Web Security Academy

The Web Security Academy is a free online training center for web application security. It includes content from PortSwigger's in-house research team, experienced academics, and our Chief Swig Dafydd Stuttard - author of The Web Application Hacker's Handbook.

Unlike a textbook, the Academy is constantly updated. It also includes interactive labs where you can put what you learn to the test. If you want to improve your knowledge of hacking, or you'd like to become a bug bounty hunter or pentester, you're in the right place.

The Web Security Academy exists to help anyone who wants to learn about web security in a safe and legal manner. You can access everything (for free) and track your progress by creating an account.

While each topic in the Academy is fully explained in text, many also include video content to summarize key points. Then there are the interactive labs - realistic puzzles designed to test your skills as a hacker. These transfer directly over into real-life cybersecurity situations.

Some of our interactive labs will, by their nature, require you to use tools to solve them. But fear not. If you don't have access to Burp Suite Professional, then Burp Suite Community Edition allows you to experiment for free.