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Using the code analysis tools (FxCop) I'm surprised how much information is visible inside the application exe file:

  • Class names
  • Methods
  • Argument count/types/passing mathods
  • etc

I have tried to make the app a release, do not include any debug info, but still, lot of "coding" info is present.

Is there any option how to "strip" such meta info? Is this needed for reflection?

Jester
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sharpener
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  • Why do you want to strip the meta information? What good will that do? – Emond Aug 12 '14 at 09:39
  • @Ernode oh, there are many scenarios where obfuscation is desirable – Marc Gravell Aug 12 '14 at 09:40
  • What have you tried when it comes to public vs internal classes and methods? – ClickRick Aug 12 '14 at 09:40
  • @MarcGravell, yes I know. I was trying to find out what the purpose in this case is. If sharpener is worried about the size of the assemblies my answer would be quite different than when sharpener is worried about protecting intellectual property. – Emond Aug 12 '14 at 09:53
  • @ClickRick Now trying ILSpy: Internal classes visible, private members visible, private methods visible... – sharpener Aug 12 '14 at 09:53
  • @Erno de Weerd In general: I'm just surprised and also curious. In this particular case, I wouldn't like to "share" the code with the application recipient. – sharpener Aug 12 '14 at 09:55
  • Thanks for redirecting to the already answered thread, I'm going to get some info there. – sharpener Aug 12 '14 at 09:56
  • @sharpener- if you don't want the recipient to have access to the code, do not give it to him. Keep the assemblies on a protected server. If the code is running on a machine that is accessible to the recipient you can only hinder him, not stop him. – Emond Aug 12 '14 at 10:01
  • Reverse engineering tools exist for **every** programming language, not just the ones that use intermediate languages etc. – Marc Gravell Aug 12 '14 at 10:26
  • Yes, but you probably would agree that decompiling IL to a "pretty" form (very similar to the code you wrote) is much less work than the same for C/C++ compiler output... For a start I would be satisfied with similar level of "unreadability". – sharpener Aug 12 '14 at 12:48

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