TL;DR
A blockchain explorer for the Ethereum network is called Etherscan. You may search through transactions, blocks, wallet addresses, smart contracts, and other on-chain information on the website. It is one of the most well-known and cost-free Ethereum blockchain viewers.
You can better understand how you interact with the blockchain, other wallets, and DApps by using Etherscan. This information can also aid in keeping you secure and identifying questionable activity.
A wallet address, transaction ID (TXID), contract address, or other identifier can be pasted into the search area to use Etherscan. Depending on what you're looking at, you'll see different information, but for the most part, you'll see connected transactions, addresses, timestamps, and quantities.
Additionally, you may use Etherscan to directly communicate with smart contracts to conduct transactions, check gas prices, and look for airdrops.

Introduction

Learning how to use the blockchain is really helpful if you use Ethereum for more than just HODLing or sending a few transactions. Etherscan is one of the most widely used choices, making it a great place to start while learning the fundamentals. The majority of the functions may be used without connecting your wallet or even creating an account. Let's go over the most popular applications for Etherscan and what you can do with the data you discover.

What is Etherscan, exactly?

You may access the public data on transactions, smart contracts, addresses, and other items on the Ethereum blockchain using Etherscan, a block explorer. Since every transaction made on Ethereum is visible to everyone, you may search through all of them using Etherscan. To inspect all associated activities, including tokens, smart contracts, and wallet addresses, you can utilize a transaction hash (transaction ID).
Etherscan doesn't require registration, although doing so gives you access to more features. For instance, you can use developer tools, set up data feeds, and establish alerts to be informed of incoming transactions.
You are not given an Ethereum wallet by Etherscan to use or save any of your private keys. Additionally, you cannot trade with it. It solely serves as a source of blockchain data and a repository for smart contract data. You'll need a crypto wallet, such as Trust Wallet, MetaMask, or Math Wallet to conduct transactions or store cryptocurrency.

Why should I utilize Etherscan?

One of the most dependable and well-known block explorers for Ethereum is Etherscan. It's more crucial to comprehend why you should inspect on-chain data using a block explorer like Etherscan. Understanding how you interact with the blockchain can improve your comprehension of how DApps and transactions work. Additionally, this information might help you stay safe and identify shady blockchain activity.
For instance, whale alerts notify you when significant quantities of a cryptocurrency are transferred to an exchange. This information might indicate a significant sell-off, albeit this isn't always the case. Additionally, you can track what a project's creators are doing with their tokens. This will enable you to recognize potential scams or "rug pulls," where developers sell their currencies and abandon their enterprises.

How to use Etherscan to check for a transaction and wallet

Transaction tracking is one of Etherscan's fundamental features. The key to gaining access to the remaining data on a blockchain is understanding how to track your cryptocurrency. Consider sending 0.025 ether (ETH) to the public address 0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a from your wallet.
On top of that, you additionally paid a transaction fee of 0.001559212674537 ETH. Your wallet shows the following TXID after the transaction has been completed: 0x80a3cc0f344651b3de745b2f1efbe8d35d4f348e95b345c8a840ebf955414fa5.

Let's imagine you want to determine whether the transaction has been sent successfully by looking at the number of confirmations it has received.

1. Go to the homepage of Etherscan and look for the search bar at the top of the page.
2. The transaction ID (TXID) should then be copied and pasted into the search area before clicking the search icon.
3. You may now see all the information pertaining to your particular transaction:
4. For extra information, you may also click the [Click to view extra] option, but for now, let's simply go over the default display:

Hash transactions

The collection of characters (TXID) linked to your specific transaction.

Status

Whether your transaction was successful, failed, or is still being processed.

Block

the block number that contained your transaction. Additionally, you may observe how frequently your transaction has been confirmed. This is how many new blocks were added to the chain after the block from your transaction.

Timestamp

the block timestamp to which your transaction was appended.
performed the transaction from the wallet address.
To the smart contract or the receiving address.

Value

the sum transferred during the transaction.
Transaction Fee The cost incurred to complete the transaction.

Gas cost

The transaction's cost per unit of gas.

Type TXN

Information on whether a transaction was carried out under the new EIP-1559 block fee system (2) or the old legacy gas scheme (1).

It is clear from the statistics above that the transaction was successful and had a sufficient number of confirmations. You might also glance into the wallet of the recipient to see how your transaction is doing.
Return to the search bar and enter the following receiving wallet address: 0x480bbcb368197d44c6f54a738e59c33eff004b6a.

The list of all transactions connected with the address may be found at the page's bottom:

The 0.025 ETH you initially transferred is the transaction highlighted in red. It is clearly labeled as "In," indicating that it was sent to the address you looked for. You can also get a summary of the wallet's balance at the top of the page.

How to search Etherscan for smart contracts

It's a good idea to learn how to locate smart contracts on Etherscan if you frequently interact with them in DApps. By doing this, you can make sure that your money is going to the right contract.
You'll need to locate the token's contract address if you ever need to add a new token to your wallet. The token's logic, including how transfers between tokens work and other actions, is contained in the smart contract address.
Visit CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, or the project's official website to locate a token address. Additionally, you can look at https://etherscan.io/tokens.

Always double-check the token address you're adding with the websites given above to make sure it's accurate. Here is the ERC-20 token for Uniswap on Ethereum: 0x1f9840a85d5af5bf1d1762f925bdaddc4201f984

1. The smart contract address should be copied and pasted into the search form.
2. The Uniswap (UNI) token contract's balance details and other general information are now visible.
3. Additional views are available below, including transactions, a discussion forum, and the smart contract itself. To view the choices for interacting with and reading Uniswap's regulations, click [Contract] next.
4. You can view general contract information on the [Read Contract] tab. You can, for instance, check the balance of certain wallets or addresses that are authorized to utilize the token stored in your wallet.

You can interact with the contract directly by clicking [Write Contract]. This is helpful when DeFi platforms and DApps are down, either because of a website outage or a technical problem. Without accessing the project's API, you can attempt to interact with the smart contract in specific circumstances.
You can link a cryptocurrency wallet, such as MetaMask, and interact with the contract by clicking [link to Web3].

A transfer of coins would be the most straightforward move here. You can move tokens from an address to which you have access to other addresses by using [transferFrom].
You can transfer the token linked to the contract using [transfer] from your connected wallet. The following transaction would transfer 1 UNI from our connected wallet to the pasted-in recipient wallet address. Additionally, you must ensure that the number of decimals you use to represent the amount you intend to convey is accurate.

The majority of consumers won't ever require these functionalities. In the event that you need to gain access to money kept in a smart contract, it's still helpful to be aware of their location.

How to use Etherscan to monitor gas prices

The transaction fees for Ethereum include gas prices. Depending on the block that your transaction is a part of, these fees vary. The set cost for each block varies according to the network traffic. You can see the price and time differences at various gas prices with the Etherscan gas tracker. It's a helpful tool to estimate how crowded the network is and how much you'd probably have to spend to conduct a straightforward transfer or engage with a more complex smart contract.

Concluding remarks

When you need more information than your wallet or exchange can provide, Etherscan is an excellent tool that is free and simple to use. You may easily pick up how to use the most basic functions in a short period of time. Since BscScan and other block explorers like it were built on the foundation of Etherscan, your abilities are highly transferable. Etherscan is an excellent place to start if you want to check the status of a transaction or look at the smart contract for your favorite DApp.