How to Create a Block Explorer in 5 Minutes with Autoscout
Create a block explorer for your EVM chain in minutes with Autoscout, the self-service tool from Blockscout. Supports OP Stack, Arbitrum Nitro, testnets, and more.
Launching a new chain or testnet? You shouldn’t be held up by long deployment times or depend on someone else to get an explorer online quickly.
Meet Autoscout, our new self-service deployment launchpad that lets you spin up a fully functional, customized block explorer in under five minutes.
With just a few inputs and no infrastructure complexities, Autoscout makes it easier than ever to monitor, explore, and present your EVM chain to the world.
Autoscout: the fastest way to create a block explorer
Autoscout is a simple but powerful platform for creating your own EVM-compatible block explorer. It's hosted on optimized cloud infrastructure, automatically updated, and instantly ready to index your chain.
Whether you're building your own blockchain explorer for a testnet, deploying for clients as a RaaS provider, spinning up a production-ready mainnet, or just need to verify if a new chain is EVM-compatible, Autoscout delivers the trusted Blockscout experience in a fully self-service format.
✅ Supports all EVM chains
✅ Compatible with Optimistic Rollups: OP Stack and Arbitrum Nitro (Orbit)
✅ Compatible with ZK Rollups: Polygon zkEVM and zkSync chain support
✅ Auto-indexing, autoscaling, and fully managed infrastructure
Who is Autoscout for?
Autoscout is built for chain developers and builders who need fast, reliable observability tools with minimal overhead.
- Testnet deployers needing temporary visibility
- RaaS providers offering instant infrastructure to clients
- Rollup teams launching new OP or Arbitrum chains
- Teams deploying robust mainnets
Autoscout supports both long-term and short-term needs, including spinning up an explorer for just a day or two to test functionality, check indexing, or preview a network’s structure.
Note: if you are launching a production-grade instance that require SLAs, white-labeling, or advanced customizations, explore Blockscout’s Explorer-as-a-Service (EaaS) offering.
How to Create a Block Explorer with Autoscout
1. Create an Account
Go to deploy.blockscout.com and create your account. You’ll manage all explorers from your dashboard.
2. Request or Purchase Credits
For testing, join the Blockscout Discord and request free credits. For long-term deployments, Autoscout uses a pay-as-you-go model via Stripe. A crypto-payment option is coming soon.
Choose your instance size based on expected daily transaction volume. You can launch an instance for any amount of time and pay as you go. This is ideal for testing different setups if you need to quickly spin-up then spin-down and tweak your block explorer or chain.
- X-Small: $250/mo → ideal for new chains
- Small: $350/mo → up to 50K transactions per day
- Medium: $750/mo → up to 150K transactions per day
- Large: $950/mo → up to 1M transactions per day
3. Enter Chain Info
Fill in key parameters including:
- Chain name and Chain ID
- RPC and WebSocket URLs
- Gas token symbol
- Archive node type (Geth, Besu, Erigon, etc.)
- Rollup-specific environment variables for OP or Arbitrum chains
You can also customize the look and feel of your explorer, including logos, colors, layout, and custom domains.
4. Launch Your Block Explorer
Click Deploy. In 5 to 10 minutes, your explorer will be live, indexing, and ready for users and developers to explore.
You can pause, delete, or reconfigure explorers at any time.
Autoscout Case Study: Gas.zip
The team at Gas.zip is using Autoscout to quickly spin up explorers and test chain compatibility. In their words: “Straightforward and live in minutes.”
Ready to Create Your Own Block Explorer?
→ Create your Autoscout account
→ Join the Discord to get free testing credits
→ Read the Docs
Build faster. Explore more.
Frequently Asked Questions: Block Explorers & Autoscout
What is a block explorer?
A block explorer is a tool that lets users, developers, and researchers search, view, and verify activity on a blockchain. It displays transaction history, wallet balances, smart contract details, gas usage, and block-level data.
What is Autoscout?
Autoscout is a self-service deployment platform that lets you create a block explorer in minutes. It’s ideal for testnets, rollups, and production mainnets on EVM-compatible chains.
How do I create a block explorer with Autoscout?
You can create your own block explorer using Autoscout in four steps:
- Sign up at deploy.blockscout.com
- Request or purchase credits
- Enter your chain’s configuration
- Click Deploy to launch your block explorer
How do I learn more about the Autoscout configs and parameters?
See our deployment guide in the Blockscout docs for more information on all Autoscout parameters.
What chains are supported by Autoscout?
Autoscout supports all EVM-compatible chains, including those built with the OP Stack, Arbitrum Nitro, Polygon zkEVM and zkSync.
Do I need to run my own node to use Autoscout?
Yes. You'll need to provide your own archive node (Geth, Besu, Erigon, etc.) to power the block explorer. Autoscout connects directly to your node via RPC and WebSocket URLs.
Can I use Autoscout for a mainnet deployment?
Absolutely. Autoscout supports both temporary testnet explorers and long-term mainnet deployments. You can pay by the day or month depending on your needs.
Can I customize the look of my block explorer?
Autoscout supports branding options including logos, color themes, custom domains, and layout options. You can tailor the block explorer to match your project's identity.