OWASP Juice Shop Alternatives: Best Vulnerable Web Apps 2026

OWASP Juice Shop is the most widely known deliberately vulnerable web application, but it isn’t always the right tool for the job. Its Node.js/Angular stack is ideal for testing JavaScript-specific vulnerabilities and modern API security — but if you’re a Java developer, a PHP team, or a security engineer who needs to benchmark a SAST tool against a different language, Juice Shop isn’t your best option.

This guide covers the best OWASP Juice Shop alternatives in 2026 — what each one does better, how to run it, and which to choose based on your specific goal.

Why You Might Need a Juice Shop Alternative

OWASP Juice Shop is excellent at what it does. Its realistic UI, 100+ scored challenges, and built-in scoreboard make it one of the best intentionally vulnerable applications available. But it has limitations:

JavaScript/Node.js only — all server-side code is Node.js. If you’re testing SAST tools against Java, PHP, Python, or C# code, Juice Shop won’t give you useful coverage data.
Complexity can overwhelm beginners — the 100+ challenge structure is great for experienced practitioners, but beginners often benefit from a more guided progression.
No difficulty levels for the same vulnerability — unlike DVWA, Juice Shop doesn’t show you the same bug at Low/Medium/High difficulty with visible source code.
Limited breadth beyond OWASP Top 10 — Juice Shop covers the Top 10 thoroughly but has less coverage of less common vulnerability classes (SSRF, XXE, LDAP injection, Shellshock simulation).

DVWA — Best for Beginners and PHP SAST Testing

GitHub: digininja/DVWA

Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) is the most widely used vulnerable app for learning the OWASP Top 10 from scratch. It’s a PHP/MySQL application with three difficulty levels per vulnerability class (Low, Medium, High) and a built-in source code viewer on every page — you can see exactly what makes each page vulnerable.

What DVWA covers

SQL Injection (standard and blind)
Command Injection
File Upload, File Inclusion (LFI/RFI)
Cross-Site Scripting (Reflected and Stored)
CSRF
Brute Force
Insecure CAPTCHA
JavaScript client-side attacks

Why choose DVWA over Juice Shop

Source code is visible — each vulnerability page shows the vulnerable PHP code and the fix, making it ideal for learning root causes rather than just finding bugs
Three difficulty levels — Low uses no sanitization; Medium adds partial fixes you can bypass; High uses near-correct fixes with subtle flaws. This structured progression is more useful for beginners than Juice Shop’s challenge-hunt format
SAST benchmarking for PHP — DVWA’s source code is the standard benchmark for testing PHP SAST tools. Clone the repository and point your scanner at vulnerabilities/sqli/source/low.php — if it misses the injection there, retune your rules before scanning production code

docker run --rm -it -p 80:80 vulnerables/web-dvwa
# Access at http://localhost/
# Login with admin / password, then click "Create / Reset Database"

Best for: PHP developers, beginners learning OWASP Top 10, PHP SAST benchmarking.

WebGoat — Best Java/Spring Security Training

GitHub: WebGoat/WebGoat

WebGoat is OWASP’s Java-based training platform. Unlike DVWA and Juice Shop — where you hunt for vulnerabilities — WebGoat walks you through each vulnerability class with an explanation, a demonstration of the attack, and then a hands-on exercise you must complete before moving on.

What WebGoat covers

SQL Injection (including parameterized query bypass)
LDAP Injection
XML Injection and XPath Injection
Cross-Site Scripting (all three types)
JWT attacks (header injection, algorithm confusion)
Insecure deserialization (Java-specific — ObjectInputStream)
Path traversal
HTTP request smuggling
Broken access control and IDOR
Cryptography failures

Why choose WebGoat over Juice Shop

Java-first — all server-side code is Spring/Java. The natural choice for Java developers learning which patterns create vulnerabilities in their own stack
Guided learning path — each lesson has explanations and hints, making it self-contained for self-study without needing external write-ups
SAST benchmarking for Java — clone WebGoat’s source and run your Java SAST tool against it. A good scanner should find SQL injection in the SqlInjectionLesson classes, deserialization issues, and path traversal
JWT and modern auth coverage — WebGoat has good coverage of token-based authentication attacks that Juice Shop’s challenge format doesn’t explain as clearly

docker run -it -p 8080:8080 -p 9090:9090 webgoat/webgoat
# Access at http://localhost:8080/WebGoat

Best for: Java/Spring developers, guided security training, Java SAST tool benchmarking.

bWAPP — Best for Breadth of Vulnerability Coverage

Docker: raesene/bwapp

bWAPP (Buggy Web Application) covers over 100 vulnerability types — more breadth than any other single application. While Juice Shop and DVWA focus deeply on the OWASP Top 10, bWAPP adds coverage of less common but important vulnerability classes.

