How to Search OP_Return Data?

I'm trying to find data stored in OP_Returns. I wanna check for specific texts like "Chancellor" or "fillippone" in Bitcoin transactions. Found some sites like preturnio and blockchair, but can't access them now. I have a Windows Bitcoin node running. Anyone got a step-by-step guide?

Check out opreturn.net, it might work for you. It's been pretty useful for me, found some good results. Plus, you can save OP_Return messages on Dogecoin blockchain for free.

Thanks for the heads up! I hadn’t come across that site in my searches. But it looks like searching Bitcoin OP_Returns is kinda broken right now. Can you explain how to search for the word "brink" on I-return.net, like I'm five?

Seems like the btc connection is down now, which is odd. I used it just six months ago without issues. Now, trying to search gives an error message. Maybe check back in a few days?

Yeah, preturnio was awesome for indexing Ordinal data. Now it's gone due to costs and interest dropping. Tried some lightweight explorers, but they don't index OP_RETURN either. Maybe look at that GitHub project for OP_RETURN indexing.

Such a bummer Preturnio is gone. It was great for OP_RETURN searches.

Finding a good site for OP_Return text without an API is tough. Your best bet might be using your node, but I doubt there's a manual available. Btw, "Chancellor" was from the Genesis block.

I know a site that shows plain text from blkxxxx.dat files, but it’s a manual search. You can check it out: bitcoinstrings.com. Bitcoin Core doesn’t help much since it lacks commands to parse OP_Return data.

Writing a parser for blk*.dat files isn’t too hard.

Not sure how to use it though. I need to run my own node, then what? Where do I run the code and how do I input my search text? I could really use some clear instructions.

This shows that blockchain parsing is simple. Writing a parser isn't that complex.

Yeah, but it only parses blocks, not transactions with OP_Return data. So, not really gonna help the OP who said they aren’t tech-savvy. Adapting it would take time and skills.

This script is good for searching specific texts in blocks. It uses an API but can be modified for your node for faster results.

To use getrawtransaction, you need the txids to fetch them. And it fetches from mempool mostly, not blocks. With over a billion transactions, parsing for OP_RETURNs is a huge task. Better go with blk*.dat files.

With some modifications, it can do what you're looking for.

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but found ra0.org. It’s probably the easiest way to search OP_RETURN data online. Bitcoinstrings.com still lacks a search feature.

You might want to try bitcoinsearch.io. It’s kinda like Google but for Bitcoin blockchain. I built it myself, just saying.

I compared ra0.org with the search engine by @axcelvoid. The latter returned way more results for my queries. ra0's interface is nice, but I want more full search options.

Totally agree. I forgot about his site even though I've visited before. Different results make sense since ra0.org focuses on OP_RETURN only.

Thanks everyone, this is exactly what I needed! Special thanks to @axcelvoid for the suggestions. I got more results on ra0 than on bitcoinsearch, even though the latter's interface is cleaner.