Ethereum vs Polygon block explorers

TLDR

Ethereum and Polygon both use the EVM and share Ethereum's address format, but Polygon is a separate chain (formerly known as Matic) with its own native token (POL) and its own block explorer. tx.taxi routes Ethereum lookups to Etherscan and Polygon lookups to PolygonScan.

Address & transaction format

Ethereum and Polygon share the EVM address format. An address is 20 raw bytes shown as 0x followed by 40 hex characters, 42 characters in total. EIP-55 mixed-case checksums display the same way on both. The same private key derives the same address on both chains because address derivation does not depend on the chain.

Transaction hashes are Keccak-256 of the signed transaction, 32 bytes shown as a 66-character 0x-prefixed hex string. Block hashes follow the same format. Block numbers are integers, with each chain maintaining its own independent height counter.

Each chain has a distinct chain ID. Ethereum mainnet is chain ID 1; Polygon is chain ID 137. The chain ID is part of the signed transaction under EIP-155, so a transaction signed for Ethereum cannot be replayed on Polygon and vice versa. The same address can have entirely different histories on the two chains because each chain processes only transactions signed against its own chain ID.

A bare hex address tells you nothing about which chain it has activity on. A transaction hash uniquely identifies a transaction within one chain. The shape is identical across EVM chains, so you need chain context (either implicit from how you obtained the value, or explicit by loading the chain's page on tx.taxi).

Block explorers tx.taxi uses

For Ethereum, tx.taxi's primary configured explorer is Etherscan. Etherscan is a long-running, widely-used Ethereum explorer that covers transactions, contract verification, internal calls, token transfers, and event logs.

For Polygon, tx.taxi's primary configured explorer is PolygonScan. PolygonScan is built on the same explorer family and provides the equivalent feature set scoped to the Polygon chain.

Because both explorers share UI conventions, switching between them is low-friction. The data they index is independent, and the native gas token differs (ETH on Ethereum, POL on Polygon).

When to use which

If you know the value came from a Polygon action (a swap on a Polygon-deployed DEX, a mint of a Polygon NFT, a Polygon contract call), use the Polygon chain page which routes to PolygonScan. If it came from Ethereum mainnet, use the Ethereum chain page which routes to Etherscan.

For ambiguous 0x addresses, tx.taxi routes to a multichain EVM aggregator so you can see which chains the address has activity on, then drill into the chain-specific explorer. For transaction hashes, you typically know the chain from how you obtained the hash (the source wallet, the source dapp, the source bridge UI).

See how to read a transaction hash for the hash-format primer and what is a block explorer for explorer fundamentals.

Common confusions

The first confusion is shared addresses, independent state. Users routinely assume balances are unified across chains because the address is the same. They are not. Your tokens on Ethereum and your tokens on Polygon are independent balances on independent chains, even when the token name (like USDC) is the same. To move value between them you bridge, which is a real transaction with its own delay and fees. PolygonScan will not show your Ethereum activity; Etherscan will not show your Polygon activity.

The second confusion is the native gas token. Polygon's native token is POL (formerly MATIC), not ETH. Gas fees on Polygon are paid in POL. ETH on Polygon exists, but it is a bridged ERC-20 representation, not the native gas token. On Ethereum mainnet, gas is paid in ETH directly. Reading a transaction page, the "value" column reflects whatever token moved; the "fee" column reflects the native gas token of the chain you are viewing.

The third confusion is block timing and finality. Polygon produces blocks roughly every two seconds; Ethereum targets twelve seconds. Confirmation depth means different things on each chain. A handful of confirmations on Polygon happens quickly but does not provide the same finality as the same number of Ethereum confirmations. Both explorers display confirmation counts; the interpretation depends on which chain you are on. tx.taxi does not opine on finality, it just routes you to the explorer that can show you the data.