What is Etherscan and how do you use it?

Etherscan is the most widely used Ethereum blockchain explorer. It turns raw on-chain data into searchable records of transactions, wallets, smart contracts, and gas costs. Summary Etherscan is a free blockchain explorer and analytics platform that indexes every transaction, address, token transfer, and smart contract deployed on Ethereum since the network launched in 2015. Founded by Matthew Tan in 2015, Etherscan now operates explorers for more than 30 blockchains through its parent company Blockscan, including BscScan, PolygonScan, and the acquired Solana explorer Solscan. The platform processes data from over 2.8 billion cumulative Ethereum transactions and tracks more than 300 million unique addresses. Core features include a gas tracker, token approval checker, contract verification tool, and an API that serves over 500 million calls per day from wallets, portfolio trackers, and DeFi dashboards. Etherscan is not a wallet and cannot move funds; it is a read-only window into blockchain activity that anyone can use without creating an account. Most people encounter Etherscan for the first time when a transaction takes longer than expected and they want to know what happened. The...