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CTFd Docker Setup

This guide will help you run CTFd using Docker with persistent data storage. When you stop and restart the containers, all your data (database, uploads, logs, cache) will be preserved.

Prerequisites

  • Docker Desktop installed on Windows
  • Docker Compose (included with Docker Desktop)

Quick Start

  1. Clone and navigate to the CTFd directory:

    cd c:\Users\PRANXTEN\Documents\CTFPanel

  2. Create environment file:

    Copy-Item .env.example .env

  3. Edit the .env file and change the default passwords:

    • Open .env in your preferred text editor
    • Change MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD, MYSQL_PASSWORD, and SECRET_KEY to secure values

  4. Start CTFd:

    docker-compose up -d

  5. Access CTFd:

    • Open your browser and go to http://localhost
    • Follow the setup wizard to configure your CTF

  6. Stop CTFd:

    docker-compose down

Data Persistence

Your CTFd data is stored in the .data/ directory with the following structure:

.data/
├── mysql/          # Database files
├── redis/          # Cache data
├── CTFd/
│   ├── logs/       # CTFd logs
│   └── uploads/    # Uploaded files

Important: Never delete the .data/ directory unless you want to permanently lose all your CTF data.

Services

The Docker setup includes:

  • ctfd: Main CTFd application (port 8000)
  • nginx: Reverse proxy (port 80)
  • db: MariaDB database (internal)
  • cache: Redis cache (internal)

Configuration

Environment Variables (.env file)

Variable Description Default
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD MySQL root password ctfd_root_password_change_me
MYSQL_PASSWORD CTFd database password ctfd_password_change_me
SECRET_KEY Flask secret key your_secret_key_here_change_me
WORKERS Number of gunicorn workers 1

CTFd Configuration (CTFd/config.ini)

You can also modify CTFd/config.ini for additional configuration options like:

  • Email settings
  • Upload providers (filesystem/S3)
  • Security settings
  • Theme settings

Common Commands

View logs

# All services
docker-compose logs

# Specific service
docker-compose logs ctfd
docker-compose logs db

Restart services

# Restart all
docker-compose restart

# Restart specific service
docker-compose restart ctfd

Update CTFd

# Stop containers
docker-compose down

# Rebuild CTFd image
docker-compose build ctfd

# Start with new image
docker-compose up -d

Backup Data

# Create backup directory
mkdir backups

# Backup database
docker-compose exec db mysqldump -u ctfd -p ctfd > backups/ctfd_backup_$(Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd").sql

# Backup entire data directory
Compress-Archive -Path .data -DestinationPath "backups/ctfd_data_backup_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd').zip"

Database Access

# Access MySQL shell
docker-compose exec db mysql -u ctfd -p ctfd

Troubleshooting

Port Already in Use

If port 80 is already in use, modify docker-compose.yml:

nginx:
  ports:
    - "8080:80"  # Change to different port

Permission Issues

On Windows, if you encounter permission issues with volumes:

# Ensure Docker Desktop has access to your drive
# Go to Docker Desktop Settings > Resources > File Sharing

Database Connection Issues

  1. Ensure the database container is healthy:

    docker-compose ps

  2. Check database logs:

    docker-compose logs db

Reset Everything

To start fresh (⚠️ This will delete all data):

docker-compose down -v
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force .data
docker-compose up -d

Security Notes

  1. Change default passwords in the .env file
  2. Use HTTPS in production by configuring SSL certificates in nginx
  3. Firewall rules - only expose necessary ports (80/443)
  4. Regular backups of the .data directory
  5. Keep Docker images updated by running docker-compose pull periodically

Production Considerations

For production deployments:

  1. Use a reverse proxy with SSL termination
  2. Set up automated backups
  3. Monitor resource usage
  4. Configure log rotation
  5. Use Docker secrets for sensitive data
  6. Set up health checks
  7. Consider using external managed databases

Support

For CTFd-specific issues, refer to: