Block explorer (blockchain explorer) is a convenient tool in the form of a web application that allows you to view blocks, cryptocurrency addresses, network complexity, transaction data, and mempool status. Essentially a search engine. With the help of Bitcoin block explorers, you can navigate through the blockchain, just like using search engine browsers on the Internet.
Bitcoin Explorer may seem confusing at first, but if you continue to use it, it will become clear that it is very effective. The Bitcoin block explorer allows you to explore the entire blockchain of the payment system you are using.
You cannot use a specific browser to explore any blockchain. Each blockchain has its own block explorer. Using the Bitcoin block explorer, you will not be able to track a transaction on the Ethereum or Litecoin network, as they have separate explorers.
How to check your Bitcoin wallet balance
The peculiarity of storing BTC is that it is not the coins themselves that are stored, but a combination of private keys and transaction history. The balance is formed based on the calculation of incoming and outgoing transactions using a simple formula: the amount of incoming minus the amount of outgoing = balance. For example, if during the entire existence of your wallet you received 5 BTC and spent 2 BTC, then the system calculates the balance 5 – 2 = 3 BTC.
What is a Bitcoin address and what does it look like?
A Bitcoin address is a combination of letters and numbers that acts as details, that is, it is to it that the counterparty transfers funds to you. An unlimited number of addresses can be linked to one wallet (if we are talking about HD-type wallets, which most services belong to today). Typically, after receiving each subsequent incoming transaction, the wallet generates a new address.
Existing Bitcoin address formats:
- Standard Legacy address (starts with the number “1”), for example: 1BUrDeWstWetqBFn7Au8m4JFg2xJaKVN4
- Improved P2SH address (starts with the number "3"), for example: 3H28N5WuREZ99CNmhWcRcrnykWrMqkhFyWN
- An even more advanced Bech32 (starts with the letters “bc”), which is also called a SegWit address or P2WPKH. For example: bc1uf5tdn87k7uz7r2kl5zrfww362ch3746lq5vse7
How to check the balance in a Bitcoin wallet
The easiest way to find out the balance of your Bitcoin address is to go to the wallet you are using. It is important to use the exact login information and keys that relate to the address you typically use to receive funds.
You will definitely find your wallet balance right away - it is usually indicated large on the main page. If the wallet is multi-currency, then you may need to select the cryptocurrency of interest to view the balance for it.
For example, in the Jaxx wallet on the right you can see the value of all your savings in dollars, and on the left you can see balances for specific cryptocurrencies:
check the balance of Bitcoin addresses through the JAXX cryptocurrency wallet
If you use an exchange or electronic payment system to store BTC, you will also need to log in and view the balance for the desired cryptocurrency.
How to find out your or someone else's BTC address
You can view your current address in the “Receive”, “Receive” or “Request” section of your wallet. There, if necessary, you can generate a new one.
He must give you the address for transfer to another person himself . If you are going to transfer to a service, for example, when using an exchange or exchanger, then they also provide addresses for deposits.
You may need to find out the BTC address of a large service. As a rule, exchanges and other world-class companies do not hide this information. There is a WalletExprorer service that provides information about all top wallets and transactions on them. For example, the transaction history for Huobi exchange wallets :
Why check btc?
- Bitcoins are used to pay for drugs, weapons, and other illegal transactions. By buying such bitcoins you become an accomplice to the crime.
- The FATF Recommendations, as well as AMLD5, which came into force on January 10, 2020, oblige all exchanges to verify the origin of cryptocurrency and block suspicious funds.
- There are thousands of reports of exchanges blocking suspicious bitcoins. Do a bitcoin check every time you trade, and this will reduce the risk of blocking and losing your bitcoins.
How to find out the balance of your or someone else's BTC address via blockchain
The blockchain of Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies uses powerful cryptographic techniques that encrypt the user's identity. Using wallets does not require registration or providing personal information. Therefore, it is quite difficult (though not impossible) to associate a public address with a specific person or company.
At the same time, the blockchain is transparent - that is, transactions and savings associated with each address are freely open for viewing by anyone through specialized services called blockchain browsers.
Let's consider services through which you can quickly, legally and absolutely free check the balance of any Bitcoin address:
Blockchain.com Columnist
Go to https://www.blockchain.com/explorer?view=btc
In the search field at the top, insert the address where you want to find out the balance and press Enter.
How to find out the balance of your or someone else's BTC address through the Blockchain.com browser
You'll probably see a choice like this:
Choosing a blockchain for checking address balance in the Bitcoin network
The fact is that at a certain point the Bitcoin network branched and the Bitcoin Cash blockchain came from it. The specified address is on both networks. But we are interested in Bitcoin, so we choose this option.
