Etherscan Launches Search Engine For The Decentralized Web called “Blockscan”

Etherscan, one of the most popular blockchain browsers, announced on tuesday, June 11 that they are launching a search engine for the decentralized web called “Blockscan” that supports sites on .crypto, .eth and .zil domains.

The Blockscan search engine will make decentralized web accessible, remove obscurity from this novel field and make it more discoverable.

According to a blog post published by the firm, the new Blockscan search engine was launched to help users visit various sites that were previously announced as one of the potential uses for Ethereum. The search engine currently supports a directory of over 150 websites hosted on the uncensorable decentralized web. Etherscan is asking for users to submit their uncensorable websites to expand the list.

Decentralized sites are hosted on the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). The web pages of these sites are hashed and stored by several nodes connected to the network, and if one node fails or is blocked, others can serve the same data. This facility is the result of popularity of crypto domains (like Ethereum Name Service or ENS and Unstoppable Domains) and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS).

The search engine itself is hosted on a centralized server, but claims to not store any identifiable analytics data. Services such as ENS and Unstoppable domains have already helped make these IPFS-based websites easier to use with the launch of .eth and .crypto domains, making them easily readable instead of being long-winded IPFS hashes.

Some browsers already support decentralized sites. The Opera browser, which launched the built-in crypto wallet, partnered with Unstoppable Domains to allow users to register .crypto domain names and wallet addresses for sending and receiving cryptocurrency.

What is Etherscan and what is it used for?

Etherscan is a Block Explorer, Search, API and Analytics Platform for Ethereum, a decentralized smart contracts platform.It  is a powerful block explorer, analytics and aggregator platform for the Ethereum blockchain. It is widely used by crypto websites and wallets, to track and report transactions and activity on the network.

Etherscan allows you to explore and search the Ethereum blockchain for transactions, addresses, tokens, prices and other activities taking place on Ethereum.

Etherscan is a useful resource for all Ethereum Network users to track transactions, check smart contracts, find out stats, and generally stay on top of what’s happening in the Ethereum blockchain. What’s more, it’s free to use and you don’t have to register to use the main features.

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