CTFd
Open source platform for hosting capture-the-flag competitions with plugins and dynamic scoring.
Technical Architecture & Overview
CTFd is a self-hostable capture-the-flag platform. It handles challenges, flags, hints, individual and team competitions, dynamic scoring, and scoreboards, and plugin and theme interfaces extend it. The company behind it offers managed hosting and a CTFd Enterprise edition, while the core stays Apache-2.0 with a documented minimum of a dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM.
Targeted Technical Use Cases
Organizations running their own CTF events, from internal training days to public competitions.
Evaluation & Trade-offs
Core Strengths
- +Docker images and Docker Compose setup for self-hosting.
- +Plugin architecture covers scoring and challenge customization.
- +Documented minimum of a dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM.
Trade-Offs & Limitations
- -Challenge infrastructure still needs building per event.
- -Large public events need capacity planning.
Defensive Security Application
Internal CTFs that train staff on custom security challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CTFd?→
CTFd is a self-hostable capture-the-flag platform. It handles challenges, flags, hints, individual and team competitions, dynamic scoring, and scoreboards, and plugin and theme interfaces extend it. The company behind it offers managed hosting and a CTFd Enterprise edition, while the core stays Apache-2.0 with a documented minimum of a dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM.
What is CTFd used for?→
Organizations running their own CTF events, from internal training days to public competitions.
What are the strengths of CTFd?→
- +Docker images and Docker Compose setup for self-hosting.
- +Plugin architecture covers scoring and challenge customization.
- +Documented minimum of a dual-core CPU and 1 GB of RAM.
What are the limitations of CTFd?→
- +Challenge infrastructure still needs building per event.
- +Large public events need capacity planning.
How is CTFd used defensively?→
Internal CTFs that train staff on custom security challenges.