AVAX blockchain explorer to shut down as Etherscan fees draw controversy

Snowtrace.io, a popular blockchain explorer tool for Avalanche (AVAX), will be shutting down its website on November 30. The explorer, powered by Etherscan's Explorer-as-a-Service (EaaS) toolkit, has drawn controversy due to Etherscan's service fees.

Snowtrace users urged to save backup information

In an announcement made on October 30, Snowtrace.io stated that its users must save their backup information, including private name tags and contact verification details, before the shutdown date. Although the reason for the explorer's closure was not explicitly mentioned, some speculate that it is due to Etherscan's high fees for its EaaS toolkit.

Etherscan's service fees under scrutiny

Mikko Ohtama, co-founder of tradingprotocol, highlighted the high cost of an annual subscription to Etherscan's EaaS, which can range from $1-$2 million. Ohtama emphasized the need for decentralization in smart contract verification and expressed concerns about the source code being hosted by a private company in Malaysia.

Phillip Liu Jr., head of strategy and operations at Ava Labs, assured the community that the protocol is not ceasing operations but rather moving towards a better solution. Etherscan's EaaS service offers blockchains a block explorer and application programming interface (API) solution for a fee. The discontinuation of a block explorer can occur for various reasons, such as non-renewal of an EaaS service agreement, insufficient bandwidth, or limited traffic.

Users are advised to save their data, such as private name tags, transaction notes, and contract verification details, before the shutdown of Snowtrace.io's explorer.

Source: Snowtrace.io Twitter