Block explorers connect directly to a specific blockchain, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. They allow the user to view and query individual blocks — providing visibility to anyone of the transactions or other actions made by holders of individual cryptocurrencies.Block explorers are a key part of cryptocurrency's mission of transparency and decentralization, and the universal visibility of all transaction data is one of the key differentiations between cryptocurrency and conventional currencies.
There are a wide range of block explorers available online, with the most popular including Mempool, Bitaps, Blockstream, Multihash, Blockchain Info, and Bitupper Explorer.
Most include the same or similar information at a glance, focusing on the last blocks that have been added to the blockchain, and the blocks that are about to be added next.
Within each block, information is given on block height, the age of the block, the block reward, the identity of the user or pool of users who mined the block, the TX (or transaction list) showing the number of transactions in the block, and the transaction status — that is, whether a transaction is pending or confirmed.In order to explore specific blocks or transactions, the user of a block explorer must input a specific query. Most commonly this will be the TXID, or transaction hash — a hex sequence used to uniquely identify a specific transaction.
While there are many block explorers on offer, relatively few of them support SegWit, the upgrade to the Bitcoin blockchain activated in 2017. SegWit-enabled block explorers include Bitaps, Apirone, Blockchair, Bitupper, Cryptoid Chainz, and Poolin Explorer.
Related Articles
Blockchain Explorer
Blockchain explorers facilitate one of the most important features of blockchain technology — browsing through the records of the distributed ledger. Transparency is one of the main characteristics of cryptocurrencies, and blockchain explorers allow ...
Block
Blocks are ordered sequentially, with new blocks added to the end of the chain. Every block contains a reference to the preceding block, in the form of a hash. This is one of the key security features of blockchain technology, making it virtually ...
Block Time
Block time refers to the approximate time it takes for a blockchain-based system to produce a new block, dictating the speed of transaction confirmation, which is measured in transactions per second (TPS). When a block reaches completion, it appears ...
Block Size
Blocks are some of the smallest components in a blockchain ledger. Essentially, blocks are bundles of transaction data clumped together, which are later combined in a chain that forms the distributed ledger. Block size is pretty straightforward — it ...
Block Reward
Blockchains are sequences of individual blocks, each of which contains a record of transactions completed within a given period. Each block has an associated cryptographic hashing problem. This problem must be solved in order for the block to be ...