How to integrate ByteHide Shield with .NET projects?

Install the ByteHide.Shield.Integration NuGet package, configure your project token, and build your project. Protection applies automatically during MSBuild compilation.

Which .NET frameworks are supported by Shield?

Shield supports .NET Framework 4.0+, .NET Core 2.0+, .NET 5-8+, .NET Standard, Xamarin, MAUI, Unity, Blazor, ASP.NET, WPF, and WinRT.

How to configure Shield protection settings?

Configure Shield through MSBuild properties, environment variables, or the bytehide.json configuration file. Set protection levels, exclusions, and runtime options.

How to troubleshoot Shield integration issues?

Enable verbose logging, check build output for error messages, verify project token configuration, and ensure compatible .NET version and MSBuild tools.

How to exclude specific assemblies from protection?

Use the ExcludeAssemblies MSBuild property or add exclusion rules in bytehide.json configuration file to skip protection for specific assemblies or namespaces.

How to verify Shield protection was applied?

Check MSBuild output for Shield processing messages, examine protected assembly metadata, or use reflection tools to verify obfuscation was applied.

How to configure Shield for Unity projects?

Install Shield Unity package, configure project token in Unity settings, enable IL2CPP backend, and ensure compatible Unity version (2019.4+).

How to set up Shield in CI/CD pipelines?

Set project token as environment variable, ensure NuGet package restore, configure MSBuild parameters, and handle licensing for build agents.

Fastlane Plugin

Integrate Shield iOS directly into your Fastlane pipeline. Protect your app as part of your CI/CD lanes.

Prerequisites

Install the shield-ios CLI on the machine that runs Fastlane:

Bash

pip install bytehide-shield-ios
# or
brew install bytehide/tap/shield-ios

pip install bytehide-shield-ios
# or
brew install bytehide/tap/shield-ios

Install the Plugin

Bash

fastlane add_plugin shield_ios

fastlane add_plugin shield_ios

Or add it manually to your Pluginfile:

Ruby

gem "fastlane-plugin-shield_ios"

gem "fastlane-plugin-shield_ios"

Then run:

Bash

bundle install

bundle install

Usage

Basic Example

Ruby

platform :ios do
  lane :release do
    build_app(
      scheme: "MyApp",
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      skip_package_ipa: true
    )

    shield_ios(
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      config: "shield-ios.json"
    )

    build_app(
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      skip_build_archive: true
    )

    upload_to_app_store
  end
end

platform :ios do
  lane :release do
    build_app(
      scheme: "MyApp",
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      skip_package_ipa: true
    )

    shield_ios(
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      config: "shield-ios.json"
    )

    build_app(
      archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
      skip_build_archive: true
    )

    upload_to_app_store
  end
end

The flow is:

build_app — Compiles and creates the .xcarchive (skip IPA packaging)
shield_ios — Applies protections to the archive
build_app — Packages the protected archive into an IPA (Xcode handles signing)
upload_to_app_store — Uploads to App Store Connect

Protect an IPA Directly

Ruby

shield_ios(
  archive_path: "build/MyApp.ipa",
  config: "shield-ios.json"
)

shield_ios(
  archive_path: "build/MyApp.ipa",
  config: "shield-ios.json"
)

Custom Output Path

Ruby

shield_ios(
  archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
  output_path: "build/MyApp-protected.xcarchive",
  config: "shield-ios.json",
  no_sign: false,
  verbose: true
)

shield_ios(
  archive_path: "build/MyApp.xcarchive",
  output_path: "build/MyApp-protected.xcarchive",
  config: "shield-ios.json",
  no_sign: false,
  verbose: true
)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`archive_path`	String	Yes	—	Path to the `.xcarchive` or `.ipa`
`output_path`	String	No	Same as input	Output path for the protected archive
`config`	String	No	`nil`	Path to `shield-ios.json` configuration file
`no_sign`	Boolean	No	`true`	Skip code signing after protection
`verbose`	Boolean	No	`false`	Enable verbose output

Environment Variables

All parameters can be set via environment variables, useful for CI/CD:

Variable	Parameter
`SHIELD_IOS_ARCHIVE_PATH`	`archive_path`
`SHIELD_IOS_OUTPUT_PATH`	`output_path`
`SHIELD_IOS_CONFIG`	`config`
`SHIELD_IOS_NO_SIGN`	`no_sign`
`SHIELD_IOS_VERBOSE`	`verbose`

Example with env vars:

Bash

export SHIELD_IOS_ARCHIVE_PATH="build/MyApp.xcarchive"
export SHIELD_IOS_CONFIG="shield-ios.json"

export SHIELD_IOS_ARCHIVE_PATH="build/MyApp.xcarchive"
export SHIELD_IOS_CONFIG="shield-ios.json"

Ruby

# Fastfile — no arguments needed
shield_ios

# Fastfile — no arguments needed
shield_ios

CI/CD Examples

GitHub Actions

YAML

- name: Install Shield iOS
  run: pip install bytehide-shield-ios

- name: Build and Protect
  run: |
    bundle exec fastlane release

- name: Install Shield iOS
  run: pip install bytehide-shield-ios

- name: Build and Protect
  run: |
    bundle exec fastlane release

GitLab CI

YAML

release:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - pip install bytehide-shield-ios
    - bundle exec fastlane release

release:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - pip install bytehide-shield-ios
    - bundle exec fastlane release

Jenkins

Groovy

stage('Release') {
    steps {
        sh 'pip install bytehide-shield-ios'
        sh 'bundle exec fastlane release'
    }
}

stage('Release') {
    steps {
        sh 'pip install bytehide-shield-ios'
        sh 'bundle exec fastlane release'
    }
}

Troubleshooting

"shield-ios CLI not found"

The plugin requires the shield-ios CLI to be installed on the system. Install it with:

Bash

pip install bytehide-shield-ios

pip install bytehide-shield-ios

Make sure it's in the PATH of the user running Fastlane.

"archive_path must be an .xcarchive or .ipa file"

The archive_path must point to a file with .xcarchive or .ipa extension.

"Archive not found at path"

The file doesn't exist at the specified path. Make sure build_app ran successfully and the path matches.

Fastlane Plugin

Prerequisites

Install the Plugin

Usage

Basic Example

Protect an IPA Directly

Custom Output Path

Parameters

Environment Variables

CI/CD Examples

GitHub Actions

GitLab CI

Jenkins

Troubleshooting

"shield-ios CLI not found"

"archive_path must be an .xcarchive or .ipa file"

"Archive not found at path"

Next Steps

CLI Reference

Xcode Integration

CI/CD Integration