Bitcoin Explorer — Check a Bitcoin Transaction

How to use a Bitcoin explorer to check a transaction, TxID, confirmations, inputs, outputs, fees and address activity.

1 min read

A Bitcoin explorer indexes blocks and transactions so a user can search by TxID, address or block height. It displays public network data and never requires a seed phrase or private key.

Use an explorer for the Bitcoin network and verify the full TxID. An Ethereum or other network explorer cannot find a Bitcoin transaction.

How to check a Bitcoin transaction

  • Copy the 64-character TxID from the wallet or exchange.
  • Open a trusted Bitcoin explorer.
  • Check whether the transaction is in the mempool or a block.
  • Review confirmations, inputs, outputs, fee and value.
  • Compare the expected recipient output and amount.

TxID, confirmations and finality

A TxID identifies a transaction. Confirmations begin when it is included in a block and increase as more blocks are added. The required number is a business risk decision, not a universal constant.

Inputs, outputs and fees

Bitcoin uses UTXOs. A transaction consumes previous outputs and creates new ones, commonly including a change output. The fee is the difference between total inputs and outputs.

Common reasons a transaction is missing

  • Wrong or incomplete TxID.
  • The wallet has not broadcast it.
  • It was rejected or replaced.
  • The explorer index is delayed.
  • The operation happened on another network.

Bitcoin explorer vs Bitcoin RPC

TaskExplorerRPC node
Manual lookupConvenient web UIRequires a client
AutomationNot intended for scrapingProgrammatic API
Address historyIndexed searchMay require an indexer
Production useDiagnosticsApplication integration

On this topic

Bitcoin explorer on Settla nodes

Look up a transaction, a block or an address in Bitcoin — the answer comes from our own node, with no third-party explorer in between.

Open the Bitcoin explorer

Questions

Bitcoin explorer FAQ

Infrastructure shouldn't be the thing slowing you down.

Free to start. No credit card required.