Bitcoin Forum

So the only useful guide I've found is by hackernoon and it is talking about ethereum blockchain explorer setup.
I've been in Bitcoin for several years and now working on my own project. I am looking to develop a blockchain explorer from scratch rather than using existing API (for my personal experience).

What would it really takes in terms of hardware, code requirements and costs?

As far as I understand I first need to setup a Bitcoin node, making sure I have enough storage capacity to handle all historical blocks and transactions (am I right?)
But what am I doing from there? how do I turn it into an database and making my own API?

Does anyone have any guide for it?

I am also currently programming my own Blockchain Explorer. For the database I use the BLK files from BitcoinCore and an index file with pointers to the correct blocks in the correct order.

Hardware, you only need a PC with sufficient storage space on which the blockchain fits.
The best SSD for fast access times.

Before developing a new explorer, will it have any features that we can't find in existing solutions? What does it offer to its users?
 
Check out this post by pooya87 from 2017, maybe you will find what you are looking for there.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1947647.msg19353488#msg19353488

First, do you want it to run locally or access through internet?

To run an explorer like the blockchain.com API you need about 500GB of space, except of above code, you would need to make a database of all TXs so you can parse it quickly. Either code yourself in Python or hire a coder. You would probably land on 2000 USD to have a fast and secure explorer. A simple windows/unbuntu box is fine, your can run it on as little as a DELL R200 with 4GB of ram and an old Pentium CPU. Most critical is good bandwith for data transfer and fast SSD disk.

In terms on online server, amazon instances are pretty good (we run both an BTC and ETH explorer) which are accessed from anywhere in the world using RPC calls and runs 24/7. Cost is about 300 USD/month for the data transfer.

Good luck
/KX

One of very first things you have to consider in-depth before you start to build up you own bitcoin blockchain explorer is:

Which types of features your explorer will make it different and better (somewhat) than the current others on the market?

If you simply want to learn and practice how to set one explorer up, it is cool (it seems not your intention), but if you want to run a business with your own-built explorer, that is the same as the current others or worse, it is not a good start of your plans.

There are list of blockchain explorers, and I think you should spend sometime to experience them to see which things they do well, which things they can be improved (that you can apply to your explorer). There are ratings for each explorers (by that OP or by the others, but they are subjectively ratings, so you should take your own experience).

• List of useful Bitcoin block explorers (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5197909.0)

I am not a coder and programmer, but from the perspective of user, that is what I can give you: "Analyse the cost-benefit and probability to successfully jump in the service market."

You need at least to run a full node.
You also need to index properties that the users might search (such as all addresses, transactions, block heights, which a full node does not do by default)
Accoring to blockchair (https://blockchair.com/dumps), it's entire database with indexes is 900 GB (compared to ~250 GB for the raw blockchain alone)

This is quite a huge amount of money since the OP said he/she wanted to gain personal experience of developing blockchain explorer.
Do you have any idea if, for example, I'll do it first locally, just for fun or experience just what like OP wants, Do I still need those 500GB of space
or minimum/DELL R200 with 4GB of ram and an old Pentium CPU just what you told?

@Bitcoinstein, probably this is one of the best personal experience to be added in your portfolio.
This is also one on my portfolio bucketlist, a blockchain explorer or any blockchain-related that code from the scratch. Well, good luck to you.

Yes, you will still need to store all those data locally

The only difference to run it locally would be to skip the Amazon EC2 instance costs.

If you are on a budget there are several GITHUB repositories you could borrow from but it is still quite a challenging project
to run your own block explorer. (instead of hiring an experienced coder)

/KX