# Code4rena

Code4rena (C4) is a competitive audit and bounty platform where security researchers, referred to as [Wardens](https://docs.code4rena.com/roles), review, audit, and analyze codebases for security vulnerabilities in exchange for bounties provided by sponsoring projects.

The players in the arena:

* [**Wardens**](https://docs.code4rena.com/roles) protect the DeFi ecosystem from threats by auditing code.
* [**Sponsors**](https://docs.code4rena.com/sponsors) create prize pools to attract wardens to audit their project.
* [**Judges**](https://docs.code4rena.com/roles/judges) decide the severity, validity, and quality of findings and rate the performance of wardens.

## How Code4rena works

These docs provide detailed information and guidelines for current and potential community members, and aim to answer the most frequently-asked questions about how Code4rena — and our competitive audits — work.