On the page that opens there are:
Bitcoin address balance information
- QR code for quickly transferring BTC to this address;
- Address format information;
- The total number of transactions associated with it;
- The total amount of cryptocurrency received.
- The total amount of cryptocurrency sent.
- Final balance.
- Below is a list of all transactions associated with the address.
The example presented is the first Bitcoin address in history, believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto. As we can see, nothing was ever sent from it, but 68 BTC were received during its existence.
BTC.com Columnist
The explorer is located at https://explorer.btc.com/. There is no Russian-language interface.
check the balance of a Bitcoin wallet address through the BTC.com browser
Paste the address and click Search. For example, we use an address under the control of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange.
As in the previous case, you will need to select a network, select Bitcoin.
choosing the right blockchain: Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash
The address page provides information about the total number of coins sent and received, the current balance, the format of the address itself, and all recent transactions. For example, 109,232 BTC were credited to this address and exactly the same amount was sent, all this took 17 transactions.
complete information about the balance of the desired Bitcoin wallet address
aWebAnalysis – checking several Bitcoin addresses at once
On the page https://awebanalysis.com/ru/bitcoin-multiple-address-check-balance/ you can check several addresses you are interested in at once. This is very easy to do.
Go to the specified page and insert all the addresses you are looking for into the field so that each of them is located on a new line (maximum 50 pcs).
mass balance check of Bitcoin addresses via aWebAnalysis
Then check the “I am not a robot” checkbox and click the “Check Bitcoin Address Balance and Details” button.
After a couple of seconds you will see the information you are interested in:
information about each BTC address
For each address, the number of transactions, the total amount received, and the final balance in BTC and USD are indicated here. In addition, summary information for all addresses will be indicated below. This is convenient if you know several addresses of a person or company at once and want to quickly find out how much money they have at their disposal.
Bitcoin blockchain explorer
Blockchain explorers can be official - directly from the coin developers, or third-party, supported by various crypto services.
In the btc browser, enter the bitcoin address, transaction hash or block number (height) into the search bar, and you will receive expanded information on your request. Under the search bar, you can notice 4 important indicators - the current market price of BTC (in dollars), the complexity of the Bitcoin network (in hashes), the number of unconfirmed transactions, and the size of the mempool (in bytes). Below them there are 2 feeds in the form of tabs: a feed of recently mined blocks, a feed of recently completed btc transactions.
What is a block explorer Blockchain.info
Not long ago we reviewed Etherscan , one of the most popular explorers on the Ethereum network. Many readers have asked us if something similar exists for the Bitcoin network. Of course. Today we will tell you about Blockchain.info, a Bitcoin statistics service that performs a lot of useful functions.
Charts
By clicking on the link, you can see dozens of different graphs that help assess the state of the network and provide the necessary information for retrospective analysis.
What exactly can you see on the site?
popular section features 4 graphs (price in dollars, average block size, number of transactions completed in the last 24 hours, and meme pool size ).
When you click on each of the characteristics, a graph will open where you can set the time range of interest, as well as download the data in . csv or . json. It is also possible to export the image in the desired resolution.
The following sections reflect currency statistics and block information. Here you can see changes in trading volume , market capitalization , average block size , transaction confirmation time and much more.
The following is a group of diagrams dedicated to mining (read more about mining in our article ). Here are characteristics such as the distribution of hashrate (the total computing power of computers included in the network) between pools (associations of miners), the difficulty of finding one block , the average profit of miners and the recommended fee for conducting a transaction in the Bitcoin network.
The final sections are Network Activity and Wallet Owner Activity. No less important information for both the investor and the miner. A more detailed distribution of transactions in the processing queue , the volume of transactions in $, the number of unique addresses and the number of users - all this can be viewed here.
This is how we learned that at the time of writing, the number of registered Bitcoin wallets was more than 24,800,000 units.
general Statistics
For those who do not want to go into all the details, but still need to assess the current activity of the network, the site has a Bitcoin Stats section. It contains information in a compressed form.
Wallet
To make transactions with bitcoins, you need a wallet or account on the exchange. There are many options (read our article “ 5 types of cryptocurrency wallets ”), they differ in the degree of convenience, functionality and security. The main difference is the way private keys are stored (with some assumptions they can be compared to an account password, read more here ). The Blockchain.info wallet, unfortunately, involves storing private keys on the company’s servers, so we recommend refraining from registration. We recommend paying attention to Bitcoin Core, Armory, Multibit or Exodus.
Blockchain.info also provides B2B services.
