CTFd

CTFd 3.8.1 - Enhanced Edition

A production-ready, modded version of CTFd 3.8.1 with enhanced plugins and themes for a superior Capture The Flag competition experience.

🚀 Features

Base Platform

• CTFd Version: 3.8.1 (Latest)
• Production Ready: All configurations optimized for production deployment
• Enhanced Compatibility: Custom modifications ensure all plugins work seamlessly with the latest CTFd version

🎨 Available Themes

Pixo (Default Theme)

• Retro-styled theme with 90s CRT aesthetics
• Features old-school fonts, screen flicker effects, and vintage notification sounds
• Perfect for themed competitions or retro-style events
• Enhanced for CTFd 3.8.1 compatibility

Core

• Standard CTFd theme with modern, clean interface
• Fully responsive design
• Professional appearance for corporate events

Core-Deprecated

• Legacy theme option for backward compatibility

🔌 Enhanced Plugins

Attempts Viewer

• Team Attempt History: View all submission attempts by team members
• Individual Tracking: Personal submission history for each player
• Challenge-Specific Views: See attempts directly from challenge modals
• Global History Page: Centralized view with advanced filtering
• Admin Controls: Enable/disable features from admin panel
• Autonomous Tracking: Reduces admin workload by letting teams self-serve

Containers Plugin

• Ephemeral Docker Containers: Spin up isolated lab environments per team
• Dynamic Container Management: Automatic lifecycle management
• SSH/Local Socket Support: Flexible connection options
• Advanced Configuration: Custom volumes, networking, and resource limits
• Team Isolation: Separate containerized environments for each team
• Challenge Integration: Seamless integration with container-based challenges

🔧 Technical Enhancements

• Cross-compatibility fixes for all themes and plugins with CTFd 3.8.1
• Performance optimizations for production environments
• Security hardening and stability improvements
• Enhanced error handling and logging

Docker Hub

Pre-built Docker Image: mynkpdr/ctfd

Pull and deploy instantly:

docker pull mynkpdr/ctfd:latest
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 mynkpdr/ctfd:latest

Available tags:

• latest - Production-ready stable release

📋 Requirements

• Python: 3.8+
• Docker: For containerized deployment
• Database: MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL (recommended for production)
• Web Server: Nginx (configuration included)

🚀 Quick Start

Docker Hub Deployment (Recommended)

Using our pre-built Docker image:

# Quick start with Docker
docker pull mynkpdr/ctfd:latest
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 --name ctfd mynkpdr/ctfd:latest

Full production setup with Docker Compose:

version: '3.8'
services:
  ctfd:
    image: mynkpdr/ctfd:latest
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=mysql://ctfd:password@db/ctfd
      - SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
    depends_on:
      - db
    restart: unless-stopped
    
  db:
    image: mariadb:10.6
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=rootpassword
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=ctfd
      - MYSQL_USER=ctfd
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=password
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  db_data:

Building from Source

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/mynkpdr/CTFd.git
   cd CTFd
   

2. Start with Docker Compose

   docker-compose up -d
   

3. Access CTFd

   • Navigate to http://localhost:8000
   • Complete the initial setup wizard
   • Configure themes and plugins from the admin panel

Manual Installation

1. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

2. Run CTFd

   python serve.py
   

⚙️ Configuration

Theme Configuration

1. Access Admin Panel → Config → Themes
2. Select desired theme:
   • Pixo: For retro-styled competitions
   • Core: For professional/corporate events
   • Core-Deprecated: For legacy compatibility
3. Click Update to apply changes

Plugin Configuration

Attempts Viewer

1. Navigate to Admin Panel → Plugins → Attempts-Viewer
2. Toggle features:
   • Enable/disable attempt history button
   • Configure visibility settings
3. Save configuration

Containers Plugin

1. Go to Admin Panel → Plugins → Containers
2. Configure Docker connection:
   • Local: Unix socket (unix:///var/run/docker.sock)
   • Remote: SSH connection (ssh://user@host)
3. Set resource limits and networking options
4. Test connection and save settings

🏗️ Production Deployment

Environment Setup

# Set environment variables
export FLASK_ENV=production
export DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:pass@host/ctfd
export SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
export MAIL_SERVER=your-smtp-server

Nginx Configuration

Use the provided configuration in conf/nginx/http.conf for optimal performance.

Database Setup

For production, use MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL:

# MySQL example
CREATE DATABASE ctfd;
CREATE USER 'ctfd'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON ctfd.* TO 'ctfd'@'localhost';

🔒 Security Features

• CSRF Protection: Enhanced cross-site request forgery protection
• Session Security: Secure session management
• Input Validation: Comprehensive input sanitization
• Container Isolation: Secure containerized challenge environments

🎯 Use Cases

• Corporate Training: Professional CTF training programs
• Educational Institutions: Cybersecurity courses and competitions
• Security Conferences: Large-scale CTF events
• Team Building: Internal security team exercises
• Competitive Events: Public CTF competitions with advanced features

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Theme not loading properly

• Ensure theme files are in the correct directory
• Clear browser cache and restart CTFd

Container plugin connection failed

• Verify Docker daemon is running
• Check SSH key configuration for remote connections
• Ensure proper permissions for Unix socket

Attempts viewer not showing data

• Verify plugin is enabled in admin panel
• Check database permissions
• Ensure users have proper team assignments

📄 License

This project maintains the same license as the original CTFd project. Please refer to the original CTFd repository for licensing details.

🤝 Contributing

This is a modded version for production use. For contributions to the base CTFd platform, please visit the official CTFd repository.

Links & Resources

• 🐳 Docker Hub: mynkpdr/ctfd
• 🏠 Original CTFd: github.com/CTFd/CTFd
• 📚 CTFd Documentation: docs.ctfd.io
• 🎨 Pixo Theme: github.com/hmrserver/CTFd-theme-pixo
• 🔌 Attempts Viewer: github.com/HACK-OLYTE/CTFD-Attempts-Viewer (Translated to English)

📞 Support

For issues specific to these modifications and enhancements, please create an issue in this repository. For general CTFd questions, refer to the official CTFd documentation.

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With 💘 Mayank