Learn to hack
by hacking.
The home base for everyone in security. ShellQuest is a hands-on training platform that drops you into a real, hardened Linux box in your browser and hands you missions to break, defend, and escalate — with step-by-step guidance when you're stuck. Skill built from your first shell, and kept sharp for your thousandth.
A cert that tests what you memorized isn't proof you can hack.
The industry is full of credentials you earn by passing a multiple-choice exam. Hiring managers know the difference between someone who read about privilege escalation and someone who has actually done it. ShellQuest makes you the second kind — everything here is the real thing, in a real shell.
One gate. Everyone in security.
Whether you're taking your first step or you've been breaking things for years, ShellQuest meets you where you are — and keeps pushing.
Four steps, then you're in a shell.
Drop into a real box
A per-player, network-isolated, hardened Linux sandbox spins up in your browser. Nothing to install.
Get a mission
Recon a target, break a web app, escalate to root, hunt an intruder, or capture a flag — real objectives on real artifacts.
Type real commands
Work the box like an operator. Stuck? Step-by-step, in-context hints nudge you toward the next move — without ever handing you the answer.
Submit the flag
Land the objective, earn XP, climb the rank ladder, unlock the next track. Zero to operator, one command at a time.
Everything the big certs teach — and a lot they don't.
Eight hands-on pillars cover the full ethical-hacking body of knowledge — the CEH and OSCP core — from first recon to full compromise to defending the box you just broke. Then 24 tracks take you further: cloud, Active Directory & red team, malware analysis, mobile & IoT, wireless, OSINT, and more.
Recon & Footprinting
Scanning & Enumeration
Vulnerability Analysis
Web Exploitation
System Hacking & Privesc
Network Attacks & Pivoting
Crypto & Password Attacks
Defense & Forensics
A whole lab, guided practice, and a community — in one tab.
Real sandboxes
Isolated, throwaway Linux containers — no network, no root, read-only rootfs. Practice offense safely on artifacts we stage.
Guided hints
Stuck on a box? In-context hints read where you are and nudge you toward the next step — they never just hand you the flag, so you actually learn.
Community & write-ups
Discuss a mission once you've solved it, share write-ups, and learn how others broke the same box.
Certification you earn in a live box.
Not a questionnaire — a practical exam you pass by doing the work, with a publicly verifiable credential.
Hack Me If You Can.
CTF, 1v1 duels, and seasonal ladders with a live leaderboard. Prove it against other operators — live.
Ready to prove it?
Free while we're in early access. Create your account and get your first shell in under a minute.
Start free