What is the role of a blockchain explorer?

A blockchain explorer serves the specific role of providing a user interface for viewing blockchain data. This tool allows users to access and explore various details within a blockchain, such as transaction history, block information, addresses, and other essential network activities. By offering a transparent overview of the data, blockchain explorers enable users to track transactions in real time, verify their status, and understand the overall health and activity of a blockchain network.

While creating new blocks and validating transactions is vital, that responsibility lies with miners or validators in the blockchain ecosystem rather than an explorer. Initiating new smart contracts is a function performed by developers or users interacting with the blockchain, not inherently the role of a blockchain explorer. Similarly, mining cryptocurrencies involves solving cryptographic puzzles to add new blocks to the chain, which is distinctly different from the functionality provided by explorers.