Code4rena (BC 11)

They’re not just talking the talk – they’re walking the walk.

Code4rena prides itself on being the most competitive Web3 security platform and the ultimate proving ground for security researchers.

They’re also the only platform that actually incentivizes consultative audits.

Now, you might be wondering, what’s a consultative audit?

Now you might be wondering, what’s consultative auditing all about?

Well, here’s the deal: unlike some other Web3 smart contract security markets, Code4rena’s auditors don’t just hand over a list of findings and call it a day.

Nope, they go the extra mile.

They give you actual auditing reports AND guide you through the process.

They don’t just point out the bugs, they’ll also throw in some best practices and suggestions.

They’re there to help you fix the issues, kill the vulnerabilities, and make sure everything runs smoothly going forward.

It's all about preventing threats, not just catching them.

And just to show you how top-notch their team is, here are some of the industry’s best security researchers featured on Code4rena’s website:

samczsun

obront

0x52

xuwinnie

cccz

MiloTruck

rvierdiiev

xiaoming90

0xsomeone

HollaDieWaldfee

gpersoon

gzeon

Riley Holterhus

GalloDaSBallo

HickUpH

Lambda

Minhtrng

AkshaySrivastav

Alexxander

Berndartmueller

Bin2chen

Carrotsmuggler

Csanuragjain

Immeas

Koolex

Peakbolt

Said

0xriptide

100proof

These are the handpicked experts who work with Code4rena's Zenith team.

So, if you're looking to level up your Web3 contract security, Code4rena might just be the place to be!

Definitively, Code4rena is a smart contract security marketplace built by a 25-person team to help secure Web3 projects through some good ol' healthy competition among auditors.

So if you’re looking to join the action, hang tight – we’ll get there soon enough.

To really get what Code4rena's all about, we need to know about the three main players in their world: the wardens, the sponsors, and the judges.

Wardens are the auditors, the ones who keep the Web3 space safe by hunting down bugs in smart contracts.

Sponsors, on the other hand, are the ones who create prize pools to attract these auditors to audit their projects.

And then you’ve got the judges, who decide how severe, valid, and quality each bug finding is, and rate the auditors' performance.

These are the key folks who make sure the whole system runs smoothly.

Now, if you’re thinking about joining Code4rena as an auditor, you’ll be signing up as a warden

Wardens are there to protect the ecosystem by auditing code, and they’ve got to stay on top of things like new audits and updates.

The best way to keep up is to follow Code4rena's Twitter account (C4) and join their Discord community, where you’ll get all the latest info on upcoming audits.

Once you’ve registered (register here) and verified your email, you’re ready to roll – just make sure to familiarize yourself with the Code4rena's website to get a handle on everything you’ll need to know.

There, you’ll find a list of open and upcoming audits, their prize pools, start and end dates, and other important info.

Active audits will usually include a link to the code repository and submission forms for findings, so make sure you’re clear on the submission policies and judging criteria if you want to play in the game.

What about team registration, you ask?

Well, to register a team, you’ll need to log into your warden account on Code4rena and then register.

Or click here 🖇️

Once your team’s set up, you can add or remove members and update your payment address while logged into the site.

When you submit a team registration, it’ll create a pull request for the C4 team to review and approve, so be prepared to wait about 24 or 48 business hours for processing.

Now, here’s the kicker: when your team submits findings, you’re getting rewarded as a team, not individually.

All rewards go to a single wallet, and Code4rena recommends using a multi-signature wallet or a tool like Payment Splitter to divvy up the rewards among the team members.

Since they don’t track which team member submitted which finding, it’s up to you and your team to keep track and handle the distribution.

As for the audit timeline, most audits typically run for 3 to 7 days and usually start and end at 20:00 UTC.

If you’re in West Africa, just convert that to WAT (West Africa Time) ie 21:00 WAT, 9:00 pm WAT (if you may) or whatever timezone works for you.

…auditing timeline typically goes down this way.

Submissions usually close on day “n”, then the validators will start triaging findings from day 3 to day 4. 3 to 4 after “n”....(you get the idea)

Sponsors take a look and give feedback on those findings by day 7.

Ideally, by days 9 to 10, we’ll see the judges get involved to decide the severity of the issues.

For judging criteria, check this 🖇️

Actually, wait, I think they go with quality first, and then they’ll determine severity.

By day 15 (or around day 21-22), judges wrap up their Q&A, and the awards will be announced.

Now, that’s the ideal situation.

In reality, the awards usually get distributed anywhere from day 25 to 29 after submission.

Sponsors will also be working to mitigate any issues, and ideally, audit reports will be published by day 21.

But, it may take until day 40 to day 60, depending on how long the process actually takes.

Don’t worry, though—C4 is actively improving their process, so this timeline should shorten over time.

For wardens, there are a few important things to keep in mind.

First off, make sure to turn in your reports before the audit ends.

Super crucial.

When it comes to risk levels, medium and high-risk findings should be submitted separately for each audit.

Low-risk and governance or centralization risks, though, should go into a single Q&A report.

And for gas optimizations—yes, we talked about this when we were diving into Omniscia yesterday—those should be grouped together in one single report.

Also, if you’re handling funds, make sure to register your polygon address so you can actually get your rewards.

Now, big no-no: don’t disclose any bugs or vulnerabilities to the public before the audit report has been published.

If you do, you could get disqualified from all future Code4rena events.

Big emphasis on all events, so keep that in mind!

When submitting findings, make sure to describe the location of the vulnerability and the potential impact if it were exploited.

You’ll also need to provide a clear proof of concept, which could be a script or even just some helpful screenshots.

And yes, all reports should be in English—it's the global lingua franca or something like that, you get the idea.

After you submit a finding, you should receive an email confirmation.

If you don’t see it, check your spam folder.

They send those confirmations to all wardens submitting findings.

For more info check this out 🖇️

And if you want to make your auditing life a bit easier, there are some tools and resources you can use.

You can try out things like Hardhat, Scaffold, Solidity Visual Auditor, and Remix for your auditing.

There are also some great resources like the Ethereum Security Bootcamp,

Solidity by Example

and even "How to Become a Smart Contract Auditor" by Cmichel

Crypto Zombies is a fun Solidity tutorial that could help you sharpen your skills, too.

So there you have it – everything you need to know to get started with Code4rena.

Now go ahead and jump into the world of smart contract security!

Thanks for sticking around 🫡🫰

Much love 🪅🎄

Want to reach out to me?

Email : [email protected]

X formerly Twitter

Telegram