Introduction to Etherscan
Etherscan is a leading block explorer and analytics platform for the Ethereum blockchain, enabling users to track transactions, verify smart contracts, and analyze on-chain data with transparency.
Core Features of Etherscan
Transaction Tracking (Under "BLOCKCHAIN" tab):
- Search by transaction hash, address, or block number.
- View gas fees, status (pending/confirmed), and contract interactions.
Block Exploration:
- Inspect block details (timestamp, miner, gas used).
- Monitor uncle blocks and rewards.
Account Profiling (Under "ACCOUNT" tab):
- Check ETH/token balances.
- Analyze transaction history.
Token Analytics (Under "TOKEN" tab):
- Track ERC-20/ERC-721 token transfers.
- Verify token contracts and holders.
Advanced Tools
Data Visualization (Under "CHARTS" tab):
- Network Metrics: Hash rate, difficulty, pending transactions.
- Economic Insights: ETH price history, supply growth, gas fee trends.
- Blockchain Health: Avg. block time, gas limits, daily gas consumption.
Mining Calculator (Under "MISC" tab):
- Estimate profitability based on hash rate and electricity costs.
Testnet Support:
- Explore Ropsten, Kovan, and Rinkeby test networks for development.
👉 Master Ethereum analytics with Etherscan
ETHERQL: Querying Ethereum with SQL
ETHERQL bridges blockchain data with SQL queries, offering structured access to Ethereum’s decentralized ledger.
Key Components
Synchronization Manager:
- Streams real-time blockchain data to a queryable database.
Handler Chain:
- Processes blocks and transactions through modular pipelines.
Persistence Framework:
- Stores indexed data for low-latency queries.
Developer API:
- Supports custom SQL queries (e.g.,
SELECT * FROM transactions WHERE value > 1 ETH).
- Supports custom SQL queries (e.g.,
Implementation:
- Optimized for scalability, handling high-throughput chains like Ethereum.
👉 Explore ETHERQL’s SQL capabilities
FAQ
Q1: How does Etherscan verify smart contracts?
A: Etherscan compiles contract bytecode and matches it against deployed addresses, displaying verified source code for transparency.
Q2: Can ETHERQL query historical gas prices?
A: Yes! Use SQL like SELECT AVG(gas_price) FROM blocks WHERE timestamp > '2024-01-01'.
Q3: Is Etherscan free to use?
A: Absolutely—no account required for browsing, but API calls have rate limits.
Q4: What’s the difference between Etherscan and Etherchain?
A: Etherscan offers richer analytics and token support, while Etherchain focuses on raw blockchain data.
Q5: How often does ETHERQL sync with Ethereum?
A: Near real-time, with sub-10-second delays for new blocks.