Mastering these tools will help you become a true cryptocurrency and blockchain professional. So, if you're looking to understand this area and make your assets as efficient as possible, this article is for you!
741 
The fundamentals of Ethereum blockchain analysis are covered in detail, including address research, smart contracts, and NFT transactions. You will learn how the Ethereum ecosystem works and what tools can be used to deeply explore blockchain data.
Starting from the main page of Etherscan.io, you can use the search function to find the desired address and open its profile.
At the top of the page we see the Eth balance of the address, the token reserves, and on the right under “Multi Chain” it is shown that the address is used (by the same owner) in 11 different blockchains.
The “Token Storage” section shows that this address holds a total of $4,547 worth of tokens represented by six different types. If you click on the drop-down menu, you can see these 6 types of tokens, which include NFT and ERC-20 tokens. Although this topic is quite complex, it is worth noting that ERC-20 tokens are commonly used to represent other cryptocurrencies on the Ethereum blockchain.
Back in the “Multichain” section on the right, you can click on “Block Scan” to get more detailed information about the presence of an address in other blockchains.
This will open a page on Blockscan.com showing each blockchain with the address and link to the blockchain researchers for each of those chains. The links open the profile page of the specific address with each blockchain researcher website.
There is also a tab that shows all the address transactions in each blockchain mixed together in chronological order.
Return to the main address page on etherscan.io. Below is a list of previous operations. Ether transactions are identified in the Transactions tab.
Basically, the smart contract runs on the Ethereum blockchain. independent automated contract. Formally defined as a digital contract written as a piece of code that is stored on the blockchain and automatically executed when certain pre-set conditions are met.
Each token has its own smart contract that resides on the Ethereum blockchain. These contracts are often used as the basis for additional contracts using the same token.
Smart contracts are written in programming code called Solidity, and when a transaction calls a contract, it calls a function from the code.
A contract recorded on the blockchain cannot be changed, so a proxy contract allows updates to be made while keeping the first contract unchanged. Basic contracts have functions or actions that can be called by subsequent smart contracts for the same token.
People and contracts can create additional contracts. The new contract will have a profile page that identifies the address of the original contract and lists it as the “parent address”.
This is what a transaction to buy a token (in this case an NFT) looks like on etherscan.io, it shows that someone’s Ethereum address (“Ox7…”) is interacting with the smart contract used for that particular token/NFT
You see the term “From” twice. At the top, “From” means the Ethereum address of the token buyer. The second use of “From” (in the ERC-1155 Tokens Transferred sections), the “From” address is the seller of the NFT.
When exploring a smart contract, it’s worth checking out the Reading and Writing sections to familiarize yourself with the available functions and methods of the contract. On etherscan.io, you can see every instance where a contract was triggered by a transaction.
When a transaction initiates a smart contract, it runs one of the code functions that can be seen in the address’s transaction list. Important questions to ask when researching a smart contract are: who owns the contract, what does the contract mean, what assets are associated with it, and who is the ultimate owner or parent address?
The contract page on etherscan.io often shows the parent address, and by exploring this creator tree you can find out who the actual owner or creator is. It’s also worth looking for the “parent” contracts and checking them through search engines to find out their names or information about them.
To identify similar contracts, you can use the “similar” option on the contract page. This is especially useful when investigating fraudulent contracts to find others with similar characteristics. Also, note the ‘addLiquidity’ method used in liquidity pools. This allows you to earn by depositing into a pool, where the exchange takes place between Ethereum and tokens, and a fee is charged for transactions.
There are several basic methods for researching a non-fungible token (NFT). This will avoid the deeper questions about what an NFT is. So for now, we’ll use the oversimplification of describing an NFT as an image with a unique identifier that people buy and sell for cryptocurrency.
NOTE. A slightly less simplistic explanation would be to say that an NFT is a unique digital asset stored on the blockchain that represents ownership or proof of authenticity of a particular object, such as art, music or virtual real estate. Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, NFTs are indivisible and cannot be exchanged on an individual exchange basis, making each token distinct and valuable in its own right.
For this example, let’s start with the NFT Token ID (a long string that is the NFT’s unique identifier). Here is the token ID:
9961498451080298818169728249433222030914980129654055269747476883220178403329
Start with opensea.io (OpenSea is a market for NFTs, other markets include SuperRare and Rarible) Generally, you can use Opensea by simply typing a search term including items, collections or account names into the search bar and pressing enter.
At the top of the results, collections will be displayed, and on the left side of the page there are filters to narrow down the results. Clicking on a collection result will take researchers to the NFTs listed in that collection. From there, you can click on a specific NFT to show the current and historical valuation and transaction history for that NFT, often including the buyer’s name.
Here is a step-by-step guide for a specific ID. We can search for the ID directly in the search bar to find the NFT.
You can find a lot of information on the profile page. Important details include the current owner, the history of the NFT (creation, who sold it to, etc.) and its smart contract (which is essentially an automated contract, more details below).
In the screenshot above, you can see “Belongs to 160602”. This is the owner, and you can click on their ID number to go to their information page. You will at least see their activity, but there may also be other identifying information.
Returning to the NFT profile, the Item Activity section contains the history, including creation and sales. In the Details section, you will find the contract address for the NFT smart contract.
The smart contract ID will be linked to a second useful website, etherscan.io
Click on the contract link and it will take you here:
It is an NFT database that allows investigators to find, analyze and track digital asset transactions. To use Non Fungible, click the magnifying glass button in the upper right corner and enter the name of the collection. Non Fungible will provide sales information for the collection you have searched for.
Serves as a comprehensive DeFi asset management platform that allows users to exchange digital assets. Acting as a centralized dashboard, Zapper provides users with a simplified interface to monitor and visualize all of their DeFi assets and liabilities.
This is another NFT market that researchers can use. To use Rarible, type your collection name, NFT name, or username in the search bar and press Enter. Rarible also supports multiple blockchain platforms, providing more opportunities for NFT buyers and sellers.
741 
1012 
1047