Blockchain explorers have come a long way since bitcoin’s early days. In the beginning there were none. Then there were basic ones that allowed users to search for specific wallet addresses or transactions. Fast forward to today and we’re blessed with a plethora of blockchain explorers that can be used to extract all kinds of data from multiple blockchains including hidden messages, block heights, and rich lists.
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Blockchain Explorers Are the Google of Cryptocurrencies
As giant public databases, blockchains, by their nature, are designed for exploration. It’s taken a while though for interfaces to be developed that facilitate such exploration. Cryptocurrency holders have traditionally used blockchain explorers to check on the progress of a transaction they’re sending or receiving, or to check the balance of a particular address, but the use cases for these tools doesn’t end there. Feature-rich blockchain explorers serve as the Google of cryptocurrencies, revealing all kinds of previously hidden or hard to access data.
The Bitcoin.com explorer
The Bitcoin Wiki credits Blockexplorer.com as being the first dedicated tool of its kind, which was developed by Bitcointalk forum owner Theymos, who’s since sold it. It came online in November 2010, and while still operational today, is one of the lesser known blockchain explorers. The following five are among the best-known and most versatile explorers on the web today.
Blockchain.com
Blockchain.com, which until recently resided at Blockchain.org, is probably the best known BTC explorer. While its functions are basic by the standards of today’s explorers – you can search by block, transaction, or address – it’s trusted, reliable, and well presented. The site also provides a wealth of stats pertaining
