What is a blockchain explorer?

By PlatformCrypto.eu editorial team · Last checked on 20 October 2026

Short answer

A blockchain explorer is a website that shows everything recorded on a blockchain: transactions, addresses and blocks. Paste in a transaction ID and you can see whether your crypto was sent, how many confirmations it has and what network fee was paid.

Public blockchains are open ledgers. Anyone can see which addresses sent what to whom, though not who controls those addresses. An explorer turns that raw data into readable pages. Each network has at least one: Etherscan for Ethereum, mempool.space for Bitcoin and Solscan for Solana. Every network page on this site names the explorer for that network.

What can you search for?

A transaction ID, also called a hash or TxID: a long string that identifies one transaction. Exchanges and wallets display it once a transfer has been broadcast.
An address: you see its balance and full history.
A block: you see which transactions it contains, when it was produced and by whom.

Checking a withdrawal step by step

After you withdraw from an exchange, copy the transaction ID from your withdrawal history and paste it into the explorer of the network you selected. Then look at:

Status. Is the transaction still pending, or included in a block?
Confirmations. How many blocks have followed since. Exchanges wait for a set number before crediting a deposit.
Recipient. Does the destination match the address you entered, character for character?
Fee. What was paid to the network; see what gas fees are.

If the explorer shows a confirmed transaction to the right address but your wallet shows nothing, the wallet may be looking at another network or may not display that token yet. If the network was wrong, read what to do after sending crypto to the wrong network.

Other uses

Verifying a token. On Ethereum and similar chains, each token has a contract address. Compare it with the address the issuer publishes before buying on a decentralised exchange, so you do not end up with a copycat.
Evidence for support. Exchange help desks and banks ask for the transaction ID; a link from the explorer settles most questions quickly.
After a theft. You can follow where funds went. An explorer cannot recover them, but the trail helps the police; see crypto stolen: what can you do.

A note on privacy

Addresses carry no names, but once someone links an address to you, your whole history on it is visible. Share addresses only when you need to. Licensed exchanges know which addresses you withdraw to, because the EU's travel rule requires them to record it.

If you hold crypto yourself, our wallet guide compares five well-known wallets. To buy before you withdraw, the comparer shows which licensed exchange gives you the most crypto for your euros.