What bWAPP adds beyond Juice Shop and DVWA

SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery) — simulated SSRF challenges
HTML injection — reflected and stored HTML injection separately from XSS
XML/XPath/LDAP injection — multiple injection types beyond SQL
Clickjacking and framebusting bypass — UI redressing attacks
Heartbleed and Shellshock simulation — historical but instructive CVE reproductions
Unvalidated redirects and forwards
PHP object injection

docker run -d -p 80:80 raesene/bwapp
# First visit: http://localhost/bWAPP/install.php
# Then login at: http://localhost/bWAPP/login.php (bee / bug)

Best for: Security engineers who need exposure to vulnerability types beyond the OWASP Top 10, breadth-first coverage for security certifications.

NodeGoat — Best Node.js Security Testing

GitHub: OWASP/NodeGoat

NodeGoat is a deliberately vulnerable Node.js/Express application. While Juice Shop is also Node.js, NodeGoat is simpler and more transparent — it’s closer to WebGoat’s educational format than Juice Shop’s challenge-hunt format. Each vulnerability page shows the vulnerable code alongside remediation guidance.

Why choose NodeGoat over Juice Shop

Transparent source code — NodeGoat shows you the vulnerable Express routes and explains why each pattern is insecure. Juice Shop obscures the source code to make challenges more realistic
SAST benchmarking for Node.js — NodeGoat is the standard benchmark for Node.js SAST tools. Point your scanner at the app/routes directory and verify it detects SQL injection in the login routes, CSRF in form submissions, and XSS in template rendering
Simpler architecture — easier to understand than Juice Shop’s Angular SPA + REST API for developers who are newer to Node.js security

git clone https://github.com/OWASP/NodeGoat
cd NodeGoat && npm install
docker-compose up
# Access at http://localhost:4000/

Best for: Node.js/Express developers, Node.js SAST tool benchmarking.

HackTheBox Web Challenges — Best for Advanced Practitioners

Platform: hackthebox.com

HackTheBox (HTB) is a browser-based security practice platform with realistic machines and web challenges. Unlike the self-hosted options above, HTB is a SaaS platform — no Docker setup required.

Why choose HackTheBox over Juice Shop

Realistic complexity — HTB web challenges use real-world application frameworks and require combining multiple techniques to exploit vulnerabilities
No setup required — everything runs in the browser; VPN connection included
Active and retired machines — active challenges require a working exploit (no public write-ups); retired machines have community write-ups for learning
CTF format with scoring — competitive elements for teams building security skills

Limitations compared to self-hosted options

No source code visible — HTB challenges are black-box, which is good for real-world practice but less useful for SAST tool benchmarking
Paid platform — free tier has limited access; full access requires a subscription (~$14/month)
No offline use — not suitable for air-gapped training environments

Best for: Intermediate to advanced security professionals who want realistic challenge complexity without setup overhead.

TryHackMe Web App Paths — Best Structured Beginner Training

Platform: tryhackme.com

TryHackMe (THM) is a guided learning platform with structured security paths in the browser. Its OWASP Top 10 room and web application hacking paths are among the most accessible introductions to web security available.

Why choose TryHackMe over Juice Shop for beginners

Completely guided — each room has step-by-step instructions, no background knowledge assumed
No setup required — Kali Linux VMs spin up in the browser
Learning paths — the “Jr Penetration Tester” and “Web Fundamentals” paths provide structured progression that Juice Shop’s challenge-hunt format lacks
Free tier available — substantial free content, premium tier ~$14/month

Best for: Absolute beginners; structured learning without setup complexity.

PortSwigger Web Security Academy — Best for Deep Web Vulnerability Learning

Platform: portswigger.net/web-security

PortSwigger’s Web Security Academy (the people who make Burp Suite) is arguably the most comprehensive free web security learning resource available. It covers every vulnerability class in the OWASP Top 10 plus many beyond it, with lab exercises that run directly in the browser.

