# CodingGay/BlackDex

BlackDex is an Android unpack(dexdump) tool, it supports Android 5.0~12 and need not rely to any environment. BlackDex can run on any Android mobile phone or emulator, you can unpack APK File in several seconds.

Repository: https://github.com/CodingGay/BlackDex
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/blackdex
Language: C++
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: shell, dump, dumpdex, android, blackbox, blackdex, unpack, unpacker, android-unpack, unpacking, dexdump
Last push: 2023-11-09T01:49:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1930, "days_push": 1029, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6439, forks 1320 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:43.418838+00:00)

## What it is
BlackDex is an Android app that unpacks DEX files from installed or uninstalled APKs on Android 5.0-12 without requiring root, Xposed, Frida, or Magisk. It dumps DEX via DexFile cookies and offers a deep-unpack mode that repairs instruction-extraction (nop) packing.

## Use cases
- unpack a packed android apk to recover dex files
- dump dex from an installed app without root
- analyze hardened android apps for security research
- extract dex from an apk without installing it
- repair nop'd methods from instruction-extraction packers
- run an unpacker on an emulator or any phone

## When to choose
- you need to unpack Android apps on 5.0-12 without root or custom environments
- you want fast, on-device dex dumping in seconds
- you need to handle first-, second-, and third-generation packers including instruction extraction

## When to avoid
- the target app actively detects virtualization or hooking environments
- you need guaranteed 100% recovery of extracted instructions or decryption of protected code
- you need support for Android versions outside 5.0-12 or the matching 32/64-bit build

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: maintenance
- function: reverse-engineering, security, parser
- domain: security, reverse-engineering, android-tools, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: dexdump, unpacker, apk, unpacking, no-root-required, virtualapp, dex-repair, android

## Member repositories
- CodingGay/BlackDex (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.418838+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:44:42.744555+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/CodingGay/BlackDex (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.418838+00:00, sha 56575e9e71d2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.