to newest
- Token Transfers tab: Only token movements, separated from ETH transfers
- NFT tab: Any ERC-721 or ERC-1155 tokens (NFTs) held
This is useful for verifying that a transaction you sent actually arrived. If someone claims they sent you ETH and you cannot see it, search your address on Etherscan. If the transfer is not there, it was never sent.
Your crypto wallet can also display this same information, but Etherscan is the raw source of truth directly from the blockchain.
The Gas Tracker
The Etherscan Gas Tracker shows you the current cost of transactions in real time, displayed as Gwei. It breaks down fees into three tiers: slow, standard, and fast.
Use the Gas Tracker when you want to time a mainnet transaction for lower cost. Fees tend to be lowest on weekday nights (UTC) and weekends. For most everyday use, Layer 2 networks like Base and Arbitrum are a better option since their fees are under $0.01 regardless of Ethereum mainnet congestion. Learn more in our gas fees guide.
How to Check a Smart Contract
Any smart contract deployed on Ethereum has an address you can search on Etherscan. Once you find the contract page:
- Code tab: Shows whether the contract’s source code has been verified. Verified means the published code matches what is running on-chain. Unverified contracts are a red flag.
- Read Contract tab: Lets you call view functions on the contract without paying gas. Useful for checking a token’s total supply or your balance.
- Write Contract tab: Lets you interact with the contract’s functions by connecting your wallet.
Before buying an unfamiliar token, look up its contract address on Etherscan. Check that the code is verified and look at the transaction history. Large amounts of activity from many different addresses suggest genuine use. Wallets clustered around a single creator address is a red flag.
This is one of the most important habits in crypto. Our is Ethereum a scam guide covers how to protect yourself from scam tokens in more detail.
Is Etherscan Free?
Yes. Looking up transactions, addresses, and contracts on Etherscan is completely free. You do not need an account.
Etherscan offers paid API plans for developers who want to query blockchain data programmatically. The free API tier gives 5 calls per second with a limit of 100,000 calls per day. Paid plans start at around $199 per month for higher rate limits. For casual use, you will never need the API.
Is Etherscan Only for Ethereum?
No. Etherscan’s team has built block explorers for other EVM-compatible chains under different brand names:
| Network | Block Explorer |
|---|---|
| Ethereum mainnet | etherscan.io |
| Arbitrum | arbiscan.io |
| Base | basescan.org |
| Optimism | optimistic.etherscan.io |
| Polygon | polygonscan.com |
| BNB Chain | bscscan.com |
Each explorer works the same way: search a transaction hash or address from that network and you get the full on-chain details. If you use Layer 2 networks, you will interact with Arbiscan or Basescan regularly.
How Does Etherscan Make Money?
Etherscan generates revenue from API subscription plans sold to developers and businesses that need programmatic access to blockchain data. The site also runs display advertising. Some premium features, like enhanced analytics and alerts, require a free account. Etherscan is a private company and does not have publicly disclosed financials, but API subscriptions are their primary business model.
Related Guides
- Ethereum Gas Fees Explained — Understand what you are paying and why
- ERC-20 Tokens Guide — How to check token contracts safely
- Ethereum Layer 2 Networks — Use Arbiscan and Basescan for L2 transactions
- Crypto Wallets Guide — Set up a wallet before you start transacting
- Is Ethereum a Scam? — How to spot and avoid fraud