# lief-project/LIEF

LIEF - Library to Instrument Executable Formats (C++, Python, Rust)

Repository: https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lief
Homepage: https://lief.re
Language: C++
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: reverse-engineering, malware-analysis, binary-analysis, parser, modification, executable-formats, elf, macho, pe, lief, parsing, sdk, python, android, dex, oat, art, vdex, rust
Last push: 2026-08-22T08:11:43+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 97/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 92, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3457, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": 52, "gap_med": 21, "n_releases_24m": 16}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5549, forks 746 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:22.298068+00:00)

## What it is
LIEF is a cross-platform C++ library (with Python and Rust bindings) for parsing, inspecting, modifying, and writing executable file formats such as ELF, PE, Mach-O, COFF, and Android formats. It provides a unified object model over symbols, sections, and relocations, plus extended features like disassembly, assembly, DWARF/PDB debug info, and plugins for Ghidra and Binary Ninja.

## Use cases
- parse and inspect ELF, PE, or Mach-O binaries programmatically
- modify an executable by adding sections or changing symbol names
- analyze malware samples in a scriptable way
- hook or patch binaries by rewriting imports or the PLT/GOT
- extract and manipulate Android DEX, OAT, VDEX, and ART files
- transform an ELF executable into a shared library
- verify PE Authenticode signatures
- disassemble or assemble AArch64, x86, RISC-V code

## When to choose
- you need a scriptable, cross-format API for binary parsing and rewriting without a heavyweight RE suite
- you want Python, C++, or Rust bindings over ELF/PE/Mach-O internals
- you are building security tooling, malware analysis pipelines, or binary instrumentation
- you need format-aware builders that serialize valid modified binaries

## When to avoid
- you only need a one-off static analysis view in a GUI like Ghidra or IDA
- you require the extended features (DWARF, PDB, Dyld shared cache, disassembler) under a fully open license, since LIEF Extended is gated
- you need decompilation or high-level control-flow recovery, which LIEF does not provide

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: parser, reverse-engineering, security, sdk
- domain: security, reverse-engineering, parsers, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, python, cpp, rust, cli
- tags: elf, pe, mach-o, binary-analysis, malware-analysis, executable-formats, dex, android, disassembler, assembler

## Member repositories
- lief-project/LIEF (main) score 97

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:22.298068+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 2026-08-29T17:55:39.763130+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lief-project/LIEF (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:22.298068+00:00, sha df8b0fdcdc4f)
  - homepage: https://lief.re (fetched 2026-08-29T08:50:53.756982+00:00, sha 69cc7e43f99f)
  - site_page: https://lief.re/about (fetched 2026-08-29T08:50:53.768053+00:00, sha d6acd73981ab)
  - site_page: https://lief.re/doc/latest (fetched 2026-08-29T08:50:53.766320+00:00, sha 3bacea78df66)
  - site_page: https://lief.re/doc/latest/extended/intro.html (fetched 2026-08-29T08:50:53.769669+00:00, sha b37ea6cb3fdd)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.