<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 defconxt. All rights reserved. -->
<!-- Licensed under AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE file for details. -->
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# Template Collections — API Reference

## Template Management CLI

```bash
# Update official templates
nuclei -update-templates

# List all templates
nuclei -tl

# List by tags
nuclei -tl -tags cve,misconfig

# List by severity
nuclei -tl -severity critical,high

# Template stats
nuclei -t templates/ -validate -stats
```

## PDTM (ProjectDiscovery Template Manager)

```bash
# Install pdtm
go install github.com/projectdiscovery/pdtm/cmd/pdtm@latest

# List available template repos
pdtm -list

# Install custom template repo
pdtm -install https://github.com/org/nuclei-templates

# Update templates
pdtm -update
```

## Collection Organization

| Directory | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|
| `cves/` | CVE-specific detection templates |
| `vulnerabilities/` | Generic and product-specific vulns |
| `misconfiguration/` | Server and service misconfigs |
| `exposures/` | Information disclosure and leaks |
| `technologies/` | Technology and version detection |
| `default-logins/` | Default credential checks |
| `workflows/` | Multi-template workflows |
| `helpers/` | Wordlists and shared resources |
| `experimental/` | Unverified/in-progress templates |

## Tag Categories

| Category | Examples |
|----------|---------|
| Vulnerability | `sqli`, `xss`, `ssrf`, `rce`, `lfi`, `idor` |
| Product | `apache`, `nginx`, `wordpress`, `joomla` |
| Type | `cve`, `misconfig`, `exposure`, `default-login` |
| Protocol | `http`, `network`, `dns`, `ssl`, `file` |
| Severity | `critical`, `high`, `medium`, `low`, `info` |

## Nuclei Ignore File

```
# .nuclei-ignore — exclude from scans
helpers/
tests/
deprecated/
*-dos.yaml
*-brute*.yaml
experimental/
```

## Template Filtering

```bash
# By tags
nuclei -u https://target.com -tags cve -json

# By severity
nuclei -u https://target.com -severity critical,high

# Exclude tags
nuclei -u https://target.com -etags dos,brute-force

# By author
nuclei -u https://target.com -author cipher

# By template ID
nuclei -u https://target.com -id CVE-2024-1234
```
