What it means
A blockchain is a shared record of transactions kept by many participants. Hyperledger Fabric is a version built for businesses, in which only approved members can join, so it is called permissioned.
Hyperledger Explorer sits beside such a network and presents its data in an easy-to-read web interface. The tool reads information from the network and stores a copy in a database, which it then uses for searching and display.
Typical dashboards show the number of blocks, transactions, nodes and chaincodes (the smart contract programs that run on the network). Users can click through to look at a single transaction or block.
For finance and operations teams, the value is visibility. A consortium of banks running a trade finance network, for example, can use the explorer to confirm that a letter of credit (a bank's promise to pay a seller on the buyer's behalf) was recorded and to see when.
Auditors can follow the history of an asset without asking a developer to write a query. Explorer is a monitoring and viewing tool, not a replacement for security.
Access to it should be controlled, since transaction data can be commercially sensitive, and organisations must decide which members can see which channels. The network's own permissions remain the main safeguard.
The project is part of the Hyperledger family of open-source projects hosted by the Linux Foundation. Because it is open source, companies can run it themselves without a licence fee, although they must pay for the servers, the database and the staff who maintain it.
Its features and compatibility depend on the version of Fabric in use, so teams should check the project documentation. Teams also use the explorer during testing.
A developer who deploys new chaincode can watch transactions appear and spot errors before the network goes live. This shortens the feedback loop and lowers the risk of costly mistakes in production.
In practice
Real-world examples.
Example
A group of banks runs a shared network to record trade finance documents. The operations manager opens the explorer each morning to check the number of transactions overnight and to confirm that all member nodes are online. If a node has dropped off, she raises a ticket with the member bank before the working day starts.
Example
An internal auditor at a supply chain company wants evidence that a shipment's quality certificate was recorded before payment. She searches the explorer by transaction identifier and records the timestamp in her working papers. The evidence is stronger than an email from a colleague because it comes directly from the shared ledger.
Example
A developer testing a new smart contract for an insurance claims network watches the dashboard as test transactions are submitted. When a failed transaction shows up, she corrects the code before moving to the live network. The fix costs a few hours instead of a disrupted claims process later.
Case study
Seen in the real world.
Harbourline Trade Network is an illustrative, fictional consortium of six regional banks that share a Hyperledger Fabric network for recording trade documents. Early on, staff complained that they had no easy way to see whether a document had been recorded, so they kept emailing the technical team.
The consortium installed Hyperledger Explorer and gave each member's operations team read-only access to the channels it was entitled to see. The technical team spent about two weeks setting up the database and security, and a further week training staff. Each member bank nominated two people as dashboard users, and the group wrote a short guide that explained what each screen showed.
In this illustrative story, support requests about transaction status fell by around 70% in the first quarter, and auditors used the dashboard to confirm document histories during an annual review. The consortium also decided to restrict access so that each bank saw only its own channels, and it agreed a yearly review of who held access. The lesson is that visibility is valuable, but access rules need to be planned as carefully as the technology.
Watch out
Common mistakes.
- Assuming the explorer controls the network, when it is mainly a viewing and monitoring tool.
- Giving everyone access to all channels, which can expose confidential commercial data.
- Treating the explorer's database as the official record, when the ledger on the network peers is the source of truth.
Questions
People also ask.
What does Hyperledger Explorer do?
It provides a web interface for browsing blocks, transactions, channels and peers on a Hyperledger Fabric network.
Is it free to use?
The software is open source, so there is no licence fee, but organisations pay to host, secure and maintain it.
Who uses it?
Network operators, developers, auditors and business teams who need to see what has been recorded without writing technical queries, as well as managers who want a simple summary of activity.
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