Block Explorer for Arbitrum Orbit Chains
Ethernal is a hosted block explorer that works with any Arbitrum Orbit chain. Whether you are running Arbitrum One, Nova, Degen Chain, Xai, or your own custom L2/L3 built on the Nitro stack, Ethernal provides transaction decoding, contract verification, retryable ticket tracking, and bridge monitoring out of the box.
Framework Arbitrum OrbitWhat is Arbitrum Orbit?
Arbitrum Orbit is a framework by Offchain Labs for launching custom L2 and L3 chains using the Nitro tech stack. Orbit chains settle on Ethereum (L2) or on another Arbitrum chain (L3), and teams can choose between two data availability modes: full Rollup (data posted to Ethereum) or AnyTrust (data held by a committee for lower costs). The Nitro engine compiles EVM to WASM for dispute resolution, supports standard Solidity contracts, and uses BOLD (Bounded Liquidity Delay) fraud proofs.
Rollup Mode
Full data availability on Ethereum. Transaction data is posted to L1 calldata or blobs. Maximum security, higher data costs. Used by Arbitrum One.
AnyTrust Mode
Data availability via a committee (Data Availability Committee, or DAC). Much lower costs, slightly different trust assumptions. Used by Arbitrum Nova, Degen Chain, and many gaming chains.
BOLD Fraud Proofs
Bounded Liquidity Delay ensures disputes resolve within a fixed time window, preventing delay attacks. Validators challenge incorrect state assertions posted to the parent chain.
Native Orbit Bridge Monitoring
Ethernal understands the Nitro architecture natively. Configure your Rollup and Inbox contract addresses, and it monitors assertion postings, tracks retryable tickets for L1-to-L2 messaging, and detects challenges. Works with any Orbit chain: L2 settling on Ethereum or L3 settling on another Arbitrum chain.
Retryable Ticket Tracing
Arbitrum uses retryable tickets for cross-chain messaging. When a message is sent from L1 to your Orbit chain (or from a parent Orbit chain to an L3), Ethernal decodes the full lifecycle: submission, auto-redeem attempt, and final execution. See decoded parameters at every step of the cross-chain call.
Explorer Features
Chains Built on Arbitrum Orbit
The Orbit ecosystem includes L2 chains settling on Ethereum and L3 chains settling on Arbitrum One or Nova. Ethernal works with all of them:
Arbitrum One
The flagship optimistic rollup. Settles on Ethereum. Largest Orbit chain by TVL.
Arbitrum Nova
AnyTrust chain for gaming and social. Lower fees via DAC data availability.
Degen Chain
L3 on Arbitrum Orbit. Community-driven chain for the Degen token ecosystem.
Xai
Gaming-focused L3 by Offchain Labs. AnyTrust mode for low-cost game transactions.
Proof of Play
Gaming L3 powering on-chain games like Pirate Nation. Built on Orbit AnyTrust.
How to Set Up an Arbitrum Orbit Block Explorer
Create a workspace
Sign up at app.tryethernal.com and create a Public Explorer workspace.
Connect your chain's RPC
Paste the RPC endpoint for your Orbit chain. For Arbitrum One: https://arb1.arbitrum.io/rpc. For custom Orbit chains, use your sequencer's RPC URL.
Configure Orbit bridge monitoring
Enter your Rollup and Inbox contract addresses. Ethernal starts monitoring assertions, retryable tickets, and cross-chain messages automatically.
Go live
Point your custom domain and your branded Orbit explorer is live with transaction decoding, contract verification, and bridge tracking.
Pricing for Arbitrum Orbit Explorers
Start free with the Starter plan (ad-supported, includes contract verification, token tracking, and unlimited transactions). For custom domains and L1 bridge integration, the Team plan starts at $150/month. Full whitelabel with custom branding, status page, and 5M transactions included is available on the App Chain plan at $500/month.
View Full PricingFrequently Asked Questions
What is Arbitrum Orbit?
Arbitrum Orbit is a framework by Offchain Labs for launching custom L2 and L3 chains using the Nitro tech stack. Teams can choose between Rollup mode (data on Ethereum) or AnyTrust mode (data via committee) depending on their cost and security requirements. Orbit chains can settle on Ethereum (L2) or on another Arbitrum chain (L3).
What is the difference between Arbitrum Orbit and OP Stack?
Both are frameworks for launching L2 rollups. Orbit uses the Nitro engine with BOLD fraud proofs and offers AnyTrust (committee-based data availability) as an alternative to full rollup. OP Stack uses op-geth with fault proofs and a 7-day challenge window, and chains form the Superchain. Ethernal supports both frameworks with native bridge monitoring.
How do I launch an Orbit chain with a block explorer?
After deploying your Orbit chain using the Arbitrum SDK or Orbit Portal, create a workspace on Ethernal, paste your chain's RPC, and configure the Rollup and Inbox contract addresses. Your explorer is live in under 5 minutes with transaction decoding, contract verification, and bridge monitoring.
Does Ethernal support L3 Orbit chains?
Yes. Ethernal works with Orbit chains at any layer. L3 chains that settle on Arbitrum One or Nova are configured the same way: provide the RPC endpoint and the parent chain's Rollup/Inbox addresses.
What is the difference between AnyTrust and Rollup mode?
In Rollup mode, all transaction data is posted to Ethereum L1 (maximum security, higher costs). In AnyTrust mode, data is held by a Data Availability Committee (lower costs, different trust assumptions). Arbitrum One uses Rollup mode; Nova, Xai, and most gaming chains use AnyTrust. Ethernal supports both modes.
Ready to launch your explorer?
Deploy a fully-featured block explorer for your EVM chain in under 5 minutes. No credit card required.