CTF Write-Up Template
Writing a clear and well-structured CTF write-up is one of the best ways to improve your skills and contribute
to the cybersecurity community. For newcomers, the process can feel a bit unclear at first—what should you
document, how detailed should it be, and how do others typically format their solutions?
This guide breaks down a simple, consistent structure you can follow for any challenge. It helps you capture your
thought process, document the tools and steps you used, and present your solution in a way that’s helpful both for
yourself later on and for others learning from your work.
Template Structure
- Template Header. Use the following YAML preamble at the top of your write-up to provide metadata about the challenge
for the website to display correctly. This includes the title, date, description, tags, and categories. Adjust the
fields as needed for each write-up and fill in the placeholders with the appropriate information for each challenge.
---
layout: post
title: ADD TITLE HERE
date: 2025-11-24 00:01:00
description: ADD A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE WRITE-UP HERE
tags: writeups <ADD_CATEGORY_TAG_HERE> <ADD_CTF_NAME_TAG_HERE>
categories: writeups <ADD_CATEGORY_HERE>
author: YOUR_NAME_HERE
---
- Challenge Overview
- Name of the CTF Event
- Challenge Name
- Category: (Web, Crypto, Forensics, Reverse Engineering, etc.)
- Difficulty or Initial Points or Points earned
- Description
- Provided Files / URL
- Goal: Describe the objective of the challenge and what you need to obtain (usually the flag).
- Initial Analysis: Explain your first steps
- What you examined first
- Any assumptions or hypotheses
- Tools used for reconnaissance
- Solution Path: Provide a detailed, step-by-step explanation of how you solved the challenge:
- Commands, scripts, or code snippets
- Screenshots
- Dead ends or mistakes you made along the way
- Flag Capture: Show the final step that produced the flag.
- Important: Do not share flags publicly if the CTF rules prohibit it or the event is still running.
- Flag:
flag{example_flag_here}with a screenshot of the flag in the terminal or application output.
- Conclusion: Summarize what you learned from the challenge and any tips for others attempting it.