evm_block_explorer

EVM Block Explorer

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Overview

The EVM Block Explorer example demonstrates how an ICP canister can fetch block data directly from Ethereum and other EVM-compatible chains. Using HTTPS outcalls via the EVM RPC canister, canisters on ICP can read on-chain data without a bridge or oracle. The same pattern applies to any EVM-compatible chain supported by the EVM RPC canister.

Build and deploy from the command line

Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• icp-cli: npm install -g @icp-sdk/icp-cli @icp-sdk/ic-wasm
• Rust with wasm32-unknown-unknown target: rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown

Install

Clone the example project:

git clone https://github.com/dfinity/examples
cd examples/rust/evm_block_explorer

Deploy and test

Start the local network, deploy all canisters (including the local EVM RPC canister), and run the tests:

icp network start -d
icp deploy
bash test.sh
icp network stop

To start a frontend dev server with hot reload during frontend development:

npm run dev --prefix frontend

Deploying on ICP mainnet

On mainnet, the evm_rpc canister is already deployed at 7hfb6-caaaa-aaaar-qadga-cai. Deploy only the backend and frontend — icp-cli injects the correct canister ID via the ic environment configuration in icp.yaml:

icp deploy -e ic

Updating the Candid interface

The backend/backend.did file defines the backend canister's public interface. The frontend TypeScript bindings are auto-generated from this file during the frontend build.

If you modify the backend's public API, rebuild the canister and regenerate the .did file:

icp build backend && candid-extractor target/wasm32-unknown-unknown/release/backend.wasm > backend/backend.did

RPC providers and API keys

The example uses PublicNode by default — a free, no-registration provider that works out of the box locally and on mainnet. This is sufficient for getting started and automated testing.

For production deployments requiring premium providers (Alchemy, Ankr, BlockPi), refer to the EVM RPC canister documentation for how to configure API keys. Once configured, change RpcServices::EthMainnet(Some(vec![EthMainnetService::PublicNode])) in backend/src/lib.rs to RpcServices::EthMainnet(None) to use all configured providers for better consensus.

Security considerations and best practices

If you base your application on this example, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with and adhere to the security best practices for developing on ICP. This example may not implement all the best practices.