Reading a Solana address and using an explorer

If you set up the optional wallet on the Dash, you'll see two buttons next to your address: copy it, or open it in Solana Explorer. Here's what that explorer page is actually showing you.

Reminder first: none of this is needed to play Global SKATE. The wallet is optional and the app never creates one.

What your address is

Your Solana address is your public key. Per the Solana docs, it's a 32-byte value written in base58, which is why it looks like a long jumble of letters and numbers with no 0, O, I or l mixed in to confuse you.

Think of it like your handle. It points to your account on the network. People can look it up, and you can share it without risk.

What an explorer is

An explorer is a website that reads the public Solana record and shows it in a readable way. It's read-only. Looking at an address on an explorer doesn't move anything, sign anything or give anyone access. You're just reading.

What you'll see on an address page

When you open your address in Solana Explorer, the main things are:

• The address itself, so you can double-check it matches what you copied
• Balances, what that address holds right now
• Transactions, a list of everything that's happened with that address, newest first
• Fees, inside each transaction, what was paid in SOL to process it

If you just set up your Dash wallet and haven't done anything with it, the page will look pretty empty. That's normal. Setup on the Dash doesn't buy, mint or transfer anything.

Reading a transaction

Click any transaction and you'll get its details: when it happened, whether it succeeded, what moved, and the fee. On Solana the base fee is 5,000 lamports per signature (0.000005 SOL), with an optional priority fee on top when the network is busy.

Public is fine, keys are not

This is the line to remember:

• Your address is public. Anyone can open it on an explorer and see its balance and history. That's how blockchains work. Sharing it is fine.
• Your private key and recovery phrase are never public. Anyone who has them controls the account. Nobody legit will ever ask for them.

If a site says you need to "verify" your wallet by typing in your recovery phrase, that's a scam. Explorers never ask for it, because reading doesn't need it.

Checking a link is real

Scammers sometimes send fake "explorer" links. Open Solana Explorer from the Dash button instead of from a random DM, and you know you're on the real thing. More in Wallet safety basics for skaters.

Worked example: checking your new Dash wallet

You just set up the optional wallet on the Dash and want to see it on-chain.

1. Hit copy next to your address and paste it into a notes field so you can see it.
2. Hit the Solana Explorer button from the Dash, not a link from anywhere else.
3. Compare the first five and last five characters on the explorer page with what you copied. They match.
4. The transactions list is empty. That's expected: setup doesn't buy, mint or transfer anything.
5. Later, if a transaction shows up, open it and check whether it succeeded, what moved and the fee paid in SOL.

At no point did the explorer ask you to connect or sign. If one ever does just to "view" an address, close it.

Common mistakes

• Checking only the start of an address. Lookalike addresses can share the first few characters. Check both ends.
• Panicking at an empty page. A new wallet has no history yet.
• Thinking an explorer can move funds. It only reads the public record.
• Typing a recovery phrase to "verify" a wallet. Reading never needs it, so that's a scam.

FAQ

Is it safe to show someone my explorer page?

Yes. Your address and its history are already public.

Why does my address have no 0, O, I or l?

Solana addresses are written in base58, which leaves those characters out so they don't get mixed up.

Does opening Solana Explorer cost a fee?

No. Looking is free and read-only.

Quick recap

• Your address is a public key: 32 bytes, base58
• Explorers are read-only, they can't move anything
• Address pages show balances, transactions and fees
• An empty page after setup is normal
• Address public, keys never

New to all of this? Start with What is Solana? A skater's 2-minute version.

Next: What's a blockchain? Explained like a spot log

Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and play a Game of SKATE with your friends. Global SKATE is free and in testing on iPhone and Android.