21 Etherscan Features in 2021
2021 was a huge year for Ethereum and the wider ecosystem. Adoption shot through the roof with DeFi and NFTs leading a new generation of users to actually use blockchains for the first time.
While bull markets are exciting for end-users, it can be tough for builders. Distractions abound, while more users means more fire-fighting to keep services running safe and sound. But be it the year of the bull, the bear, the ape or the shiba, Etherscan just keeps building.
Below we recap 21 of our top features released throughout 2021.
1. Explorer-as-a-Service
Etherscan’s stable of block explorers expanded massively in 2021. Etherscan and BscScan remain two of the most visited websites in the world. On top of these two, we built out explorers for a total of nine other blockchains.
These come with the core features and tools from Etherscan (including the all-important Night Mode!).
We’ve already kicked off on this front in 2022, with more to come.
2. ‘Method’ Column
Transactions on Ethereum can be carrying out many different actions. The Method field introduced in March allows end-users to see at one glance what function was executed by a transaction.
This was the 2021 crowd favorite, with users appreciating the added context and requesting for it to be added to pending transactions, CSV exports and more.
Reminder: the method names are taken directly from the corresponding smart contract with no curation by Etherscan. Always DYOR (Do Your Own Research) when referring to the Method name of any transaction.
3. EIP-1559 Support
Ethereum’s fee mechanism had a major update in August 2021 with EIP-1559, introducing dynamic gas prices, flexible block sizes and fee burns. Etherscan supported it off the bat displaying base fees, burnt fees and a dashboard!
4. ERC-1155 Token Support
Long requested by the NFT community, ERC-1155 gradually became integrated into Etherscan over the year. Ethereum finally has a block explorer that supports ERC-1155, including:
- Top Tokens page
- Latest Transfers page
- Token page
- As a tab in Address page
- Being displayed as token transfers and transaction action in the transaction details page
5. DEX Trading Pairs
Etherscan’s DEX Tracker originally listed DEX trades done on Ethereum. DEX Trading Pairs extended it in September to showing you the trading pairs and price chart of any ERC-20 token on SushiSwap or Uniswap v2 and v3.
Find your way to this page by simply clicking the Chart button in any ERC-20 Token page!
6. ENS Name Tags
Prior to 2021, you could find an ENS name by searching it in the site search bar or in the lookup page. In May, we added ENS Name Tags for accounts that have set a primary (reverse) record for their ENS names. Users are now able to see their ENS names instead of a random 0x… string throughout the explorer.
7. Natspec Support
Users of Etherscan’s Read & Write Contract tabs received a gift to end the year with — Natspec support released in December. Smart contracts with embedded Natspec now have descriptions shown in both Read and Write Contract tabs, helping users better understand each function they are calling.
8. Enhanced Token Holdings Page
The Token Holdings page had a couple facelifts. It now displays LP tokens and an NFT inventory on top of ERC-20 tokens!
As our NFT indexer gradually catches up, we will be better able to provide the community with an additional independent source of NFT images and metadata.
9. Flashbots/MEV Support
MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) took the Ethereum world by storm in 2021. Previously hidden in the depths of the dark forest, it was brought to the limelight in large part through the efforts of Flashbots. Etherscan played our part early on in April by labelling for users the transactions and blocks that involved Flashbots MEV.
Flashbots Protect is a service introduced to help users safely submit transactions off-chain to avoid frontrunning and other MEV attacks. Soon after its launch, the status of its pending transactions became supported by Etherscan (even as they are off-chain!).
10. Smart Contract Search
A below-the-radar tool used by the discerning developer. Introduced in February, it allows you to search for a particular keyword across all verified smart contracts on Ethereum. You may further narrow the search with various filters ranging from Solidity version to date of deployment.
11. Contract Diff Checker
Released at the same time as Smart Contract Search, this particular tool allows devs to compare two smart contract codes side-by-side for similarities or differences.
12. Transaction Decoder
Devs and degens looking to explore transactions in more detail directly on Etherscan became able to do so in August. Simply open up any transaction, open up the … menu on the top right and select Transaction Decoder.
13. Error Messages
Error messages became a major issue for a subset of users heading into the last quarter of the year. Phishers were using URLs in token revert error messages to mislead users into opening malicious websites. This item required some thinking, but the team ultimately pushed a release in September balancing user safety with censorship-free UX.
Solidity custom error messages were soon to follow, with a release shortly afterwards in October.
14. Security Reports
Another September release! With Ledger as an initial partner, we released a tool for third party enterprises to submit name tags on Etherscan. Addresses identified to be involved in security incidents have been tagged on Etherscan directly by Ledger, and we expect more uses of this feature to open up in 2022.
15. IDM
IDM (Input Data Messaging) have been around in Ethereum for a long time. In October, we released a simple read-only feature gathering these into chat form. Messaging is a key use-case of Ethereum wallets — we expect to see more innovation here this year!
16. Multi-Chain Address Search on Blockscan
In July, users of the EVM multiverse got the superpower of easily seeing if an address on one chain is used on other chains supported by Etherscan’s block explorers.
17. Multi-File Source Code Search
An early-year release, this multi-file search bar saved developers a ton of time sifting through long-winded source code.
18. More Transaction Actions
2021 saw us adding more Transaction Actions in the Transaction Details page. Details of pending swaps and NFT transactions were two key ones. Expect even more Transaction Actions this year!
19. Transaction Navigation
The Transaction Details page received a cool update in November: users could navigate between transactions based on sender nonce (or transaction order). It became much easier to cycle through transactions.
20. Sparkline Chart of ERC-20 Token Holders
One of the earliest releases of 2021. The sparkline chart shows the estimated number of holders of a token over the last 7 days: a useful metric for traders.
21. Updated API Page
Last but not least is the update of API docs and landing pages. From August, users have had access to a clear description of the various API plans, comprehensive list of API endpoints, helpful tutorials for getting started and more. Using the Etherscan API has never been easier!
And there you are, 21 of our 2021-released features. Which of these are your favorites, which ones do you want us to build more on, and which features unlisted here do you want Etherscan to build?
Let us know in the comments.
Happy 2022!
