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Obfuscar
What it is
Obfuscar is a free tool for obscuring .NET assemblies by changing metadata names, making the resulting decompiled code harder to follow. It can rename methods, properties, events, fields, types, and namespaces to short names, which can also shrink executable size. An optional string-hiding feature replaces string-load instructions with calls that retrieve values from a buffer, at a small performance cost. String hiding is reversible, so it should not be used to protect confidential information stored in an assembly. Obfuscar uses an XML configuration file to specify assemblies, dependency paths, and output location. It is distributed as a NuGet package and a .NET Global Tool, and runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its documentation lists unaffiliated community projects for working with mapping files and creating Unity configuration. The project cautions that obfuscation cannot stop determined reverse engineering and that only trusted assemblies should be processed. The 3.0 beta requires absolute configuration paths and rejects relative paths and variable placeholders.
For and against
For
- Free under the MIT license
- Renames multiple kinds of .NET metadata
- Shorter names can shrink executable size
- Available as NuGet package and .NET Global Tool
Against
- String hiding adds a small performance cost
- Hidden strings can be recovered
- Obfuscation cannot stop determined reverse engineering
- Version 3.0 beta requires absolute paths
The verdict
Obfuscar provides metadata renaming and optional string hiding for .NET assemblies, with command-line distribution and cross-platform configuration examples. Its limits matter: it is not a guarantee against reverse engineering, and its 3.0 beta rejects relative paths and placeholders.
Who it suits
Obfuscar suits .NET developers who want to make assembly code harder to interpret and can work with XML configuration. It may also suit teams looking to reduce executable size through shorter metadata names.
Plans and prices
Obfuscar
open source · MIT license · basic .NET assembly obfuscation
Read 8 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Confidential strings
- The documentation says string hiding is reversible and advises against storing confidential information as strings in assemblies.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Obfuscar uses an XML configuration file to specify assemblies to obfuscate, dependency paths and output location.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Current beta constraint
- Obfuscar 3.0 requires absolute paths in configuration and rejects relative paths and variable placeholders.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Distribution
- Obfuscar is available as a NuGet package and as a .NET Global Tool.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Executable size
- The shorter generated names can dramatically shrink executable size.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The project documentation lists community projects for parsing Obfuscar mapping files and generating Obfuscar XML configuration for Unity, and says they are unaffiliated.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Metadata renaming
- It renames methods, properties, events, fields, types and namespaces to a minimal set of names.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Platform compatibility
- The configuration guide gives examples for macOS, Linux and Windows paths.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Protection limitation
- The documentation says obfuscation makes reverse engineering difficult but does not stop someone determined to reverse engineer the assembly.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Obfuscar obfuscates .NET assemblies by renaming metadata to make decompiled code harder to follow.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Security limitation
- The project warns that malformed or malicious assemblies can cause unexpected behavior, including crashes or hangs, and says to process only trusted inputs.github.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- String hiding
- Obfuscar can hide string constants by replacing string loads with calls that retrieve strings from a buffer, with a small performance cost.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- Community help is available through Stack Overflow and GitHub issues, and commercial support is provided by LeXtudio Support Services.docs.lextudio.com · read 8 Oct 2026
