# 1. Overview

The aelf Block Explorer is used to monitor the main chain and any side chains, allowing users to search for specific information, and participate in the aelf ecosystem.

**1. Search**: allows users to find basic information such as the number of transactions per minute, block height, total transaction volume, the total number of token holders, node applications, and side chains

**2. Query:** allows users to find more specific information regarding block height, transaction ID, and wallet addresses;

**3.** **Network Participation:** This grows the aelf ecosystem through actions such as joining node elections, purchasing resources and viewing contracts.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://aelf-io.gitbook.io/aelf-block-explorer-en/1.-overview.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.