CTFd Hosting Live In 5 Minutes

Run your own CTF platform with challenges, teams, and a live scoreboard while xCloud handles HTTPS, the database, the cache, and persistent storage. CTFd hosting on xCloud is scoreboard-ready in minutes.

Deploy your CTFd

No terminal
No technical skills needed
No lock-in, cancel anytime

From Sign-Up to a Live CTFd Install In Just 3 Easy Steps

Self-hosting a CTF platform normally means a database, a cache, generated secrets and a setup wizard to race before anyone else claims the admin account. This is the same result without assembling any of it.

Step 01
Sign Up
Create your xCloud account, pick CTFd from the OneClick catalog, and choose a domain. There are no extra fields — xCloud generates the database credentials and secret key.
Step 02
We Deploy It For You
One click. We bring up the pinned CTFd 3.8.8 image with MariaDB 10.11 and Redis 7.4 wired automatically, and publish the app over HTTPS on your domain.
Step 03
Finish Setup And Create Your First Challenge
Open the HTTPS CTFd URL immediately after install, complete the setup wizard to create the administrator account, then create your first challenge from the admin panel.

Everything CTFd Does, On Your Own Server

CTFd runs in full here — competitions, training and classroom challenges with a live scoreboard, on infrastructure you control.

Jam-Style Or Ongoing Competitions
Host jam-style or ongoing CTF competitions for security teams and communities, with user and team scoreboards.
Classroom And Training Challenges
Run classroom and training challenges alongside competitions, with the same scoreboard and challenge tooling.
Upload Challenge Files Up To 512 MB
Attach challenge files up to 512 MB per request, served from the CTFd uploads volume.
MariaDB And Redis, Wired For You
A private MariaDB database and Redis cache are provisioned and connected automatically, with no host ports exposed.
A Small Footprint
Verification measured about 210 MiB of RAM idle on a fresh install.
Restart-Safe Challenges And Accounts
Challenges, uploads, and accounts survive an xCloud Restart, since they live on the four named volumes.

Everything You Need To Run Your Scoreboard-Ready

Managed hosting for CTFd, so the parts that keep it online are not your problem.

CTFd 3.8.8 deployed instantly
MariaDB and Redis provisioned automatically
Generated database credentials and secret key
Free SSL certificate
Server backups and snapshots
Server security updates included
30+ server locations
Unused balance refunded

Simple Pricing. Everything Included.

Dedicated Cloud VPS sizes, pre-configured for CTFd hosting. Pick the one that fits, and resize any time.

Cloud VPS 6 GB

Cloud VPS 16 GB

Bigger competitions, more concurrent players.

$59.99per month

16 GB RAM
6 vCPU cores
200 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Cloud VPS 24 GB

CTFd alongside a whole self-hosted stack.

$84.99per month

24 GB RAM
8 vCPU cores
300 GB NVMe SSD
30 TB
Unlimited

Get started

Every size is a dedicated Cloud VPS we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Billed monthly with no lock-in — delete the server and the unused balance comes back to your account. CTFd itself is free under the Apache-2.0 License.

Docker hosting

Already Have a Server? Bring Your Own

Connect any VPS — DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, Hetzner or bare metal — and deploy CTFd on it through the same panel, for a per-server management fee instead of a Cloud VPS rental.

Free

Start your journey without cost.

$0forever

1 server
10 sites

Start free

Starter

Professional

The same platform, discounted at 6–10 servers.

$4per server / month

6–10 servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Agency

The same platform, discounted at 11+ servers.

$3per server / month

11+ servers
Unlimited sites
All features included
Bring any VPS provider

Get started

Priced per connected server, so your rate adjusts automatically as you add or remove servers. You pay your own provider for the server itself.

Self-managed hosting

Ready To Own Your CTF Platform?

CTFd on xCloud runs on a dedicated Cloud VPS that we provision, patch, monitor and restore. Deploy faster. Own the server. Stay in control.

Fast Provisioning
Deploy faster using an xCloud Managed Server built with optimized stacks and high-speed SSDs.
Enterprise-grade security
Protect your infrastructure with a free SSL certificate and more advanced security features at no additional cost.
Intuitive Control Panel
From Server creation to application deployment, everything can be managed from our intuitive control panel.

Hear what people are saying about us

See why agencies, developers, startups, and growing businesses choose xCloud to power their projects.

xCloud works really well, I am surprised by its performance being this the release version, I have tried many paid platforms such as runcloud, cloudpages or serveravatar, as well as free platforms such as CyberPanel, CloudPanel or Hestia Control Panel and direct competitors such as SpinupWP and FlyWP. Of all those that I have tried, the platform that works best for WordPress is SpinupWP and I believe that xCloud can reach and surpass that development, its roadmap is promising. Congratulations to the xCloud team, I hope they become the leading platform in the segment, it has all the potential to achieve it!

Brian Geovanny

I've been with runcloud for the last 3 years. However, after trying xcloud for the last month, I'm switching over. They are on a roll with their setup.