Why Web Security Academy stands out

Completely free — no subscription required, unlike HackTheBox or TryHackMe
Expert-quality explanations — PortSwigger’s team writes the most thorough explanations of web vulnerabilities available publicly. Each topic covers the theory, the attack vectors, prevention, and then labs to practice
Advanced topics — HTTP request smuggling, DOM XSS, prototype pollution, SSRF, XXE, CORS misconfigurations, OAuth attacks, JWT attacks, and more
Progressive labs — each topic has Apprentice → Practitioner → Expert labs

Best for: Developers and security engineers who want the deepest available explanation of each vulnerability class alongside hands-on labs. This is the reference guide that complements any of the self-hosted options.

Comparing Juice Shop Alternatives

Application	Stack	Difficulty	Source Visible	Best For
DVWA	PHP/MySQL	Low → High	✅ Yes	PHP SAST benchmarking, beginners
WebGoat	Java/Spring	Guided	✅ Yes	Java SAST benchmarking, guided learning
bWAPP	PHP	Free-form	✅ Yes	Maximum vulnerability breadth
NodeGoat	Node.js/Express	Guided	✅ Yes	Node.js SAST benchmarking
HackTheBox	Various	Intermediate–Expert	❌ Black-box	Realistic challenge complexity
TryHackMe	Guided labs	Beginner–Intermediate	✅ Guided	Structured beginner learning
Web Security Academy	Browser labs	Apprentice–Expert	✅ Explained	Deep theory + hands-on practice
OWASP Juice Shop	Node.js/Angular	CTF-style	❌ Obfuscated	Modern SPA security, JavaScript

Using Vulnerable Apps to Benchmark Your SAST Tool

One of the most practical uses for any vulnerable web application — Juice Shop or its alternatives — is verifying that your SAST or DAST tool actually works before running it on production code.

SAST benchmarking workflow

Choose the right app for your language stack — DVWA for PHP, WebGoat for Java, NodeGoat for Node.js
Clone the source code from GitHub
Run your SAST tool against the source directory
Check for known-vulnerable functions — SQL injection in login handlers, command injection in file conversion utilities, XSS in template rendering
Evaluate false positives — count how many findings are real vs. noise
Test edge cases — does your scanner find the Medium-difficulty variants, or only the obvious Low-difficulty ones?

If your scanner misses SQL injection in DVWA’s vulnerabilities/sqli/source/low.php — where the injection is completely unobfuscated — it will miss similar patterns in production. This benchmark test is non-negotiable before deploying any SAST tool on a real codebase.

DAST benchmarking workflow

Run any of the above in Docker — Juice Shop, DVWA, or WebGoat
Start your DAST scanner and point it at the local URL
Configure authentication — most DAST tools support session cookie injection or form-based login
Run a full authenticated scan and review findings
Verify coverage — check whether the DAST tool found XSS in known-vulnerable reflection points, SQL injection in search forms, and broken access controls

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better: DVWA or OWASP Juice Shop?

They serve different purposes. DVWA is better for beginners because it shows vulnerable source code and has three difficulty levels, making the root cause of each vulnerability transparent. Juice Shop is better for intermediate practitioners who want a realistic, CTF-style challenge without source code hints. For SAST tool benchmarking, DVWA’s visible source code makes it more useful.

Can I use these vulnerable apps to prepare for OSCP?

Vulnerable web applications help with OSCP’s web exploitation modules. However, OSCP focuses primarily on network exploitation, privilege escalation, and Active Directory. For OSCP-specific web prep, the OffSec PWK labs and HTB machines are more representative of what you’ll encounter in the exam.

Are these apps safe to run on a public server?

No. These applications are deliberately insecure and should only be run on a local machine or in a private, isolated network with no public internet exposure. Running DVWA, WebGoat, or bWAPP on a public-facing server is equivalent to publishing a vulnerable application on the internet — you will be compromised quickly.

Which vulnerable app is best for preparing for web security certifications?

For BSCP (Burp Suite Certified Practitioner) and eWPT: PortSwigger Web Security Academy is the primary resource. For CEH and GWAPT: TryHackMe’s web paths and WebGoat cover the required topic list well. For OSCP web modules: HackTheBox retired web machines and DVWA provide the right skill level.

Benchmark Your Security Tools Against Known Vulnerabilities

Testing your SAST or DAST scanner against vulnerable apps before production deployment is a security engineering best practice — not optional. If your tool doesn’t find the injection in DVWA, it won’t find it in your codebase.

Offensive360’s SAST and DAST scanners are benchmarked against DVWA, Juice Shop, WebGoat, and NodeGoat on every release cycle.

One-time SAST scan for $500 — full vulnerability report on your source code within 48 hours, no subscription required
DAST scan for your running application — authenticated dynamic scanning against your web app
Book a demo to see a live scan against a vulnerable application or your own codebase