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Nuclei — automate vulnerability and misconfiguration checks with YAML templates

OSS scale score 301.0OSS health 96Update pace 76 commits/30d
About these scores

OSS scale score is an unbounded metric that log-compresses and weights Stars, Watchers, Forks, and Contributors. Discovery score is the current OSS scale score minus the score at discovery. Update pace is commits in the last 30 days, growth momentum is the OSS scale score difference within the recent observation window, and OSS health is a 0–100 rating based on available recency, Community Health, and release data.

Stars
31,317
Primary language
Go
License
MIT
Repository last updated
Sep 18, 2026

Overview

Nuclei is a vulnerability scanner driven by YAML templates. It supports HTTP, DNS, TCP, SSL, and other protocols and can apply community-maintained detection logic for CVEs, misconfigurations, and exposed services in CI/CD or recurring security checks.

Features and best fit

Based on official documentation; not hands-on tested · Content checked:

Represent detection logic as reusable YAML templates

Requests, matchers, extractors, and other checks can be versioned as templates instead of hard-coded into one scanner binary.

Sources: [2][4]

Use multi-protocol and community-maintained checks

Nuclei supports protocols beyond HTTP and can update its template library to consume new vulnerability and configuration checks.

Sources: [2][5]

For security regression checks on explicitly authorized assets

Nuclei fits recurring validation of owned web applications, APIs, and test networks where the same template set should detect regressions over time.

Sources: [2][4]

Control authorization, template changes, and service exposure

Scan only assets you own or are explicitly authorized to test. The README warns about breaking changes during active development and security risks when exposing Nuclei as a service.

Sources: [2]

Official sources

  1. [1]projectdiscovery/nuclei repository(2026-09-20)
  2. [2]Nuclei README(2026-09-20)
  3. [3]Nuclei MIT license(2026-09-20)
  4. [4]Nuclei documentation(2026-09-20)
  5. [5]Nuclei Templates(2026-09-20)
Supplemental curator note

Nuclei's strength is sharing and updating detection logic as YAML templates for security regression across authorized web, API, and network assets. The README warns about breaking changes during active development and security risks when running Nuclei as a service. Scan only assets you own or are explicitly authorized to test.

Try it in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Install Nuclei

    Install the Nuclei CLI using the command documented by the project.

    go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3/cmd/nuclei@latest
  2. 2

    Update community templates

    Synchronize Nuclei Templates to the latest released set before testing.

    nuclei -ut
  3. 3

    Scan only your own localhost test target

    Use a local service you own or are explicitly authorized to test. Do not run this against third-party assets without permission.

    nuclei -u http://127.0.0.1:8080 -severity info -silent
Check the official README

Growth

Growth trends · Last 30 days

31,317 Stars

Trend data is still being collected.

Development activity

Last 90 days · weekly

Commits (last 30 days)
76
Open PRs
44
Issues opened
74
Issues closed
95
PRs opened
170
PRs merged
103

Issues

74 / 95

Jun 23Sep 20
Issues openedIssues closed

Pull requests

170 / 103

Jun 23Sep 20
PRs openedPRs merged

Maintenance

Median first response
32 hr
Issue response rate
23.2% (13/56)

Based on up to the 100 newest issues opened by external users in the last 90 days. A first comment from an OWNER, MEMBER, or COLLABORATOR counts as a response; issues whose full comment history cannot be checked are excluded. The median and response rate update weekly.

Built with

Categories and tags

Categories

Tags

GitHub data

GitHub dataView detailed GitHub data
View on GitHub

GitHub Topics

  • cve-scanner
  • subdomain-takeover
  • nuclei-engine
  • vulnerability-detection
  • vulnerability-assessment
  • vulnerability-scanner
  • security
  • attack-surface
  • security-scanner
  • hacktoberfest
  • dast
Stars
31,317
Forks
3,877
Watchers
287
Open issues
62
Contributors
253
Primary language
Go
License
MIT
Repository last updated
Sep 18, 2026
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