PGS::CTF

An open source Capture The Flag (CTF) competition platform based on ASP.NET Core.

Features

• Dynamic and static challenge types (attachments and containers)
• Dynamic scoring with customizable curves
• Team management with divisions and scoreboards
• Real-time competition notifications via SignalR
• Docker/Kubernetes container orchestration for challenges
• Traffic capture and forwarding capabilities
• Multi-language support
• Customizable branding and themes

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• PostgreSQL database (or use external like Prisma Postgres)
• Redis (included in docker-compose)

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd pgsctf

2. Create environment file:

cp .env.example .env

3. Configure .env with your settings:

# Database connection (Npgsql format)
DATABASE_URL=Host=your-host;Port=5432;Database=pgsctf;Username=user;Password=password;SSL Mode=Require

# Admin account (created on first run)
ADMIN_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword

# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 64)
Jwt__SecretKey=your-generated-secret

# XorKey for encryption (generate with: openssl rand -base64 16)
XorKey=your-generated-key

# Platform Branding
GlobalConfig__Title=PGS
GlobalConfig__Slogan=Hack for fun not for profit

4. Build and run:

make build
make up

5. Access at http://localhost:8080
   • Username: Admin
   • Password: (value from ADMIN_PASSWORD)

Make Commands

Command	Description
make build	Build Docker images
make up	Start all services
make down	Stop all services
make logs	View logs (follow mode)
make clean	Remove containers and volumes
make rebuild	Full clean rebuild
make shell	Open shell in app container
make redis-shell	Open redis-cli

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
DATABASE_URL	PostgreSQL connection string (Npgsql format)
ADMIN_PASSWORD	Initial admin password
Jwt__SecretKey	JWT signing key
XorKey	Encryption key
GlobalConfig__Title	Platform name prefix
GlobalConfig__Slogan	Platform slogan
GlobalConfig__Description	SEO description
GlobalConfig__FooterInfo	Custom footer text
EmailConfig__*	SMTP settings for email verification

Container Provider

Configure Docker or Kubernetes for challenge containers:

ContainerProvider__Type=Docker
ContainerProvider__DockerConfig__SwarmMode=false

Tech Stack

• Backend: ASP.NET Core 10
• Frontend: React + Vite
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Cache: Redis
• Container Orchestration: Docker / Kubernetes

PGSCTF