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Explore blockchain data

ChainGate provides explorers — a set of blockchain query methods that work without a wallet. They cover the same ground as a block-explorer UI like Etherscan or Mempool.space, but as a typed SDK you can call from your own code, with a single API key for every supported chain.

Use them when you need to:

  • Query balances and UTXOs for arbitrary addresses
  • Broadcast raw transactions
  • Retrieve transaction and block data
  • Estimate gas and fees (getFeeRate() / getNetworkStatus())
  • Monitor mempool / pending transactions and network congestion
  • Interact with smart contracts (read-only)
  • Get market data and network status
tip

Explorers are ideal for building block explorers, dashboards, wallet apps, gas trackers, portfolio monitors, or any application that reads blockchain data without needing a wallet.

Initialization​

Create a ChainGate instance and call .explore() with a network:

import { ChainGate } from 'chaingate'

const cg = new ChainGate()

// UTXO explorer (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Testnet)
const btcExplorer = cg.explore(cg.networks.bitcoin)

// EVM explorer (Ethereum)
const ethExplorer = cg.explore(cg.networks.ethereum)

Each network type returns its own explorer with methods tailored to that chain's capabilities.

Key points​

  • No wallet needed: Explorers query blockchain data for any address.
  • Unified API: Consistent method naming across UTXO and EVM chains.
  • Type-safe: TypeScript returns the correct explorer type based on the network.
  • Custom EVM support: Query any EVM chain via cg.networks.evmRpc().
  • Safe math: Amount handles decimal precision correctly across all blockchains.
  • One key, many chains: A single ChainGate API key powers every explorer — no separate Etherscan or per-chain provider needed.