metasploit-framework README

The project's README from github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework. As one markdown file: README.md.

Metasploit Framework

The Metasploit Framework is an open-source tool released under a BSD-style license. For detailed licensing information, refer to the COPYING file.

Latest Version

Access the latest version of Metasploit from the Nightly Installers page.

Documentation

Comprehensive documentation, including usage guides, is available at Metasploit Docs.

Development Environment

To set up a development environment, visit the Development Setup Guide.

Bug and Feature Requests

Submit bugs and feature requests via the GitHub Issues tracker. New submissions can be made through the MSF-BUGv1 form.

API Documentation

For information on writing modules, refer to the API Documentation.

Support and Communication

For questions and suggestions, you can:

Note: Some community members may still use IRC channels and the metasploit-hackers mailing list, though the primary support channels are now GitHub Discussions and Slack.

Installing Metasploit

We recommend installation with the official Metasploit installers on Linux or macOS. Metasploit is also pre-installed with Kali.

For a manual setup, consult the Dev Environment Setup guide.

Using Metasploit

To get started with Metasploit:

  1. Start msfconsole: This is the primary interface for interacting with Metasploit.
  2. Explore Resources:

Contributing

To contribute to Metasploit:

  1. Setup Development Environment: Follow the instructions in the Development Setup Guide on GitHub.
  2. Clone the Repository: Obtain the source code from the official repository.
  3. Submit a Pull Request: After making changes, submit a pull request for review. Additional details can be found in the Contributing Guide.

metasploit-framework (rapid7/metasploit-framework)

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What is this?Metasploit Framework is an open-source penetration testing framework written in Ruby — one of the best-known security toolkits on GitHub, with about 39,000 stars.
Is it a ready-to-run tool, or a framework I'd have to build on?It is a framework, but you don't need to write code to use it: msfconsole is the primary, ready-to-run interface for driving it, and there is an API layer plus docs for writing your own modules.
How do I get it installed?Grab the official installer for Linux or macOS from the Nightly Installers page — Metasploit also comes pre-installed on Kali. For a manual or development setup there is a Dev Environment Setup guide.
Does it run on Windows too, or is it Linux and macOS only?The README only offers installers for Linux and macOS (plus the pre-installed Kali build); no Windows installer is mentioned, so plan on a Unix-like system.
Is the licensing plain and simple?Mostly: the README calls it an open-source BSD-style license, but the exact terms are not spelled out there — you are pointed to the COPYING file, and GitHub lists the license as unclassified.
Can I write my own exploit modules?Yes — module development is a first-class use case: the README points module authors to the API Documentation, and code contributions go through the standard dev-setup, clone and pull-request flow. The framework itself is written in Ruby.
Is there a Docker option if I'd rather not install it on my system?Yes — the repository ships a Dockerfile and a docker-compose configuration, so you can run Metasploit in containers instead of installing it straight onto the host.
Is the project still actively maintained?Yes — the repository is not archived, holds about 39,000 stars, and runs multiple CI workflows, including acceptance tests and documentation builds.
What are similar projects?beef, Decepticon, masscan, redamon, Cybermes, ffuf, nikto, hacker-roadmap
Creator
rapid7
Size
1.2 GB
Stars
39.2K
Updated
CommitOct 16
Age
15y
Commits · 90 Days