# bytedance/BoostMultiDex

BoostMultiDex is a solution for quickly loading multiple dex files on low Android version devices (4.X and below, SDK <21).

Repository: https://github.com/bytedance/BoostMultiDex
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/boostmultidex
Language: Java
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: android
Archived: true
Last push: 2022-05-12T07:07:30+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2291, "days_push": 1574, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1199, forks 126 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:57.846344+00:00)

## What it is
BoostMultiDex is an Android library from ByteDance that dramatically speeds up first-launch MultiDex loading on Android 4.X and below (SDK < 21) devices using Dalvik VM internals. It reduces first cold-start wait time by over 80% compared to the official Android MultiDex solution.

## Use cases
- reduce black screen wait time after app install on Android 4.x devices
- speed up first cold start with multiple dex files on Dalvik
- replace official Android MultiDex with a faster alternative
- support low-end Android users in emerging markets
- fix app crashes during MultiDex optimization on old devices
- optimize secondary dex loading for large Android apps

## When to choose
- your app supports Android 4.X (SDK < 21) devices and uses multidex
- you need to reduce first-launch black screen time on Dalvik devices
- you serve large user bases with many low-end devices
- official MultiDex causes crashes or extreme startup delays on old devices

## When to avoid
- your minSdkVersion is 21 or higher (ART handles dex natively)
- your app is small enough to avoid multidex entirely
- you need a solution actively maintained for new Android versions

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: developer-tools, build-tool
- domain: mobile-development, android-tools, performance
- platform: jvm
- tags: multidex, dalvik, dex-optimization, cold-start, android-sdk-21, app-startup-performance, android, mobile

## Member repositories
- bytedance/BoostMultiDex (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:57.846344+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 2026-08-30T06:20:52.539485+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bytedance/BoostMultiDex (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:57.846344+00:00, sha b51496ff229a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.