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What Is TryHackMe?
TryHackMe is a browser-based cybersecurity training platform built around guided learning paths and structured rooms, designed specifically for people with little or no prior security background. Rather than pointing you at a target machine and leaving you to work it out, TryHackMe walks through each concept step by step, with tasks, explanations, and hints built directly into every room.
The platform launches each lab machine on its own infrastructure and connects you to it through your browser or a lightweight VPN connection, so there is no local virtual machine to configure and no networking to troubleshoot before you can start. A free tier gives access to a substantial library of beginner content, with a paid subscription unlocking additional rooms, paths, and features.
TryHackMe covers considerably more than offensive penetration testing. Its catalogue spans defensive security, digital forensics, SOC analyst training, and even entirely non-technical topics like security awareness, making it a starting point for multiple different security career directions, not just red-team work.
How TryHackMe Learning Paths Work
Individual rooms are the smallest unit of content, each covering a specific topic through a series of tasks with accompanying explanations. Every task includes a short write-up explaining the underlying concept, and most include a specific question to answer, confirming you engaged with the material rather than just clicking through.
Learning paths group related rooms into a deliberate curriculum. The Pre Security path, for example, starts from complete basics, networking fundamentals, Linux, and web fundamentals, before the Jr Penetration Tester path introduces offensive techniques on top of that foundation. Paths are designed to be completed in order, and progress is tracked automatically through both individual rooms and entire paths.
Hints are available on nearly every task if you get stuck, ranging from a gentle nudge in the right direction to, on some rooms, a full step-by-step walkthrough. This built-in support is what makes the platform genuinely usable for someone with zero prior exposure to security concepts.
- Browser-based labs, no local VM setup required
- Structured learning paths built for complete beginners
- Guided rooms with tasks, explanations, and built-in hints
- Free tier available before any paid subscription
- Covers offensive, defensive, forensics, and SOC analyst content
- Progress automatically tracked across rooms and paths
- Active community with write-ups for nearly every room
- Regularly updated with new rooms covering current techniques
Who TryHackMe Is Best For
TryHackMe is the right starting point for complete beginners with no security background, career changers exploring whether security work is a fit before committing to a certification, and anyone who wants structure before attempting unguided platforms like Hack The Box. The guided format builds foundational habits, like methodical enumeration and reading documentation, before you are expected to work them out entirely alone.
It is a less natural fit for people who already have solid foundational knowledge and are specifically preparing for an unguided certification exam like OSCP, since the extensive hints can become a crutch rather than a learning aid at that stage. For that audience, TryHackMe’s more advanced, less-guided rooms or a direct move to Hack The Box tend to be more useful.
Step-by-Step: Getting Started on TryHackMe
This is the standard on-ramp most beginners follow.
- Create a free account and verify your email address.
- Start the Pre Security learning path if you have no prior networking or Linux experience.
- Complete each room in order, answering the embedded questions rather than skipping ahead.
- Use the built-in hints only after genuinely attempting a task yourself.
- Move on to the Jr Penetration Tester path once Pre Security is complete, to start applying offensive techniques.
Most beginners underestimate how much foundational networking and Linux knowledge the later, more exciting rooms assume, which is why starting from Pre Security rather than jumping straight to hacking-focused content pays off later.
Yes, TryHackMe offers a free tier with access to a meaningful number of rooms and learning paths, with a paid subscription available for additional content.
No. TryHackMe is specifically designed for complete beginners, with guided rooms and hints built in for anyone starting with no prior security background.
A room is a single guided lab on a specific topic. A learning path groups multiple related rooms into a structured curriculum you work through in order.
No. Labs run in your browser or connect through a VPN to a hosted machine, so there is no need to set up your own virtual machine to get started.
Most people move on to Hack The Box next, which offers a less guided, more competitive environment that better reflects real-world penetration testing.
This varies by prior experience, but most complete beginners spend several weeks working through the Pre Security path at a pace of a few hours per week, with the Jr Penetration Tester path taking a similar or longer amount of time.
No prior coding knowledge is required to start. Some later, more advanced rooms introduce basic scripting concepts, but the beginner paths do not assume any programming background.
No. While offensive security is a major part of the catalogue, TryHackMe also covers defensive security, digital forensics, SOC analyst skills, and security fundamentals unrelated to any single specialisation.
TryHackMe's own completion badges are a reasonable signal of consistent effort but are not a substitute for a recognised industry certification. Many people use TryHackMe as preparation before sitting a formal exam like Security+ or PNPT.