Building an Explorer for Everyone

Block explorers function as the de facto front-end for blockchain data. They provide transparency for transaction, block, address, and contract information, as well as analytical insights into transfers, block times, gas prices, and accounts. They display essential context for additional project data, token information, and related tags.

Block explorers also support blockchain developers through API access, contract verification, and contract interaction tools. For Layer 2s, they serve not only the L2 transaction data but also provide views of the underlying L1 data so that users can get the complete picture as batches travel between layers.

Block explorers are integral infrastructure for a decentralized ecosystem. At Blockscout, we build an open-source explorer that can be used by all EVM chains. Chains are free to fork Blockscout, customize it as they see fit, and use it to support their network.

Open-source block explorers are a vital public good

Just as we need multiple clients for Ethereum, we need multiple explorers and tooling diversity for the Ethereum and rollup ecosystem. If (or when) an explorer is down, others are there to step in and support.

This redundancy is important, but it is not Blockscout's sole mission. Our mission is to provide a first-class, open-source, decentralized explorer for all users—an explorer built by and for the community that can provide everything users, developers, and projects need to successfully explore and develop on a chain.

Over the past year, we've been working hard on Blockscout. Thanks to community contributions, we've optimized Blockscout for speed while overhauling the front-end for ease of use. We've introduced tools to make smart contract verification much easier and added tagging, account functionality, marketplace features, and more.

With your help, we will continue adding tools and features to support Ethereum and the network of L2s and L3s building on top.

Open-source explorers support the entire ecosystem

EVM blockchains and L2s including zk rollups and optimistic rollups need open-source explorers and tooling to support:

• Freely available data
• Data accuracy checks
• Redundancy and resiliency
• Community-driven features, customizations and innovations
• Transparency
• Quick, cost-effective implementation, especially for testnets
• Small chain and niche chain support
• Consistent multi-chain experience
• Ongoing, fast feature development
• Trustlessness and auditability
• Security through malicious contract and address labelling, and security scoring for contracts.

Blockscout is a community-driven solution

Blockscout has been in production for more than 6 years. We continue to build and improve an open-source explorer used by 600+ chains in the space including most testnets + a hosted Ethereum mainnet and testnet instances provided as public goods.

Blockscout is used by all types of chains to quickly spin up an instance and provide transactional transparency right away for their users. We continue to make strides with our interface, indexing speed and optimization, and your help is vital to continued improvements and development.

How your funds will be used

Through contributions from previous Gitcoin Grants Round we've been able to fully open-source the Blockscout UI, introduce MyAccount, create the DAppscout marketplace and provide ENS support!

We are continuing to work on our project roadmap for the remainder of the year to include better AA (account abstraction) and DA (Data Availability) support. We are also working on a multichain explorer environment designed to help tie the diverse ecosystem of L1s, L2s and L3s together.

You can learn more about additional items we are working on (or to make a suggestion or get involved), please see our Roadmap and the Blockscout Docs.

As we continue to decentralize the future, the tools and infrastructure supporting decentralization must also follow this pattern. We appreciate your funding to support an open-source, premium block explorer - by and for the community!

If you have donated to us previously through Gitcoin, please check out our new Blockscout badges website and mint your Gitty Up badge to show your participation and commitment to open-source exploration!

Thank You!