Explorer API & Cryptocurrency Data Feed copy guide
Bitcoin and Liquid blockchain data API plus ICE-partnered crypto trade feed
- New category housing the explorer, price feeds, and compliance/KYT.
- "Data & Analytics" over "Analytics": price feeds and explorers are data, per Jeff. Mirrors Luca's positioning.
- Deliberately not branded a compliance suite.
Golden rules
Get these right and most copy takes care of itself.
- Two products, never blended: Explorer API = on-chain data; Cryptocurrency Data Feed = off-chain market data (ICE).
- "Blockstream Explorer API" on first reference; bare "Explorer API" is on the Don't Use list.
- Tense equals shipped status: "does" for live capabilities, "will" or "coming" for roadmap.
- Date and verify every pricing claim against blockstream.info; tiers are point-in-time, not evergreen.
- Developer voice for the API, formal enterprise voice for the Feed; named authors on dev content.
Who you're writing for
Meet the reader before touching the rules.
Write for developers first: wallet, exchange, custody, and protocol builders who read code; assume integration intent, not evaluation.
Write for data buyers on the Feed: institutions sourcing market data for price discovery, treasury, cross-venue work; formal, quantified.
Never assume the reader's stack: developers may use Sparrow, Electrum, or custom tools, not the Blockstream app; keep examples tool-neutral.
Names
The product names and exactly how to write them.
Write: "Blockstream Explorer API" on first reference; bare "Explorer API" is on the Don't Use list.
Say "Blockstream Explorer" for the hosted instance at blockstream.info; never Esplora, Explorer, or Block Explorer for it.
Capitalize "Esplora" (open-source project, never "Blockstream Esplora"); write "electrs" always lowercase.
Name the Feed "Cryptocurrency Data Feed" and frame it as a separate product built with ICE; never fold it into the Explorer API.
File both under Developer Tools: the Explorer API and the Cryptocurrency Data Feed share that category on blockstream.com.
Split open source from commercial: Esplora (MIT) powers the free explorer; the Blockstream Explorer API is the paid, SLA-backed service.
Say this, not that
The usage dictionary. When in doubt, search it.
| Topic | Write | Never write | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| electrs | electrs, always lowercase | Electrs | |
| GDK | GDK (Green Development Kit) | QuickSync integration in progress | |
| LWK | LWK (Liquid Wallet Kit) | QuickSync integration live | |
| The API | Blockstream Explorer API (full name, first reference) | bare "Explorer API" | on the Don't Use list |
| The hosted explorer | Blockstream Explorer | Esplora · bare "Explorer" · Blockstream/Liquid Block Explorer | the instance at blockstream.info |
| The open-source project | Esplora (capitalized) | Blockstream Esplora · esplora | MIT-licensed; powers the free explorer |
| Category word | Bitcoin · digital assets | crypto, meaning Bitcoin | the product name "Cryptocurrency Data Feed" is the standing exception |
| Chain scope | Bitcoin and Liquid, named | cross-chain | |
| Grade claims | enterprise · purpose-built · the named capability | institutional-grade | explorer-api.md itself violates this (open question) |
| Which chain | Bitcoin or Liquid, specified | generic "blockchain" | |
| The old ticker | LBTC | L-BTC | grep and replace |
| Electrum RPC | stateful protocol: subscriptions, batching, persistent connections | Feb 2026 | |
| QuickSync | descriptor-based wallet sync (Waterfalls protocol) | note the descriptor-sharing privacy trade-off | |
| The Feed | Cryptocurrency Data Feed, a separate product built with ICE | folding it into the Explorer API | off-chain market data, not blockchain data |
Voice & tone
How the copy sounds, and where the register switches.
Write like a maintainer doing release notes for their own project: explain the why and the trade-offs, assume the reader reads code.
Let the product set the register: developer voice for the Explorer API, formal enterprise voice for the Cryptocurrency Data Feed.
Never use marketing language, simplify into inaccuracy, drop version or config specifics, or promise unshipped features.
Match tense to shipped status: "does" for live capabilities, "will" or "coming" for roadmap items like QuickSync on BDK.
Quantify with before/after numbers when documented: QuickSync cuts sync time 62%, requests 65%.
Attribute developer content to a named author, not "Blockstream"; technical credibility rides on named authorship.
On the Feed, stay formal: quantified claims only, no humor, no first person, attributed to "Blockstream."
Format dev content in code: inline code for terms, pre blocks for CLI/API, version tags like (v25.12+), tables for tiers and fields.
Head API sections with method and path (GET /tx/:txid); pair each with a JSON example, curl, and a cacheability note.
Tag external blog links with ?ref=blog.blockstream.com; cite GitHub repos and docs as the source of truth.
Headings Title Case (H1-H4) across developer content.
Positioning
What to lead with, what to always pair, what never to claim.
These points are an amalgamation of what has been learned so far, from product docs, launches, and reviewer feedback. They are not definitive or authoritative positioning from anyone. Product marketing still needs to clearly define positioning for this product, which will happen in a follow-up.
Lead with the infrastructure you replace: full nodes, indexing, caching, load balancing, and monitoring, all removed by the API.
Lead each product with its own line: API = search Bitcoin and Liquid blockchain data; Feed = real-time and historical trade data (ICE).
Keep the split straight: Explorer API = on-chain data (blocks, txs, addresses); Feed = off-chain market data (trades, books, prices).
Date and verify every pricing claim against blockstream.info; the March 2026 tiers are point-in-time, not evergreen.
Pricing ladder: Free 500K/mo, Basic $40, Advanced $100-$2,000, Enterprise $3,000; Cryptocurrency Data Feed is Contact Sales.
Feed proof points: 200M+ daily trade/quote updates, 400+ pairs, 90+ assets, 18 fiats, Level 2 order books, ICE SFTI backbone.
Title posts capability + scale: "Real-Time Bitcoin Data at Scale," "Bitcoin Visibility at Scale."
Claims
What a page or post may cite. Confirm, correct, or kill each row; an unconfirmed claim does not ship.
| Claim | As of | Status |
|---|---|---|
| QuickSync cuts sync time 62% and requests 65% | documented | approved |
| Feed: 200M+ daily trade/quote updates, 400+ pairs, 90+ assets, 18 fiats | undated | confirm or kill |
| Pricing: Free 500K/mo, Basic $40, Advanced $100-$2,000, Enterprise $3,000 | Mar 2026, point-in-time | confirm or kill |
Open questions
Unresolved tensions for review. Don't resolve these in copy; flag them.
- No brand-docs product page for either offering; only substantive doc is Products/explorer-api.md (research file, 2026-03-14); pricing/features are point-in-time.
- products-overview.md portfolio table omits both products; identity.md lists both under Developer Tools; the two docs disagree.
- Data feed name split: product-brands.md says "Crypto Data Feed," explorer-api.md and identity.md say "Cryptocurrency Data Feed"; terminology.md silent.
- Shorthand conflict: terminology.md bans "Explorer API," yet taxonomy.md ("Explorer API Updates") and explorer-api.md use it throughout.
- Visual-brand conflict: product-brands.md has no Explorer section, but the visualizer skill ships slate/#FF9417 identity; #FF9417 is one digit from Simplicity #FF9517.
- Banned "institutional-grade" appears in explorer-api.md; developer persona self-reports thin docs; no product boilerplate or messaging hierarchy exists.
Notepad
Scribble anything: loose thoughts, questions, things that don't fit a pin or a highlight. Saves automatically with the review feedback.