What is BscScan and How To Use It
BscScan is the most widely employed blockchain explorer for the BNB Smart Chain, but if you’ve not used a blockchain explorer before, it can be daunting. Learn about BscScan and how to use it in our comprehensive guide.
BscScan lets you look up any address, token contract, or transaction hash to see balances, transfers, and detailed history
You can view contract details (like total supply, decimals) and see who holds the token and how many units they have
Some features allow you to interact directly with smart contracts (if you have permissions), and there are tools for verifying contracts or creating API keys
You can receive notifications when addresses move funds, and export transaction histories (e.g., CSV) to help with tracking or tax reporting
What is BscScan?
BscScan.io is a blockchain explorer for the BNB Smart Chain. You can use BscScan to explore the BNB Smart Chain, including viewing transaction history, wallet addresses and balances, block data, token data, smart contracts, gas fees, and more.
How does BscScan work?
BscScan functions by seamlessly interacting with the BNB Smart Chain and its data to provide users with an accessible window into the blockchain. In simplified terms, it does this in three steps:
Real-time retrieval of BNB Smart Chain data
Maintenance of an organized data repository
Provides near real-time data to users
To gain a deeper understanding of BscScan, it's essential to become familiar with three key components: RPC, nodes, and RPC endpoints.
RPC (Remote Procedure Call): RPC is the communication protocol that enables one computer program to communicate with another. In the context of the BNB Smart Chain, a variant called RPC is employed. BscScan utilizes this protocol to extract information from the BNB Smart Chain network.
Blockchain nodes: The BNB Smart Chain stores its data on specialized computers known as nodes, which serve as the backbone of the network. However, conventional software cannot directly communicate with these nodes.
RPC Endpoints: You chink of RPC endpoints as virtual addresses. When BscScan requires data or wishes to execute an action on the BNB Smart Chain network, it sends a request to an RPC endpoint. This endpoint subsequently retrieves the necessary information from the BNB Smart Chain nodes.
BscScan utilizes the RPC API to transmit requests to RPC endpoints (which function as BNB Smart Chain nodes). These endpoints promptly deliver the latest data to BscScan.
What is BscScan used for?
Now that you get how BscScan works, you’re probably wondering what people use BscScan for. It serves many different purposes, but here are three of the most common.
Viewing wallet addresses
BscScan facilitates the exploration of BNB Smart Chain wallet addresses. It simplifies the process of examining a wallet's holdings, encompassing BNB, BEP-20 tokens such as BUSD or CAKE, and NFTs (BEP-721 tokens).
Clicking on any transaction ID in the transaction history section leads you to an individual transaction page. Here, you'll discover comprehensive details, including BNB spent on gas, the involved smart contract, the recipient's wallet address, transaction timestamp, date, and amount. BscScan also offers wallet analytics and charts to track a wallet's activity over time.
Viewing transactions and blocks
Beyond viewing addresses, BscScan provides tools for analyzing the BNB Smart Chain network holistically. This encompasses data on BNB price, market capitalization, average gas prices, transaction speed, and network upgrades.
BscScan maintains an exhaustive record of all BNB Smart Chain blocks and transactions, providing network analytics, charts, statistics, and information related to nodes.
Viewing smart contracts
Smart contracts house an abundance of data, and BscScan empowers users to access and explore it. You can search for a specific smart contract and retrieve information such as the crypto wallet responsible for its deployment on the BNB Smart Chain.
Moreover, BscScan offers insights into the contract's code, deployment date, time, block height, total token supply, token holders, and their respective shares. It also provides a comprehensive transaction history and associated wallet details for the contract.
How to use BscScan
If you’ve not used it before, all the information can be a bit overwhelming, so here’s a step-by-step guide on how to read BscScan.
How to use BscScan to view wallets and transaction history
1. Go to BscScan.io
2. Paste the wallet address (or ENS domain) into the search bar on the homepage
3. On the next page, you will be able to see the balance of the wallet, the total value of all tokens held in it, and a record of all transactions made through the wallet.
4. Click on any of the transaction hash of any of the listed transactions to see the specific details, such as the date and time, gas paid, value transferred, and so on.
How to use BscScan to view smart contracts
1. Go to BscScan.io
2. You can either search for the specific protocol you’re looking for or paste the contract address into the search bar - in this example, we’ll use CAKE.
3. Select the contract tab
4. You’ll see three new tabs: code, read contract, and write contract- if you select the connect to Web3 option, you’ll be able to connect your wallet and interact with the contract (please note this option is in BETA)
What alternatives are there to BscScan?
If you’re looking for other BNB Smart Chain explorers here are a few alternatives:
BSCTrace: Specialized explorer for BNB Smart Chain, allowing you to track blockchain data with free API access, which is no longer available on BscScan.
BitQuery: Provides data for over 40 blockchains, including BNB Smart Chain. Known for complex SQL-based theories used by developers.
BscScan alternatives compared
| BNB Smart Chain explorer | Rich transaction detail | Real-time data | Staking and DeFi | Multi-chain | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BscScan | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ (Only BNB Smart Chain) | Daily use, all traders |
| BSCTrace | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ (Only BNB Smart Chain) | Developers using free-tier API |
| BitQuery | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ (40+ blockchains) | Developers and researchers |
Use a BNB Smart Chain portfolio tracker
A BNB Smart Chain portfolio tracker like Koinly can help you easily keep track of your BNB investments, including your transactions, balances, gains, losses, and more. Best of all, it’s totally free to use
FAQs
Do users need an account to use BscScan?
No, BscScan is an open and freely accessible platform. Most of its features can be utilized without the need for an account. However, creating a free account on BscScan offers advantages such as private notes, API access, a personalized address watchlist, and alerts and notifications.
Can BscScan track Bitcoin?
No, BscScan exclusively focuses on the BNB Smart Chain and does not track Bitcoin. If you wish to explore the Bitcoin network, you can utilize a Bitcoin explorer like Blockchain.com, Blockstream.info, or Bitcoinexplorer.org.
Is it free to use BscScan?
Yes, BscScan is entirely free to use. However, when interacting with smart contracts on the BNB Smart Chain through BscScan, users are still required to pay gas fees.
How to check wallet balances and history on BscScan?
To check wallet balances and history on BscScan, visit BscScan.io, locate the search bar, paste the wallet address or ENS domain, and hit Enter. On the subsequent page, you'll find details regarding the BNB balance, total token value, and transaction history.
Can BscScan be used on testnets?
Yes, BscScan provides support for testnets. Users can explore and analyze transactions on the BNB Smart Chain's testnets, such as Ropsten or Rinkeby, by using BscScan's dedicated testnet version.
What information can I find by reading smart contracts on BscScan?
Examining smart contracts on BscScan yields information such as the contract's code, deployment date and time, block height, total token supply, token holders, and transaction history associated with the contract.
How do I interact with a smart contract using BscScan?
To interact with a smart contract on BscScan, locate the contract address, paste it into the BscScan search bar, access the contract page, navigate to "Write Contract," connect to Web3 using your wallet, select a function, input the required details, and execute the transaction.
What are the benefits of creating an account on BscScan?
Creating a free account on BscScan offers advantages such as the ability to add private notes to transactions, access APIs for building decentralized applications (dApps), create a personalized address watchlist, and establish alerts for on-chain activities.
How does BscScan enhance security in the BNB Smart Chain ecosystem?
BscScan enhances security by providing transparency into various contracts and tokens within the BNB Smart Chain. Users can track transactions, identify potential scam contracts, and trace assets, contributing to a safer environment within the BNB Smart Chain ecosystem.
