Snowtrace.io Announces Discontinuation of Etherscan-Powered Explorer for Avalanche C-Chain

Snowtrace.io discontinued its Etherscan-powered explorer for the Avalanche C-Chain.
Urgent advice for users to back up Private Name Tags and Contract Verification details before the discontinuation date.

On October 30, 2023, Snowtrace.io, a renowned blockchain explorer tool exclusively dedicated to the Avalanche C-Chain, disclosed its decision to discontinue its Etherscan-powered explorer, effective from November 30, 2023 (00:00 UTC). This announcement came via a series of tweets from @SnowTraceHQ, the official Twitter handle of Snowtrace, expressing gratitude towards the supportive Avalanche community (@avax) during the last two years.

The Snowtrace team emphasized the critical necessity to back up essential information. Specifically, they urged users to preserve backups of Private Name Tags and Contract Verification details before the discontinuation date. Additionally, an official reminder was issued 17 hours before the post, reiterating the urgency to save such information, directing users to a page on Etherscan’s website for further details regarding the explorer’s discontinuation.

While the official announcement did not explicitly state the reason for the discontinuation, speculation within the crypto community suggested that the high costs associated with Etherscan’s Explorer-as-a-Service (EaaS) framework might be a contributing factor. Mikko Ohtama, Co-founder of Trading Strategy, estimated the annual EaaS subscription cost to be between one to two million dollars, potentially posing a substantial financial challenge for Snowtrace to continue its operations within the existing framework.

Challenges Faced by Blockchain Explorers Leveraging Etherscan’s EaaS Framework

In response to this development, Phillip Liu Jr., the Director of Strategy and Operations at Ava Labs, commented on the situation, indicating a transition to “something better” and affirming that operations would “absolutely not” cease. This hints at a possible shift to an alternative solution for blockchain exploration within the protocol.

The situation underscores the dependencies and potential challenges faced by blockchain explorers utilizing Etherscan’s EaaS framework. It illuminates the necessity of renewing service agreements, ensuring ample bandwidth, and maintaining sufficient traffic to keep a block explorer operational. Snowtrace’s scenario emphasizes the importance of users backing up their data, particularly when utilizing third-party services for blockchain exploration.

While the future of Snowtrace remains uncertain, the proactive communication from its team regarding the discontinuation and the advice to back up data displays a responsible approach to managing such transitions. The focus now shifts to what alternative solutions will emerge to fill the void left by Snowtrace’s discontinuation and how Ava Labs plans to navigate this transition.