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Etherscan

by Etherscan · API service · also known as Etherscan API

Ethereum block explorer and multichain REST API exposing balances, transactions, token transfers, verified contract source, logs and gas data

ProprietaryFreemiumPaidUsage-basedCloud
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Etherscan is the most widely used block explorer for Ethereum and, through its API, a data service covering dozens of EVM-compatible chains with a single API key and a chain identifier parameter. The website lets anyone inspect blocks, transactions, addresses, tokens and verified smart-contract source code; the REST API returns the same information as JSON for account balances and transaction lists, token transfers, contract ABIs and source, event logs, gas oracle estimates and network statistics, plus proxied JSON-RPC calls. Rate limits vary by plan, from a free tier for light use to paid tiers for higher throughput. It is used by wallets, analytics teams and researchers studying on-chain activity. Data is served from Etherscan's indexers rather than your own node, so availability and historical depth depend on the provider, and bulk historical extraction is better served by node access or dedicated datasets.

Capabilities

  • Block, transaction, address and token exploration on the web
  • Multichain REST API with one key across EVM networks
  • Verified contract source code and ABIs
  • Event log queries and internal transactions
  • Gas price oracle and network statistics
  • Proxy endpoints for JSON-RPC methods

Typical workflows

  1. Pull a wallet's transaction history for an empirical study
  2. Fetch a contract ABI to decode events in a pipeline

Strengths

  • Widely trusted explorer with verified-source registry
  • Single key for many chains

Limitations

  • Rate limits by plan; bulk history is slow through the API
  • Dependence on a third-party indexer
  • EVM chains only

Prerequisites

  • Etherscan account and API key

Who it is for

  • Blockchain developers
  • Crypto researchers and analysts

Alternatives & comparison

Kraken's API covers exchange trading and prices rather than on-chain state. Within the open-data category Etherscan is unusual in indexing a public ledger instead of government statistics; running your own node or using a blockchain dataset is the main alternative for bulk work.

  • Kraken API

    REST, WebSocket and FIX interfaces to the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange for market data, spot and derivatives trading and account management

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  • World Bank Open Data

    Free access to World Bank development indicators by country and year through a web portal, bulk downloads and a public REST API

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Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

  • Official documentation
    Etherscan API documentation

    https://docs.etherscan.io/

    Supports: capabilities, interfaces

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    Etherscan

    https://etherscan.io/

    Supports: name, summary

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Pricing page
    Etherscan API plans

    https://etherscan.io/api/pricing

    Supports: pricing_model, limitations

    checked Nov 1, 2026
Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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