C++ How to compile dll in a .exe

Question

I am creating a c++ program, but I want to be able to offer just a .exe file to the user. However, I am using libraries (curl among others) which have some dll's. Is it possible to compile these dll's into the .exe file?

I use Code::Blocks and mingw.

Please note that there also may be licensing issues involved. E.g. some licenses only allow static linking if you provide the full source code of your program. — Andreas Magnusson, May 01 '09 at 22:12

score 10 · Accepted Answer · answered May 01 '09 at 15:33

10

In order to achieve that you will need static linking. This requires that all your libraries (and the libraries they depend upon recursively) need to be available as static libraries. Be aware that the size of your executable will be large, as it will carry all the code from those static libraries. This is why shared libraries (DLLs) were invented in the first place, to be able to share common code among applications. However that does not always work so well on windows.

I think what you may really want is an installer that installs your executable and all it's dependent libraries.

answered May 01 '09 at 15:33

lothar

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I prefer portables most of the time, especially for tools. Installer clutters up my Start menu, desktop, and program list in Add Remove programs. That's why I cringe everytime people suggest installers for this kind of question. YMMV. Still, upvoted for first paragraph. – syaz Jan 21 '11 at 06:49
I think there is a way to embed DLL file into an rc file and then use it in your program. – SdSaati Mar 13 '20 at 12:11

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered May 01 '09 at 17:02

There's an article in DDJ from 2002 that may have what you want:

Packing DLLs in your EXE by Thiadmer Riemersma

Basically it uses a combination of linking to the DLL using MSVC's 'delayed load' feature and packaging the DLL as an embedded resource in the EXE. The DLL is then automatically extracted at runtime when the first call to one of the exports is made.

I haven't used this technique so I can't really comment on how well it works, but it sure seems like a slick idea.

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 17 '12 at 15:59

3

If you really need to accomplish this, you can use this awesome library which will allow you to load a DLL from memory. I have used it to read a DLL from a resource and load it for me.

https://github.com/fancycode/MemoryModule

answered Dec 17 '12 at 15:59

shellster

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score 3 · Answer 4 · answered May 01 '09 at 14:57

3

You can use ILMerge

answered May 01 '09 at 14:57

Ichorus

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I think ILMerge only works with managed code, not native code. – Ferruccio May 01 '09 at 15:00
That is true. I assumed since they were trying to package a dll they were working in .NET – Ichorus May 01 '09 at 15:37
It's also true that (a Microsoft dialect of) C++ can be compiled to IL. – Max Lybbert May 01 '09 at 17:59

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered May 01 '09 at 15:36

I came across dll2lib utility once. Interesting piece, though pricey one. It allows you to convert virtually any dll to a static library, which may be later linked with your application to produce solid exe. IIRC, free version will show certain notification (MessageBox) upon entering a function from such generated library.

Jim W · Answer 6 · 2021-01-13T07:09:58.687

I'm new to to C++ and CODE::BLOCKS (about a week in) and I had this same issue. The answers are fine, but implementing them is not explained for a complete noob like myself to follow. (Like telling a caveman to put the key in the ignition. "What's a KEY? What's an IGNITION"?) After enough poking around, I compiled (no pun intended) this solution:

On the CODE::BLOCKS menu (I have v20.03), click "Settings", then "Compiler...".

On the left, click "Global compiler settings" (default).

Under the "Compiler Settings tab", check the boxes next to:
static libgcc [-static-libgcc]
static libstdc++ [-static-libstdc++]

Under the "Linker settings" tab, enter the following in the "Other linker options:" box:
-static -lpthread

Click "OK" and you're golden! Your compiled C++ EXE can run as stand-alone.

I've tried this by compiling a couple of my lesson projects and it's worked. It adds about 2.3MB to the EXE size. No promises that this will work with all of your projects, only that it's worked for me so far.

UPDATE, 2021-01-12 -- Shrink your EXEs!:

While in the "Compiler Settings" tab, scroll down to "Optimization" and check:
Strip all symbols from binary (minimizes size) [-s]

This shrunk one of my compiled EXE files from 2354k to 820k!

Btw, about the update, exes can be shrunk even more with `-fvisibility=hidden` combined with `-s` (though this makes it practically impossible to disassemble or debug using traceback software). — Fract, Jul 02 '23 at 11:54

score 2 · Answer 7 · answered May 01 '09 at 15:19

2

You need some special packer tools like XBundler.

answered May 01 '09 at 15:19

Francis

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score 0 · Answer 8 · answered May 01 '09 at 15:19

In general, no. DLLs have some special behavior that is non-trivial, such as acquiring Loader Lock when they're loaded and calling DllMain at those points. While a theoretical linker could arrange for each DllMain to be called from the application main(), it would not happen under Loaded Lock. This Loader Lock is under control of the OS. Also, DLLs are notified of new threads via their DLLMain, and this too would be nearly impossible to fake.

C++ How to compile dll in a .exe

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