How do I "decompile" Java class files?

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What program can I use to decompile a class file? Will I actually get Java code, or is it just JVM assembly code?

On Java performance questions on this site I often see responses from people who have "decompiled" the Java class file to see how the compiler optimizes certain things.

decompiler java
19 Answers

Update February 2016:

www.javadecompilers.com lists JAD as being:

the most popular Java decompiler, but primarily of this age only. Written in C++, so very fast.
Outdated, unsupported and does not decompile correctly Java 5 and later

So your mileage may vary with recent jdk (7, 8).

The same site list other tools.

And javadecompiler, as noted by Salvador Valencia in the comments (Sept 2017), offers a SaaS where you upload the .class file to the cloud and it returns you the decompiled code.

Original answer: Oct. 2008

  • The final release of JSR 176, defining the major features of J2SE 5.0 (Java SE 5), has been published on September 30, 2004.
  • The lastest Java version supported by JAD, the famous Java decompiler written by Mr. Pavel Kouznetsov, is JDK 1.3.
  • Most of the Java decompilers downloadable today from the Internet, such as “DJ Java Decompiler” or “Cavaj Java Decompiler”, are powered by JAD: they can not display Java 5 sources.

Java Decompiler (Yet another Fast Java decompiler) has:

  • Explicit support for decompiling and analyzing Java 5+ “.class” files.
  • A nice GUI:

screenshot

It works with compilers from JDK 1.1.8 up to JDK 1.7.0, and others (Jikes, JRockit, etc.).

It features an online live demo version that is actually fully functional! You can just drop a jar file on the page and see the decompiled source code without installing anything.

VonC_63090

There are a few decompilers out there... A quick search yields:

  1. Procyon: open-source (Apache 2) and actively developed
  2. Krakatau: open-source (GPLv3) and actively developed
  3. CFR: open-source (MIT) and actively developed
  4. JAD
  5. DJ Java Decompiler
  6. Mocha

And many more.

These produce Java code. Java comes with something that lets you see JVM byte code (javap).

Bill_James_138240

To see Java source code check some decompiler. Go search for jad.

If you want to see bytecodes, just use javap which comes with the JDK.

Marko_311410
sakana_289210

There are a few programs you can use. You will get the actual Java code, but sometimes the code will have been obfuscated so methods are named by one letter or number or a random mix of letters and numbers.

DJ Decompiler Mocha

Mike_Pone_164040

Most decompilers for Java are based on JAD. It's a great tool, but unfortunately hasn't been updated for a while and does not handle Java 1.5+ classes very well. I have not seen any tools that will properly handle 1.5+ classes.

John_Meagher_35350
user_338570

All of the JAD links listed so far far seem to be broken, so I found this site. Works great (for Linux, at least)! On Ubuntu 11.10 I had to download the static one for whatever reason.

http://www.varaneckas.com/jad

user_7657200
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