Moonbeam and Subscan Partner to Launch Substrate-Based Block Explorer for the Moonbase Alpha TestNet

Plan to Release Additional Explorer support for EVM Functionality Based on the Frontier Project

Singapore – March 4, 2021 – Moonbeam, the Ethereum-compatible smart contract platform on Polkadot, announced an initial integration with Subscan, a Substrate-based block explorer. Now users of Moonbase Alpha, the Moonbeam TestNet, can use Subscan to view and verify on-chain data. Additionally, as a long-term partnership, the Moonbeam and Subscan teams will work together to add advanced EVM functionality to the block explorer over time, which will benefit Moonbeam users and users of any other Frontier-based parachains on Polkadot and Kusama.

The Moonbeam smart contract platform is a Substrate-based parachain in the Polkadot ecosystem but includes many Ethereum compatibility features that are quite different from an “out-of-the-box” Substrate deployment. This has many advantages for users and developers on Moonbeam, who are able to use Ethereum-standard account formats and tools to develop decentralized applications. But Ethereum based tools are not able to provide visibility into Substrate-native functionality like voting on referenda and staking with collators. With increasing developer activity on Moonbeam, the need emerged for a block explorer that could display a blend of Ethereum-based and Substrate-based data.

Through this partnership with Subscan, developers and users will gain a more detailed view of what is happening on the network, including block production, transfers, extrinsics, and other Substrate-specific information related to staking and governance. Long-term, the Moonbeam, and Subscan teams will work together to deepen support for EVM-compatible features like those on Moonbeam.

“Great developer tools and resources are central to the growth of the Moonbeam network, and we’re glad to work with Subscan to create a unique and robust block explorer for our users,” says Francisco Javier Agosti, Director of Markets and Partnerships at Moonbeam. “It’s important for us as we work to offer the richest toolkit possible for developers and projects building on Moonbeam.”

Subscan is also one of the projects selected for the first cohort of grants from the Moonbeam Foundation. This grant will contribute to the progress and development of advanced EVM functionality in Subscan, which will benefit the Moonbeam network and other Frontier-based parachains in the Polkadot ecosystem. Visit the Moonbeam Foundation website to learn more or to apply for a grant.

About the Moonbeam Network

Moonbeam is an Ethereum-compatible smart contract platform on the Polkadot network that makes it easy to build natively interoperable applications. This Ethereum compatibility allows developers to deploy existing Solidity smart contracts and DApp frontends to Moonbeam with minimal changes. As a parachain on the Polkadot network, Moonbeam will benefit from the shared security of the Polkadot relay chain and integrations with other chains that are connected to Polkadot. Currently, in active development by PureStake, Moonbeam is expected to reach MainNet by mid-2021. Learn more: https://moonbeam.network/.

About PureStake

PureStake’s team has extensive experience building technology companies and complex software platforms. Led by Derek Yoo, former Fuze Founder, and CTO, PureStake provides protocol implementation services and creates developer tools for next-generation blockchain networks. Learn more: https://www.purestake.com/.

About Subscan

Subscan.io is a high-precision multi-chain explorer built for substrate-based blockchains. Subscan supports data exploration and visualization of more than a dozen networks in the Polkadot ecosystem. Learn more: https://www.subscan.io/