Obfuscation & Anonymization: Share Code Without Sharing Secrets
emmtrix Tech Posts
Category: General Transformations
Part of our transformation series in emmtrix Studio
Why conceal source code?
When code needs to be shared – for debugging, external analysis, or partner review – but contains proprietary logic or sensitive identifiers, it’s critical to remove semantic clues without breaking functionality.
The Obfuscation and Anonymization Transformation in emmtrix Studio does exactly that.
What does it do?
▪️ Renames variables, types, parameters, functions – everything internal
▪️ Keeps behavior 100% intact
▪️ Generates a mapping file for traceability
▪️ Works deterministically using hash algorithms (SHA-1 or SHA-256)
Obfuscation mode retains external linkage and keeps global definitions unchanged – deal for integrated builds.
Anonymization mode goes further: all symbols are renamed, breaking link compatibility and maximizing confidentiality.
Example
The images shows a before/after comparison of transformed source code and a snippet of the automatically generated mapping file that links original names to their obfuscated versions – a transparent, traceable way to anonymize code for secure sharing.
Figure 1: Example Obfuscation & Anonymization Transformation
Integration
Available via #pragma EMX_TRANSFORMATION ObfuscateIdentifiers
or through the GUI in emmtrix Studio. Optional parameters (e.g., seed, hash length, full-project mode) provide fine control over obfuscation scope.