Why another (Cosmos SDK) block explorer?

There have been numerous attempts at creating block explorers for Cosmos SDK chains and other explorers in general. However, this has led to significant fragmentation in the space and a less-than-optimal user experience.

To solve this issue, our goal with Celatone is to create an explorer that is universal, adaptable, customizable, and accessible.

Ubiquity

An explorer should be available regardless of the chain or network you are on.

Whether you are a core chain engineer building chains locally, a smart contract developer working on a testnet, or a user interacting with a live mainnet chain, you should be able to use the same explorer. As bridging and interacting between multiple chains becomes more common, users should have access to the same explorer for all chains.

This reduces the need to learn a new explorer for each chain and provides a consistent experience for users.

Adaptability

An explorer should be able to adapt to the configuration of the supported chain. This includes supporting different types of chains such as standalone chains, replicated security chains, and rollups.

It should also be compatible with various smart contract frameworks like EVM, CosmWasm, and MoveVM.

Customizability

While being universal, versatile, and adaptable, an explorer should also be customizable to fit the chain and ecosystem it supports. This includes the ability to match the branding of the supported chain. The explorer should feel like an integral part of the chain and ecosystem, rather than a separate entity.

It should also be able to support the modules and features of the chain, whether through modifications or additions to existing pages and features, or by introducing completely new functionalities.