Obfuscate - Definition and Overview

In computing, obfuscation refers to the deliberate act of nondestructively changing either the source code of a computer program or machine code when the program is in some compiled or binary form, so that it is not easy to understand or read.

Binary obfuscation is usually performed, preventing or making more difficult reverse engineering and disassembly attempts which aim to get some form of source code that is close to the original form.

As a side effect, obfuscation sometimes makes the resulting programs smaller.

See Obfuscated code for source code obfuscation.