Configuration Files for Shield

ByteHide Shield uses a single, standardized configuration file format across all integration methods. Whether you're using Visual Studio, MSBuild, CLI, or any other integration, the configuration structure remains the same.

File Naming and Location

Shield configuration files are project-specific, meaning each project (.csproj) in your solution requires its own configuration file. This allows precise control over protection settings for each component of your application.

Shield automatically locates configuration files with the following naming patterns:

• shield.config.json - Default configuration file for a single project
• shield.{custom}.config.json - Project-specific configuration file when you have multiple options

Place the configuration file in the root directory of each project, and Shield will automatically detect and use it during the build process.

Example Solution Structure

Here's a typical solution structure with configuration files for each project:

MySolution/
│
├── MySolution.sln
│
├── ProjectA/
│   ├── ProjectA.csproj
│   ├── shield.config.json
│   └── [project files...]
│
├── ProjectB/
│   ├── ProjectB.csproj
│   ├── shield.config.json (or shield.onpremise.config.json)
│   └── [project files...]
│
└── ProjectC/
    ├── ProjectC.csproj
    ├── shield.release.config.json
    ├── shield.debug.config.json
    └── [project files...]

Each project directory contains its own Shield configuration file, allowing you to:

• Apply different protection settings to each project
• Configure project-specific signing requirements
• Enable different protections based on each project's needs

Shield will automatically find and apply the appropriate configuration during the build process of each project.

Configuration Structure

Shield configuration files use JSON format with a clear hierarchical structure. Here's a basic example:

{
  "Name": "MyAppProtection",
  "Preset": "custom",
  "ProjectToken": "your-project-token-here",
  "Enabled": true,
  "Protections": {
    "rename": {
      "rename public": true,
      "mode": "letters"
    },
    "control_flow_advance": {}
  }
}

Configuration Properties

This approach prevents your token from being exposed in source code repositories and build logs:

# For Windows
set BYTEHIDE_SHIELD_TOKEN=your-token-here

# For macOS/Linux
export BYTEHIDE_SHIELD_TOKEN=your-token-here

Shield will automatically use the token from the environment variable if available, even if ProjectToken is not set in your configuration file.

Strong Name Signing Properties

Enhanced Signing Properties

Protection Presets

Shield offers three predefined protection configurations:

• Maximum ("Preset": "maximum") - Highest security level, applying all available protections with aggressive settings. Prioritizes security over performance.

• Balance ("Preset": "balance") - Recommended for most applications. Provides strong security while maintaining reasonable performance.

• Optimized ("Preset": "optimized") - Focuses on performance while still providing solid protection. Best for performance-critical applications.

• Custom ("Preset": "custom") - Define your own protection configuration using the Protections property.

Configuring Protections

The Protections property lets you customize individual protections:

"Protections": {
  "rename": {
    "rename public": true,
    "rename arguments": false,
    "mode": "letters"
  },
  "control_flow_advance": {
    "invalid code": false,
    "operations": "arithmetic|logic|conversion"
  },
  "anti_debug": {}
}

Enabling a Protection Without Configuration

To enable a protection without specific configuration, use an empty object or null:

"Protections": {
  "anti_debug": {},  // or
  "anti_dump": null
}

Configuring Protection Parameters

To customize a protection, specify its parameters as key-value pairs:

"rename": {
  "rename public": true,
  "rename arguments": false,
  "mode": "letters"
}

Complete Configuration Example

Here's a more comprehensive example:

{
  "Name": "Production_Configuration",
  "Preset": "custom",
  "ProjectToken": "your-project-token-here",
  "ProtectionSecret": "MyApp1234",
  "RunConfiguration": "*",
  "Enabled": true,
  "SignFilePath": "path/to/key.snk",
  "Protections": {
    "rename": {
      "rename public": true,
      "rename arguments": true,
      "mode": "letters"
    },
    "constants_advance": {},
    "constants_mutation": {
      "invalid code": false,
      "operations": "arithmetic|logic|conversion"
    },
    "anti_debug": {},
    "anti_dump": {},
    "resources": {
      "compress": true,
      "encrypt": true
    }
  }
}

Cloud Configuration Playground

ByteHide Cloud provides an interactive configuration playground that helps you generate Shield configuration files for your projects.

Accessing the Configuration Playground

You can access the Shield configuration playground by:

1. Logging into your ByteHide account at bytehide.com
2. Selecting your project from the dashboard
3. Navigating to the Shield product section
4. Selecting the Workflow tab

Creating Configurations in the Cloud

The playground interface provides an intuitive visual editor similar to the one shown below:

From this interface, you can:

• Select protection presets (Maximum, Balance, Optimized)
• Configure individual protections and their parameters
• Preview the generated JSON configuration
• Download the complete configuration file

Managing Multiple Configuration Files

Since .NET projects often contain multiple assemblies (DLLs) that may require different protection strategies, you'll need to:

1. Generate separate configuration files for each assembly that needs distinct protection settings
2. Download each configuration file
3. Place them in the appropriate project directories within your solution

This approach gives you flexibility to apply different protection strategies to different components of your application while still leveraging the convenience of the cloud playground for configuration generation.

Configuration Playground

Create your own configuration file easily with our interactive playground:

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