Xamarin Forms "Bundle assemblies into native code" and ofbuscation

Question

I created Android app with Xamarin Forms. For release I use option "Bundle assemblies into native code". My apk have size - 17 Mb, without this option 33 Mb. Do I need to use obfuscation for my libraries or my code is protected? I searched a lot - but I did not find an exact answer.

Answer 1

Bundle Assemblies into Native Code means:

When this option is enabled, assemblies are bundled into a native shared library. This option keeps your code safe; it protects managed assemblies by embedding them in native binaries.

Keep it safe :

These will bundle the .dll files into a .so file so that they are harder to tamper with on a rooted device. As BobFlora said : it will be moving IL code in with the native binaries(.so file) so it's harder for hackers to mess with it. There's no performance issue here.

Reduce apk size :

This option will reduce apk size dramatically since .so files are compressed and dlls are not.

I create an empty project, we could find the difference when use this option :

• Didn't use Bundle Assemblies into Native Code :

• Use Bundle Assemblies into Native Code :

Do I need to use obfuscation for my libraries or my code is protected?

It is helping increase code obfuscation (specifically on Android), and there are other ways to increase security/cryptography. If you had tighter security requirements, you could use this option, it depends on your requirement.