Launchable challenges

A launchable challenge runs a hosted instance for players, usually from a container. Launchable behaviour is separate from the answer type: a launchable challenge can still use a flag, multiple choice, or other solve method depending on how the challenge is built.

Launchable challenges are available globally. Running instances consume the owning organisation's included or prepaid launch runtime minutes.

Instance modes

World settings include Launchable challenge instances:

Mode	Behaviour
One per team	Each team gets an isolated instance. Use this when teams should not interfere with each other.
One shared	All teams use the same instance. Use this when the target is intentionally shared or collaborative.

Choose the mode before the event starts. Changing instance behaviour during live play can confuse participants or invalidate challenge state.

Primary world launch target

Some worlds use one shared backend across several challenges. In that setup, organisers can configure a primary world launch target in the world admin Add-ons tab.

The primary world launch target is a single selected challenge that powers the shared backend for linked challenges:

• Choose the challenge once as the shared source.
• The shared target then follows that challenge's own launch configuration.
• Any challenge marked to use world launch target will send players to that shared backend instead of using a separate per-challenge target.

Use this when multiple challenges are really different tasks against the same running app or service.

When to use launchable challenges

Use launchable challenges for:

• Web apps that need a live target.
• Per-team infrastructure.
• Exploitation tasks that require a service.
• Training labs where players need an isolated environment.
• Challenges that cannot be solved from static text or files alone.

Before launch

Check that:

• The organisation has enough launch runtime minutes for the expected number of running instances.
• The challenge image or container configuration is valid.
• Required environment variables or secrets are configured.
• The expected port or URL is reachable.
• The challenge has a clear solve path and answer.
• You have tested launch and teardown with a non-admin account.

Common mistakes

• Treating launchable as a challenge type instead of hosting behaviour.
• Forgetting to set the world instance mode.
• Forgetting to configure the primary world launch target before enabling use world launch target on challenges that depend on it.
• Using one shared instance when teams need isolation.
• Publishing before the container has been tested.
• Forgetting that team-unique launchables multiply runtime by team count.

For setup, testing, live operations, and failure modes, see Launchable challenge operations.

See also: Add-ons, World settings field reference, Boosts, and Making/editing a challenge.