An Introduction To .NET Decompiler

Introduction 

• .NET decompiler is used to decompile the Libraries, Executables, and more.

dotPeek Tool

• dotPeek tool is a .NET decompiler. This dotPeek application can decompile different kinds of assembly files, such as -
   
1. Libraries (.dll)
2. Executable files (.exe)
3. Windows 8 metadata files (.winmd)
4. Archives (.zip)
5. NuGet packages (.nupkg)
6. Microsoft Visual Studio Extensions packages (.vsix)
    
    
• Some exe files produced, like chrome.exe, are not decompiled with the dotPeek tool though.
• The dotPeek tool is introduced by Microsoft.

Features of .NET Decompiler

 

Decompiles libraries, executables, and more.

 

 

View source code if available

• If the dll is supported to decompile, the code is downloaded and we can see the dll code. 

 

Show or hide compiler-generated code

• Sometimes, we want to show or hide the compiler-generated code; then, we use this .NET Decompiler.
• We can hide our code like in the below image. 

 

Explore running processes 

•  We can explore the running processes.

 

 

View IL code in a separate view

•  We can view intermediate language code (IL code)

 

We can View IL code as comments to decompile C#

 

 

 We can use our preferred color theme

•  Different 

 

Manage assembly lists

• We can also view the assembly list.
• Example: We have decompiled the system.Threading.dll. This .dll file has some references which we can view with the help of dotPeek.

 

We can explore assemblies

•  We can simply explore our .dll  -- these .dll have multiple class and base types.

 

We can view dependencies between assemblies

 

 

Steps for Decompiling the dll

 

Step 1

 

Open the dotPeek application.

 

 

Step 2

 

Browse the file assemblies.

 

 

Step 3

 

View the source code.