Snowtrace.io, a popular blockchain explorer tool for Avalanche (AVAX), has announced that it will be shutting down its website powered by Etherscan’s Explorer-as-a-Service (EaaS) toolkit. The closure is scheduled for November 30, and the Snowtrace team has urged users to save their essential backup information, including private name tags and contact verification details, before this date.
While the announcement did not explicitly cite the reason for the shutdown, the move has raised concerns over the escalating service fees associated with Etherscan’s EaaS toolkit. According to Mikko Ohtama, co-founder of tradingprotocol, annual subscriptions for EaaS can range from $1 to $2 million per year. Ohtama highlighted the need for decentralization in the realm of smart contract verification, suggesting that relying on a private company in Malaysia for source code hosting may not align with the expectations of regulators and others.
Phillip Liu Jr., head of strategy and operations at Ava Labs, confirmed that the protocol is not ceasing operations but rather transitioning to a more suitable solution. Etherscan’s EaaS service provides blockchains with a block explorer and an application programming interface (API) solution for a fee. In situations where a block explorer is discontinued, it may be due to factors such as the non-renewal of an EaaS service agreement, bandwidth limitations, or traffic restrictions.
In such cases, users are strongly advised to safeguard their data, including private name tags, transaction notes, contract verification details, and more, before the platform’s closure. The evolving landscape of blockchain technology and the associated services is leading to shifts and challenges, and the closure of the Snowtrace.io explorer serves as a reminder of the importance of adaptability and sustainability in the digital ecosystem.