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I'm moving my servers to xCloud, a cloud control panel by M Asif Rahman and the WPDeveloper team. Their roadmap looks interesting and no, there are no team mates nor API limits with xCloud! #xCloud #wordpress #hosting

Leo Koo

How Cloud Nine Web Elevated Client Experience While Streamlining Hosting Operations using xCloud

Ed Ellingham

xCloud is like having an expert server team on call — without the big agency costs. It's given me back my time and given my clients peace of mind. Highly recommended for freelancers and small teams who want reliable performance and security.

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xCloud isn't just a solution. It's like one of that friend who got your back when you screw things up pretty bad.

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Trust me when I say, once people explore the potential of xCloud they gonna switch from other panels, just keep delivering the best tech, lots of love for the team 😍😍

Rahul Singh

So far my experience has been smooth like silk. I didn't imagine that configuring and managing a VPS would be so easy. As of today, I have deployed 8 sites. The support is good, and they treat users with respect, even if they ask stupid questions (myself included). For the future, I hope for greater flexibility in scheduled backups and more comprehensive and consistent documentation. I'm sure that within a few months, xCloud will become the leader in its segment. This community is amazing, and the Staff here is super helpful.

Massimo Villa

Came from cloudways then to runcloud then to xcloud. Looks like I'm staying here.

Gerson El

I've recently taken all of my Vultr-hosted sites and gotten rid of cPanel for them to substitute it with xCloud. I have to say, I'm really impressed with xCloud so far! The interface is definitely the standout feature for me.

Tony Lewis

I came from Cloudways and won't go back. Highly impressed with xCloud. Glad I gave them a chance.

Jared McDowell

I like xCloud better than RunCloud, but one thing I'll point out is that some years ago RunCloud was hungry for business, the support was outstanding, and the community was active and helped each other. Maybe it was sold, there was a change in management, or they stopped being hungry, but the quality of the RunCloud offering declined and it hasn't been moving forward quickly. My point is that currently the xCloud team has the edge and it is theirs to keep or lose

David McCan

How Kevin Heinrichs Cut Hosting Costs by 84% While Running WooCommerce & Node.js Sites Efficiently

Kevin Heinrichs

I had 150 sites on cloudways and am in the process of moving them to xcloud. Much faster and better priced.

Dan Spinoza

Dear xCloud Team, I have been using xCloud for some time now and am genuinely impressed with its capabilities and the flexibility it offers by allowing users to bring their own VPS for management. It's a fantastic service, and my experience so far has been very positive. Successful migrated 5 sites on a single server. Xcloud migration tool worked great. There were few hiccups with security plugin like MalCare but disabling the plugin prior to migration worked just fine.

Rahil Maknojia

Came from runcloud. Tried xcloud and never came back.

Karl Fanega

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Gary Moody

xCloud gave me what no other hosting platform could: the flexibility of a VPS with the convenience of managed WordPress. As a solo founder running an entire business on one server, that combination is an important unfair advantage.

Jorge de los Reyes Martínez

I use Server Avatar and xCloud and I'll sooner use xCloud than Server Avatar personally.

Jay Pagano

How Newman Web Solutions Ensured Perfect Uptime and Seamless Scaling For 120+ WordPress Sites with xCloud

Lori Newman

I too have moved over to xCloud. It's pretty sweet. One click n8n and uptime Kuma apps

John Aperture

I went from Cloudways to xCloud. No intention on switching in the foreseeable future.

Blaine Moore

Frequently Asked Questions

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

What is CTFd?

CTFd is the Capture The Flag platform for running security competitions, training events, and classroom challenges, with challenges, teams, and a live scoreboard. This template deploys version 3.8.8.

Is CTFd free?

Yes. CTFd is released under the Apache-2.0 License. What you pay xCloud for is the dedicated server it runs on.

How do I sign in the first time?

Open the site and finish the setup wizard immediately after install — it creates the administrator account, and the wizard closes once completed.

What runs alongside CTFd?

A private MariaDB 10.11 database and a Redis 7.4 cache, neither exposed on a host port.

What does xCloud configure automatically?

The database credentials, the secret key, MariaDB and Redis, the domain and the HTTPS route.

Can I upload large challenge files?

Yes, up to 512 MB per request, stored on the uploads volume.

Does CTFd send email notifications?

Not until you configure a mail server in the admin panel — no email is sent before that.

What should I back up?

The uploads, logs, MariaDB data, and Redis data volumes together, plus the stable environment values.

Backups in xCloud

Does xCloud automatically back up or update CTFd?

No. The template pins CTFd 3.8.8 by immutable digest; to upgrade, bump the readable tag and digest together after reading upstream release notes.

What happens if I change the secret key?

Everyone is signed out. Keep the generated secret key stable unless you intend to force every session to end.

What are the server requirements?

The template manifest asks for 1 CPU core, 1024 MB of RAM and 5 GB of disk as a floor. Measured idle use on QA was about 210 MiB. This page sells the 6 GB tier, comfortable headroom above that floor.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. There is no lock-in — cancel any time. Hosting is billed monthly and charged for what you actually use, so when you delete the server the unused balance is refunded to your account, less up to 10% in payment-processing fees.