Nuclei
Nuclei is a fast, template-driven vulnerability scanner where checks are written as readable YAML templates.
Legal & ethical use. Run only against assets you own or are authorised to test. Use this tool only on systems, networks and data that you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorised access or scanning can break computer-misuse laws (for example Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and equivalents elsewhere). Practise in your own lab or in authorised environments such as CTFs.
What it is used for
- Check your own assets for known CVEs and misconfigurations using community templates
- Write a custom template to test for a specific issue
Key features
- YAML template engine
- Large community template library
- Supports HTTP, DNS, TCP and more
Installation
Install a release binary or via Go as described in the docs; update templates with `nuclei -update-templates`.
Beginner usage guide
Scan a single lab URL with a narrow set of templates first (for example by tag) and read the matched template ID in the output to understand the finding.
Example commands
Run these only against your own lab or authorised targets. Placeholder addresses such as 192.0.2.x are documentation ranges.
Scan a lab URL with CVE templates only
nuclei -u http://192.0.2.10 -tags cve-u sets the target and -tags restricts which templates run.
References
Source verification
Last reviewed: 2026-10-27
Links checked over HTTP: 2026-10-27 07:51 UTC — official: 200, docs: 200, repo: 200
Command flags checked against the real binary nuclei ([[34mINF[0m] Nuclei Engine Version: v3.11.1) on 2026-10-27.