Stage 2 · Lesson 6 of 7

Lab notes and documentation

Security work is only as good as its notes. Keep a , in , Obsidian, CherryTree or plain text. Give each exercise one page with six things: the date, the goal, what you did, what you saw, what it means, and how it is prevented or detected.

Screenshots with short captions help later. These lab notes become your portfolio and your revision for certifications. They are also practice for the reports that every security role writes.

Protect them like work data: never include real passwords or personal data from anywhere else.

Common trapdoing a hundred rooms and remembering none of them because nothing was written down.

A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock

Resources for this stage

Start with

GuideFree
Docker Docs: Get Started
Docker · Beginner
Enough Docker to run, reset and remove practice targets and tools cleanly

Practise

OWASP Juice Shop
The standard intentionally vulnerable web app: run it locally and use it throughout your path
LetsDefend
Blue-team practice with a simulated SOC, so your lab time goes into analysis rather than setup

Keep handy

Wireshark User's Guide
Capture and read your own lab traffic to see what normal and unusual look like

Also worth your time

Linux Upskill ChallengeGo deeper
A month of daily tasks on a real Linux server if you want your Linux administration to be solid