# Fody/Costura

Embed references as resources

Repository: https://github.com/Fody/Costura
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/costura
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-20T12:09:46+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 67/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4957, "days_push": 13, "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 2542, forks 279 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:59.472253+00:00)

## What it is
Costura is a Fody add-in that embeds referenced assemblies as resources into .NET assemblies, producing single-file executables or self-contained libraries. It works at build time using IL weaving via Cecil to add module initializers that load the embedded dependencies.

## Use cases
- embed dll dependencies into a single exe
- merge referenced assemblies into one file
- ship a .NET library with its dependencies embedded
- avoid shipping loose dll files alongside an executable
- create a portable single-file C# application

## When to choose
- targeting .NET Framework on Windows where single-file publish is unavailable
- embedding dependencies into a library project rather than an executable
- maintaining a legacy build that already uses Fody

## When to avoid
- building .NET Core 3+ / .NET 5+ apps where built-in single-file executables are better
- non-Windows platforms or VB.NET projects
- starting a new project, since the package is in maintenance mode

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: maintenance
- function: build-tool, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: windows, dotnet, cli
- tags: fody, assembly-embedding, il-weaving, nuget, single-file, csharp

## Member repositories
- Fody/Costura (main) score 67

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:59.472253+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 2026-08-30T02:25:06.239926+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Fody/Costura (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:59.472253+00:00, sha d0d38af4ae0e)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.