| **ProGuard** is a free Java class file shrinker, optimizer, obfuscator, and |
| preverifier. It detects and removes unused classes, fields, methods, and |
| attributes. It optimizes bytecode and removes unused instructions. It renames |
| the remaining classes, fields, and methods using short meaningless names. The |
| resulting applications and libraries are smaller, faster, and a bit better |
| hardened against reverse engineering. |
| |
| Typical applications: |
| |
| - Reducing the size of Android apps for faster downloads, shorter startup |
| times, and smaller memory footprints. |
| - Optimizing code for better performance on mobile devices. |
| |
| **ProGuard**'s main advantage compared to other Java obfuscators is probably |
| its compact template-based configuration. A few intuitive command line options |
| or a simple configuration file are usually sufficient. The user manual |
| explains all available options and shows examples of this powerful |
| configuration style. |
| |
| **ProGuard** is fast. It only takes seconds to process programs and libraries |
| of several megabytes. The results section presents actual figures for a number |
| of applications. |
| |
| **ProGuard** is a command-line tool with an optional graphical user interface. |
| It also comes with plugins for Ant, for Gradle, and for the JME Wireless |
| Toolkit. It is already part of Google's Android SDK, where it can be enabled |
| with a simple flag. |
| |
| **ProGuard** provides basic protection against reverse engineering and |
| tampering, with basic name obfuscation. |
| [**DexGuard**](http://www.guardsquare.com/dexguard), its specialized |
| commercial extension for Android, focuses further on the protection of apps, |
| additionally optimizing, obfuscating and encrypting strings, classes, |
| resources, resource files, asset files, and native libraries. Professional |
| developers should definitely consider it for security-sensitive apps. |
| |
