CTFd Azure Deployment Scripts

Production-ready deployment scripts for CTFd on Azure Ubuntu VMs with automated SSL, Docker management, and comprehensive error handling.

🚀 Features

• One-Command Installation - Fully automated CTFd deployment
• Azure Optimized - Handles Azure VM-specific Docker and networking issues
• SSL/TLS Automation - Let's Encrypt integration with auto-renewal
• Error Recovery - Intelligent error handling and automatic fixes
• Database Management - Automatic credential generation and recovery
• Complete Lifecycle - Install, uninstall, backup, and maintenance scripts
• Production Ready - Nginx reverse proxy, security hardening, and monitoring

📋 Prerequisites

• Azure Ubuntu VM (22.04 LTS or newer)
• Minimum 2 vCPUs and 4GB RAM
• Domain name pointing to your VM's public IP
• Ports 80, 443, and 22 open in Azure NSG

🔧 Quick Start

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/therealcybermattlee/ctfd-azure-deploy.git
cd ctfd-azure-deploy

2. Configure Your Domain

Edit install-ctfd.sh and update:

DOMAIN="your-domain.com"  # Replace with your actual domain
EMAIL="admin@your-domain.com"  # For Let's Encrypt notifications

3. Run Installation

chmod +x install-ctfd.sh
sudo ./install-ctfd.sh

The script will:

• Install and configure Docker
• Set up CTFd with MariaDB and Redis
• Configure Nginx as reverse proxy
• Obtain SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt
• Create management scripts

📁 Repository Structure

ctfd-azure-deploy/
├── install-ctfd.sh      # Main installation script
├── uninstall-ctfd.sh    # Complete uninstall script
├── README.md            # This file
├── LICENSE              # MIT License
├── CONTRIBUTING.md      # Contribution guidelines
├── docs/
│   ├── TROUBLESHOOTING.md
│   ├── AZURE-SETUP.md
│   └── SSL-SETUP.md
└── .github/
    └── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
        ├── bug_report.md
        └── feature_request.md

🛠️ Management Scripts

After installation, the following scripts are created in ~/CTFd/:

Script	Purpose
start-ctfd.sh	Start CTFd containers
stop-ctfd.sh	Stop CTFd containers
restart-ctfd.sh	Restart CTFd containers
logs-ctfd.sh	View real-time logs
backup-ctfd.sh	Create backup
health-ctfd.sh	Check service health
fix-ctfd.sh	Auto-fix common issues

🔐 Security Features

• Automatic secure password generation
• SSL/TLS with Let's Encrypt
• Nginx security headers
• Docker security best practices
• Automated backups (daily at 2 AM)
• Isolated Docker networks

🔄 Uninstallation

Three uninstall modes available:

sudo ./uninstall-ctfd.sh

1. Remove CTFd only - Keeps Docker installed
2. Remove CTFd and containers - Keeps Docker installation
3. Complete removal - Removes everything including Docker

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Docker Won't Start

sudo groupadd -f docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
sudo systemctl restart docker

Database Connection Failed

cd ~/CTFd
docker compose down -v
sudo rm -rf data/mysql/*
docker compose up -d

SSL Certificate Issues

Ensure DNS is properly configured:

# Check DNS
dig +short your-domain.com

# Manual SSL setup
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

See docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md for detailed solutions.

📊 System Requirements

Minimum

• 2 vCPUs
• 4GB RAM
• 20GB Storage
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Recommended

• 4 vCPUs
• 8GB RAM
• 50GB Storage
• Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 LTS

🌐 Azure Network Security Group

Required inbound rules:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
22	TCP	SSH Access
80	TCP	HTTP Traffic
443	TCP	HTTPS Traffic

📝 Environment Variables

The installation creates .env with:

• SECRET_KEY - CTFd secret key
• MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD - Database root password
• DB_PASSWORD - CTFd database password
• DOMAIN - Your domain name

⚠️ Keep .env secure and never commit to git!

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• CTFd - The amazing CTF platform
• Docker - Container platform
• Let's Encrypt - Free SSL certificates

📧 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

🔄 Version History

• v1.0.0 (2025-09-02)
  • Initial release
  • Full Azure VM support
  • Automated SSL setup
  • Complete error handling

🏗️ Roadmap

• Support for multiple CTFd instances
• Kubernetes deployment option
• AWS/GCP support
• Automated challenge deployment
• Monitoring dashboard integration

---

Made with ❤️ for the CTF community