Configuration Setup

The content of this article is also available as a video tutorial.

Getting Started with Shield Configuration

After installing the ByteHide Shield Integration package, you need to create a configuration file to authenticate and customize your protection settings.

1. Create a Configuration File

Create a file named shield.config.json in the root directory of your project (where your .csproj file is located):

Create shield.config.json file

2. Add the JSON content

{
  "Name": "My Application Protection",
  "RunConfiguration": "*",
  "ProjectToken": "<your-project-token-here>",
  "Preset": "custom",
  "Protections": {
    "rename": {},
    "anti_debug": {},
    "control_flow_advance": {}
  }
}

Your file should resemble the following:

Edit shield-config.json

3. Add Your Project Token

Obtain your project token from the ByteHide panel and add it to your configuration file:

{
  "ProjectToken": "<token>",
}

Don't know how to get your project token? Check the Project Token documentation.

Your project token is sensitive data. We recommend using the environment variable BYTEHIDE_SHIELD_TOKEN or ByteHide Secrets to avoid exposing it in your repository.

4. Build Your Project

Once your configuration file is in place, build your project in Release mode. Shield will automatically apply the specified protections during the build process.

Basic Configuration Options

Protection Presets

Shield offers predefined protection configurations to simplify setup:

{
  "Preset": "balance"
}

Available options:

maximum: Highest security level, applying all available protections
balance: Strong security while maintaining good performance (recommended)
optimization: Focus on performance while still providing protection
custom: Define your own set of protections

Run Configuration

By default, Shield only runs during Release builds. You can change this:

{
  "RunConfiguration": "Release"
}

Options:

"Release": Only protect Release builds
"Debug": Only protect Debug builds
"*": Protect all build configurations

Enable/Disable Protection

Temporarily disable Shield without removing it:

{
  "Enabled": false
}

Custom Protections

When using the "custom" preset, specify which protections to apply:

{
  "Protections": {
    "rename": {
      "rename_public": true,
      "mode": "letters"
    },
    "anti_debug": {},
    "control_flow_advance": {},
    "constants_protection": {}
  }
}

For a complete list of available protections and their options, see the Shield Protections documentation.

Advanced Configuration

The simple setup above is sufficient for most applications. For more advanced configuration options like:

Specific protection parameters
Strong name signing
Custom output paths
Exclusion rules

Refer to the detailed Shield Configuration Files documentation.