Quickstart

Overview

This guide walks you through a production-ready baseline setup. You will install ObfGuard, add a policy file, run a protected build, and validate the output before rolling out.

Most projects complete this in a single day and start with a staging build to confirm stability and coverage.

Step 1 - Install

1. Download the ObfGuard CLI and add it to your build environment.
2. Verify installation with a version check.
3. Confirm access to the build artifacts directory.

obfguard --version
obfguard doctor

Step 2 - Add a baseline policy

Start with the Balanced policy profile. It delivers strong protection while maintaining build determinism.

• Create a policy file in your repository
• Commit the policy alongside release configs
• Add module-level overrides for sensitive areas

tiers:
  balanced:
    obfuscation: medium
    string_encryption: standard
scopes:
  - name: licensing
    match: com.obfguard.licensing.*
    tier: hardened

Step 3 - Build and verify

Run a protected release build and collect the protection report. Validate core flows and confirm coverage for sensitive modules.

obfguard build --policy policies/balanced.yaml --target release

Step 4 - Roll out

Ship to internal or beta channels first. Once stability is confirmed, promote to production and monitor telemetry.

Best practices

ObfGuard policies are most effective when they focus on sensitive logic and remain stable across releases.

• Start with a balanced policy, then elevate only high-risk modules.
• Exclude third-party SDKs if you do not control their runtime behavior.
• Pin ObfGuard versions in CI to keep outputs deterministic.
• Store protection reports alongside release artifacts for audits.

Validation checklist

Use this checklist to validate protected builds before promoting to production.

1. Confirm app launch, authentication, and entitlement flows.
2. Verify core monetization or subscription checks.
3. Review the protection report for coverage gaps.
4. Run smoke tests on critical user journeys.
5. Document policy changes and results for future iterations.