POA Network, the Ethereum-based platform offering an open-source framework for smart contracts, has just announced that it has unveiled BlockScout, the first full featured open-source block explorer tool for the Ethereum ecosystem. BlockScout is a secure tool that lets users search and explore transactions, addresses, and balances on the Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, and POA Network blockchains.
BlockScout lets users view detailed information on blocks, balances, transactions, and token transfers both in the past and as they occur in real-time on an intuitive interface. BlockScout lets anyone contribute to its development and customize the tool to suit their own needs. BlockScout also offers developers broad functionality, a flexible API, and support for ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens. Additional features include smart contract verification, smart contract querying, and real-time tracking of block confirmations.
Igor Barinov, Tech Lead of POA Network, said:
While building POA Network, we realized the existing block explorer options were closed source and limited in functionality. This meant we couldn’t propose updates, contribute to development or integrate sidechain platforms. BlockScout sets a new standard for blockchain exploration tools by providing detailed insights for users looking to easily verify transactions on the Ethereum blockchain, sidechains, and private chains.
Initially funded by POA Network and a grant from ETHPrize, a beta version of BlockScout was released on GitHub for community input in August 2018 after nearly a year of development. With more than 2,000 commits and 27 community contributors, BlockScout has matured into a feature-rich product that meets the need for a robust block explorer functioning on multiple blockchains.
Andrew Cravenho, BlockScout Project Lead, commented:
It’s thanks to the hard work of our technical contributors and the detailed feedback from our dedicated community that BlockScout is so advanced in functionality. We are proud to deliver a high-quality product that is open and available to all users, and remain committed to closely collaborating with our ever-expanding community to refine and strengthen BlockScout.