exploring-blockchain-data

# Exploring Blockchain Data ## Overview Query and analyze blockchain data across multiple EVM-compatible networks including Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, and BSC. Supports transaction lookups, address balance checks, block inspection, token balance queries, transaction history retrieval, and whale wallet tracking via a unified CLI. ## Prerequisites - Python 3.8+ with `requests` and `web3` libraries installed (`pip install requests web3`) - Etherscan API key (free tier provides 5 requests/second; set via `ETHERSCAN_API_KEY` environment variable) - Optional: API keys for Polygonscan, Arbiscan, and other chain-specific explorers for higher rate limits - `blockchain_explorer.py` CLI script, `chain_client.py`, and `token_resolver.py` modules available in the plugin directory - RPC endpoint access (public endpoints work; dedicated providers like Alchemy, Infura, Chainstack, or QuickNode recommended for reliability) ## Instructions 1. Set the Etherscan API key as an environment variable: `export ETHERSCAN_API_KEY=<key>` to unlock higher rate limits beyond the default 5 requests/second. 2. Run `python blockchain_explorer.py tx <hash>` to look up a transaction by hash, returning status, block number, from/to addresses, value transferred, and gas details. 3. Append `--detailed` to the transaction query to decode the function call, identify the interacting protocol, and display input parameters. 4. Specify `--chain polygon`, `--chain arbitrum`, or `--chain bsc` to query t...