Blockchains & Networks

Bitcoin BTC

The first blockchain network and the largest by market capitalization. Uses a UTXO model rather than account balances.

Address format: 1, 3, or bc1 prefix
bc1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhx0wlh

Explorers:
Mempool.space — Fee estimation and block visualization
Blockchain.com Explorer — Simple address and transaction lookups
Blockchair — Cross-chain search across 40+ networks

Ethereum ETH

Smart-contract blockchain and the reference implementation of the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine). Hosts most DeFi protocols and NFT activity.

Address format: 0x prefix, 42 characters, case-insensitive
0x742d35Cc6634C0532925a3b844Bc9e7595f44e

Explorers:
Etherscan — Smart contract verification and gas tracking
Blockscout — Open-source, self-hostable alternative

BNB Smart Chain BNB

EVM-compatible chain operated by the Binance ecosystem, generally offering lower fees and faster confirmation than Ethereum mainnet.

Address format: 0x prefix (same format as Ethereum)
0x1235f5e15c1e2c0532925a3b844bc9e7595c2ac

Explorers:
BscScan — BEP-20 token and DeFi activity

Solana SOL

High-throughput monolithic L1 using a proof-of-history mechanism alongside proof-of-stake to order transactions.

Address format: Base58, 32-44 characters, case-sensitive
vines1vzrYbzLMRdu58ou5XTby4qAqVRLmqo36NKPTV

Explorers:
Solscan — SPL token and DeFi tracking
Solana Explorer — Official protocol-level and validator data
SolanaFM — Human-readable dApp interaction flows

Avalanche AVAX

Scalable platform built around independent, configurable subnets, with an EVM-compatible C-Chain for smart contracts.

Address format: 0x prefix on the C-Chain (EVM-compatible)
0x60755da1e75c0f8d452b9c7d452b9c7d452b9c7

Explorers:
SnowTrace — C-Chain transactions and fee tracking

TRON TRX

L1 network widely used for stablecoin (mainly USDT) transfers due to its low transaction fees.

Address format: Starts with T, case-sensitive
TY66jgmsTzn9nBn4RozZDsKZQtcXjdef12

Explorers:
TronScan — TRC-20 / USDT transfer tracking

Cardano ADA

Proof-of-stake L1 developed with a research-driven, peer-reviewed methodology. Uses an extended UTXO (eUTXO) model.

Address format: Starts with addr1
addr1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjhwlh

Explorers:
CardanoScan — eUTXO data, epochs and staking pools

Polkadot DOT

Layer-0 network designed to connect and coordinate multiple independent blockchains (parachains) via shared security.

Address format: Starts with 1 (SS58 encoding)
1FRMM8PEiWXYax7rpS6X4XZX1aAAxSWx1CrKTyrVYhV24fg

Explorers:
Subscan — Polkadot, Kusama and parachain data

Cosmos Hub ATOM

Hub of the Cosmos ecosystem, a network of independent, application-specific blockchains connected via the IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) protocol.

Address format: cosmos1 prefix (Bech32)
cosmos1qxy2kgdygjrsqtzq2n0yrf2493p83kkfjv59

Explorers:
Mintscan — Cosmos Hub and interchain activity
Ping.pub — Lightweight dashboard and web wallet

Toncoin TON

L1 network integrated with the Telegram messaging platform, using a sharded architecture for scalability.

Address format: Starts with EQ or UQ
EQCD39VS5jcptHL8vMjEXrzGaRcCVYto7HUn4bpAOg8xqB2N

Explorers:
TON Explorer (tonscan.org) — TON transaction and wallet lookups

XRP Ledger XRP

L1 network launched in 2012, using a federated consensus mechanism among a list of trusted validators rather than mining or classic proof-of-stake, and built primarily for fast, low-cost payments.

Address format: Starts with r, Base58 encoding
rEb8TK3gBgk5auZkwc6sHnwrGVJH8DuaLh

Explorers:
XRPL Explorer — Official ledger and transaction data
Bithomp — Account and token lookups

Zcash ZEC

L1 network forked from Bitcoin's codebase in 2016, adding zk-SNARK cryptography so a transaction can optionally hide its sender, receiver, and amount in a shielded pool.

Address format: Transparent (t1…), shielded Sapling (zs1…), or unified (u1…) prefix
t1RvCrkFkwi4bqaRfWkjEmJxNaTwoJ53NHv

Explorers:
Blockchair — Transparent transactions and blockchain stats
Zcash Explorer — Shielded pool and network activity overview

Monero XMR

L1 network launched in 2014 that hides transaction senders, receivers, and amounts by default using ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transaction amounts (RingCT).

Address format: 95 characters starting with 4 (integrated addresses are 106 characters)
4iyb351Jc8QPxfeCUQ3hvb9uZjnLm8X8EfPkpfjhw2beq7kYkkgza4J9r8kMQkGjcxK2wCA2m62x52h5TqrK2tC2J8kda1S

Explorers:
xmrchain.net — Blocks, mempool, and network-level data (no private balances)

Dash DASH

L1 network forked from Bitcoin's codebase in 2014, layering a network of masternodes on top of mining to power InstantSend near-instant confirmations and CoinJoin-based transaction mixing.

Address format: Starts with X, Base58 encoding (same address format as Bitcoin's legacy P2PKH)
XW37rukN4fuSDnWRG9xZtVe9Bf3EbtvG3n

Explorers:
Insight (Dash Core Group) — Official reference explorer

Arbitrum One

Optimistic rollup that executes transactions off-chain and posts proofs back to Ethereum for security.

Explorers:
Arbiscan — L2 transaction and rollup data

Optimism

Optimistic rollup network and the reference implementation of the OP Stack, used by several other L2s.

Explorers:
Optimistic Etherscan — OP Mainnet transaction data

Base

OP Stack-based L2 incubated by Coinbase, focused on low-cost EVM transactions.

Explorers:
BaseScan — Base network transaction data

Polygon PoS

Sidechain/commit-chain network with its own validator set, periodically checkpointing to Ethereum.

Explorers:
Polygonscan — Polygon PoS transactions and DeFi activity

zkSync Era

ZK-rollup that uses validity proofs to settle transactions on Ethereum.

Explorers:
zkSync Era Explorer — ZK-rollup transaction data

Starknet

ZK-rollup built around the Cairo programming language and STARK proofs.

Explorers:
Starkscan — Cairo-based contract activity