# obfuscar/obfuscar

Open source obfuscation tool for .NET assemblies

Repository: https://github.com/obfuscar/obfuscar
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/obfuscar
Homepage: https://www.obfuscar.com
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: c-sharp, obfuscation, obfuscator, obfuscate, dotnet, dotnet-framework
Last push: 2026-07-17T20:09:39+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 93/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 93, release rhythm 90, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4169, "days_push": 47, "days_rel": 68, "gap_med": 1.5, "n_releases_24m": 17}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3172, forks 467 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:47.517981+00:00)

## What it is
Obfuscar is an open source MIT-licensed obfuscation tool for .NET assemblies that renames metadata to minimal names, making decompiled code hard to read while shrinking executable size. It runs as a dotnet global tool or NuGet package and is configured via an XML file, with a v3 beta offering a modern IL pipeline.

## Use cases
- obfuscate .NET assemblies to protect intellectual property
- prevent decompilation of C# binaries with ILSpy
- shrink .NET executable size by renaming metadata
- protect secrets embedded in a .NET assembly
- integrate obfuscation into a CI/CD build pipeline
- obfuscate Unity or Xamarin.Android assemblies

## When to choose
- you need a free, open source alternative to commercial .NET obfuscators
- you want basic name-renaming obfuscation for .NET Framework or modern .NET assemblies
- you want a simple dotnet tool that fits into build scripts

## When to avoid
- you need advanced obfuscation like control-flow encryption or string encryption
- you will feed it untrusted or malicious assemblies, since its PE-reading APIs are not hardened against such input
- you rely on relative paths or environment-variable expansion in configuration (removed in v3)

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: security, compiler, developer-tools, cli
- domain: security, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, cli, windows, dotnet
- tags: obfuscation, dotnet, il-rewriting, assembly-protection, nuget-tool

## Member repositories
- obfuscar/obfuscar (main) score 93

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:47.517981+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 2026-08-29T18:45:28.194199+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/obfuscar/obfuscar (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:47.517981+00:00, sha b104ec8a4aa3)
  - homepage: https://www.obfuscar.com (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.605076+00:00, sha 123d1322a40e)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.611086+00:00, sha ee6aa107beb7)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/getting-started/index.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.613314+00:00, sha 0d265a3eb5fe)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/getting-started/basics.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.615267+00:00, sha 40bc7a5ff414)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/getting-started/configuration.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.617105+00:00, sha 4d10394255d1)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/getting-started/history.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.619482+00:00, sha 2f60e854458b)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/getting-started/ecosystem.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.621303+00:00, sha f856489c4cb7)
  - site_page: https://docs.lextudio.com/obfuscar/support/faq.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:39:52.623047+00:00, sha ceabddffa781)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.