If you want to do analytics, the trick is scrapping the whole blockchain into an indexed database. My advice is that you get a SQL database, and write a program that queries a node for its blocks, one by one, then you get the transactions and the transactions receipts, which you can query again for more data. Is up to you which fields interest you the most, to which you want to apply the right indexing.
Here is the structure of a block
From https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/JSON-RPC#eth_getblockbyhash
// Request
curl -X POST --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getBlockByHash","params":["0xe670ec64341771606e55d6b4ca35a1a6b75ee3d5145a99d05921026d1527331", true],"id":1}'
// Result
{
"id":1,
"jsonrpc":"2.0",
"result": {
"number": "0x1b4", // 436
"hash": "0xe670ec64341771606e55d6b4ca35a1a6b75ee3d5145a99d05921026d1527331",
"parentHash": "0x9646252be9520f6e71339a8df9c55e4d7619deeb018d2a3f2d21fc165dde5eb5",
"nonce": "0xe04d296d2460cfb8472af2c5fd05b5a214109c25688d3704aed5484f9a7792f2",
"sha3Uncles": "0x1dcc4de8dec75d7aab85b567b6ccd41ad312451b948a7413f0a142fd40d49347",
"logsBloom": "0xe670ec64341771606e55d6b4ca35a1a6b75ee3d5145a99d05921026d1527331",
"transactionsRoot": "0x56e81f171bcc55a6ff8345e692c0f86e5b48e01b996cadc001622fb5e363b421",
"stateRoot": "0xd5855eb08b3387c0af375e9cdb6acfc05eb8f519e419b874b6ff2ffda7ed1dff",
"miner": "0x4e65fda2159562a496f9f3522f89122a3088497a",
"difficulty": "0x027f07", // 163591
"totalDifficulty": "0x027f07", // 163591
"extraData": "0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
"size": "0x027f07", // 163591
"gasLimit": "0x9f759", // 653145
"gasUsed": "0x9f759", // 653145
"timestamp": "0x54e34e8e" // 1424182926
"transactions": [{...},{ ... }]
"uncles": ["0x1606e5...", "0xd5145a9..."]
}
}
Then you get hashes for transactions, which you can perform for each, two queries
https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/JSON-RPC#eth_gettransactionbyhash
// Request
curl -X POST --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionByHash","params":["0xb903239f8543d04b5dc1ba6579132b143087c68db1b2168786408fcbce568238"],"id":1}'
// Result
{
"id":1,
"jsonrpc":"2.0",
"result": {
"hash":"0xc6ef2fc5426d6ad6fd9e2a26abeab0aa2411b7ab17f30a99d3cb96aed1d1055b",
"nonce":"0x",
"blockHash": "0xbeab0aa2411b7ab17f30a99d3cb9c6ef2fc5426d6ad6fd9e2a26a6aed1d1055b",
"blockNumber": "0x15df", // 5599
"transactionIndex": "0x1", // 1
"from":"0x407d73d8a49eeb85d32cf465507dd71d507100c1",
"to":"0x85h43d8a49eeb85d32cf465507dd71d507100c1",
"value":"0x7f110" // 520464
"gas": "0x7f110" // 520464
"gasPrice":"0x09184e72a000",
"input":"0x603880600c6000396000f300603880600c6000396000f3603880600c6000396000f360",
}
}
https://github.com/ethereum/wiki/wiki/JSON-RPC#eth_gettransactionreceipt
// Request
curl -X POST --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"eth_getTransactionReceipt","params":["0xb903239f8543d04b5dc1ba6579132b143087c68db1b2168786408fcbce568238"],"id":1}'
// Result
{
"id":1,
"jsonrpc":"2.0",
"result": {
transactionHash: '0xb903239f8543d04b5dc1ba6579132b143087c68db1b2168786408fcbce568238',
transactionIndex: '0x1', // 1
blockNumber: '0xb', // 11
blockHash: '0xc6ef2fc5426d6ad6fd9e2a26abeab0aa2411b7ab17f30a99d3cb96aed1d1055b',
cumulativeGasUsed: '0x33bc', // 13244
gasUsed: '0x4dc', // 1244
contractAddress: '0xb60e8dd61c5d32be8058bb8eb970870f07233155' // or null, if none was created
logs: [{
// logs as returned by getFilterLogs, etc.
}, ...]
}
}
Best Answer
When you are seeing the name next to the address, it is a manual process of associating a text string with that address. It's that simple. They have a metadata field that they can add to any address. This process is not via an API or across the entire Ethereum network. Each blockchain explorer (etherscan, etherchain, and live.ether.camp) do it differently and have different accounts labeled.
As you don't seem to take my answer as correct, here is EtherScan's answer:
In fact, after answering that question I wanted to make sure it was correct, so I commented on MyEtherWallet's donation account address. A couple days later, Matt @ EtherScan upvoted my comment and now we have a tag.
Furthermore, not all addresses on Shapeshift are listed. I just looked at one of my accounts and the unique address I sent the ETH to is not labeled as Shapeshift.
However, the address that ETH was sent from (in this case, I didn't the correct amount of ETH so it was returned to me) is labeled: http://etherscan.io/address/0x120a270bbc009644e35f0bb6ab13f95b8199c4ad
This seems to be their Ethereum hot wallet (although this is most likely changing due to the security breach on 4/7) and so it can be easily labeled. I looked around and couldn't find any other addresses labeled as Shapeshift, so I think that your assumption that every address ShapeShift generates in labeled Shapeshift is wrong.