# Obfuscation Fundamentals: Applying ProGuard and R8 Protections to Android Code

DevFeed: [Obfuscation Fundamentals: Applying ProGuard and R8 Protections to Android Code](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/obfuscation-32342.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://dustn.dev/page/presentations/2019-07-24-obfuscation-fundamentals/>)

Author: dustin@dustn.dev (Dustin Summers)

Published: 2026-09-17T04:13:15.404035Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Dustin Summers](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/dustin-summers.md>)

Topics: [obfuscation](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/obfuscation.md>), [Android](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/android.md>), [R8](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/r8.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>)

Tags: [android](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/android.md>), [meetup](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/meetup.md>), [obfuscation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/obfuscation.md>), [proguard](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/proguard.md>), [r8](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/r8.md>), [video](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/video.md>)

## AI overview

A presentation introducing obfuscation with ProGuard and R8, focused on applying protections to Android code. It explains how to diagnose the code entering and leaving these build tools.

## Source excerpt

This presentation was given at a MeetUp in DC. It corresponds to this series of blog posts, which is the first in a series to teach about Obfuscation/ProGuard/R8, and will primarily be centered around applying protections to Android Code. Tools such as R8 and ProGuard are available, but to many they are a black box that code goes into and stuff comes out. The following will demystify the black box, and teach developers how to properly diagnose the code going into and coming out of these build tools.