Nuclei

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Score6.9

Rank#6 of 31

PriceFree

Free planYes

Runs onLinux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows

Summary

Nuclei is a free, open-source vulnerability scanner for applications, infrastructure, cloud platforms, and networks. It uses YAML templates to define checks, with more than 6,500 community-contributed templates available. Users can also create their own templates, apply authentication such as HTTP basic authentication or JWT, and run bulk or parallel scans with target and inclusion or exclusion filters. Its modules cover HTTP, DNS, TCP, headless, JavaScript, code, and file checks. Nuclei can be integrated into CI/CD workflows, including through GitHub Actions, and can export SARIF results to GitHub Code Scanning. It is distributed under the MIT License and is primarily intended as a standalone command-line tool. Installation options include Go, Homebrew, Docker, GitHub, downloadable binaries, and Helm. Nuclei is actively developed but has no LTS or stable version, so updates may introduce breaking changes. Some templates can take actions that risk denial of service; those templates are tagged and excluded from default scans.

Who it is for

Nuclei may suit security engineers, analysts, red teams, DevOps teams, bug bounty hunters, and penetration testers who need template-based vulnerability checks. Its CI/CD options also fit teams automating security tests and regression checks.

What is good

More than 6,500 community-contributed templates are available.
Supports bulk and parallel scans.
Can export SARIF results to GitHub Code Scanning.
Free and distributed under the MIT License.

What to know first

No LTS or stable version is available.
Updates may introduce breaking changes.
Some templates may risk denial of service.

Verdict

Nuclei offers a free, flexible scanner built around community and custom templates, with CI/CD support. Its active development and potentially disruptive templates call for care when choosing versions and checks.

Nuclei plans and pricing

All plans

Nuclei CLI Free Open-source CLI · MIT licensed · primarily intended as a standalone tool github.com · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on vulnerability scanning software

Free plan: Yesnuclei.projectdiscovery.io

Facts

Purpose: Nuclei is an open-source vulnerability scanner that probes applications, infrastructure, cloud platforms, and networks using YAML templates.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Template library: The overview says Nuclei has more than 6,500 community-contributed templates for detecting real-world vulnerabilities and attack vectors.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Scanning features: Nuclei supports bulk and parallel scans, multiple target formats, customizable templates, and inclusion and exclusion filters.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Protocols: The FAQ lists HTTP, DNS, TCP, headless, JavaScript, code, and file modules.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Integrations: Nuclei can run in CI/CD with GitHub Actions and export SARIF results to GitHub Code Scanning.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Cloud connection: The FAQ says Nuclei can connect to ProjectDiscovery Cloud Platform to view scans.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Who it is for: The maker names security engineers and analysts, red teams, DevOps teams, bug bounty hunters, and penetration testers as Nuclei users.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
License: Nuclei is distributed under the MIT License.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Safety limit: The FAQ warns that some templates can fuzz or take actions that may cause denial of service, and says these templates are tagged and excluded from default scans.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Installation: The maker provides installation options through Go, Homebrew, Docker, GitHub, downloadable binaries, and Helm.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Maintenance: The FAQ says Nuclei is actively maintained by ProjectDiscovery and generally releases every two weeks.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Support: The FAQ directs users with questions or issues to the ProjectDiscovery Discord server or GitHub.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Stability: The SDK documentation says Nuclei has no LTS or stable version and that breaking changes can be expected during active development.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Service deployment: The maker says Nuclei is primarily a standalone CLI tool and warns that running it as a service may pose security risks.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 3 Oct 2026
Templates: Users can run community templates or create custom templates to define security checks.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
Authentication: Nuclei supports authentication mechanisms including HTTP basic authentication and JWT token authentication.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
CI/CD: Nuclei can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for automated security testing and regression checks.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
Template review: ProjectDiscovery says public templates are reviewed and signed by its template team before distribution.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
Template safety: The maker’s template review article says templates are checked for non-destructive, read-only requests and independently validated before merge.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
Intended users: The documentation identifies security engineers, red teams, DevOps teams, bug bounty hunters, and penetration testers as users.docs.projectdiscovery.io · 4 Oct 2026
Usage limitation: The README cautions that the project is in active development and releases may introduce breaking changes.github.com · 4 Oct 2026