# vdexExtractor

> Command-line C tool that extracts the Dex bytecode held in the Vdex containers that ART's dex2oat compiler writes beside Oat files since Android 8.0 (API 26), and by default reverts ART's dex-to-dex quickening so the output is ordinary Dex again. It can also dump the verified-dependency records stored in a Vdex file, disassemble the bytecode in a dexdump-like format and report the Android API level of a Vdex version. Android 9 and 10 Vdex files hold CompactDex, which the bundled deodex helper converts back to standard Dex through a separately built compact_dex_converter.

- Type: Tool
- Targets: App
- Category: Android tools
- Relationship: Foundation tool
- Sources reviewed: 2026-10-20
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-02
- Original resource: <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/vdexextractor/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/vdexextractor/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/vdexextractor/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- Inactive: the last tag is 0.6.0 (2019-12-30), there are no GitHub releases, and the reviewed master commit (2020-05-13) is seven commits past that tag. Backends exist for Vdex versions 006, 010, 019 and 021, which the README and changelog place between Android 8 (Oreo) and Android 10 (Q); there is no backend for later Vdex versions.
- Build with make.sh using gcc (default) or clang on Linux or macOS, or under Cygwin on Windows; zlib development files are required, and the cross-android target uses the Android NDK's ndk-build to produce armeabi-v7a, arm64-v8a, x86 and x86_64 executables. Binaries are written under bin/; the repository commits no prebuilt executables.
- Inputs are Vdex files, or directories of them, that the user takes from their own device or system image; scripts/extract-apps-from-device.sh pulls the oat, art and vdex outputs, and optionally the APKs, of installed packages over ADB, and some system app data needs root. tools/deodex/run.sh needs wget, shasum and unzip and downloads the author's prebuilt compact_dex_converter archives from OneDrive with SHA-256 checks; the API 29 converter is Linux-only, and the converter's own source builds only as an AOSP module.
- Apache-2.0 (copyright CENSUS S.A.). The README notes that equivalent unquickening was contributed to AOSP's oatdump. Recovered Dex code remains subject to the rights of the app or system-image owner.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/README.md#L239-L349>
3. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/README.md#L350-L422>
4. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/make.sh>
5. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/tree/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/src/vdex>
6. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/scripts/extract-apps-from-device.sh>
7. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/tools/deodex/run.sh>
8. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/tools/deodex/constants.sh>
9. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/blob/78f283b60ab6991fa27eeaff7d7be16409401c08/LICENSE>
10. <https://github.com/anestisb/vdexExtractor/commit/5f36debb03fccbb245af60129b1f94d369d7544c>

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## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.