6. FAQ

Pyarmor provides rich options for different cases, the default option only works for common case. When something is wrong, it may be not bug, but need the right options. Users need spend time learning Pyarmor by documentation or pyarmor man, and find the right options for their project. Generally pyarmor team won’t learn user’s project and tell user which options should be used.

Pyarmor is well document, you needn’t read all of them at first, but it’s necessary to read Getting Started which includes essentials concepts. If you spend 10 minutes reading full of it, it may save your several hours to solve the wrong usage problems.

If using pyarmor-7 or Pyarmor < 8.0, please check Pyarmor 7.x Doc

Important

Pyarmor team handles too many wrong usage issues, so one document Pyarmor Check List has been arranged to solve this kind of issue quickly. If you aren’t sure this issue is wrong usage or not, please check this doc or https://pyarmor.eke.org.cn/ at first.

Pyarmor team will mark this kind of issue as invalid or documented and close it immediately.

6.1. Asking questions in GitHub

Before ask question, please try the following common solutions in order to avoid duplicated issues:

Please report bug in issues and ask questions in discussions

6.2. Reporting bug

A good report should have

  • A clear title

  • Reproduced steps

  • Actual results

  • Expected results

It’s recommand to report issue by command pyarmor man.

Important

If a bug report misses necessary information and not clear, it may be marked as invalid and closed immediately.

6.2.1. Build issues

If there is error message when run pyarmor, please first check Error Messages to find solutions

If still no solution, please report issue based on pyarmor.bug.log generated by Pyarmor automically. For example:

[BUG]: no found input "fooxxx.py"

## Command Line
pyarmor gen fooxxx.py

## Environments
Home /Users/jondy/.pyarmor
Platform darwin.x86_64 (darwin.x86_64)
Python 3.12.0
Pyarmor 9.0.4 (group), 006000, btarmor

6.2.2. Pack issues

Check list for pack issues:

  • Using PyInstaller to pack the script without obfuscation, make sure the final bundle works

  • Without packing, only obfuscate scripts, make sure the obfuscated scripts works

If check list pass, then report bug as the next section guide

6.2.3. Runtime issues

If the obfuscated scripts doesn’t work or not as expected, first check Understanding Obfuscated Script

If there is error message, also check Error Messages to find solutions

If using --enable-bcc, try to obfuscate script without it. If make sure this option results in problem, check Using bccmode pro to find solutions

If using --enable-rft, , try to obfuscate script without it. If make sure this option results in problem, check Using rftmode pro to find solutions

Try to use less options to obfuscate script, find the minimum options to reproduce this issue

Report runtime issue with:

  • A clear title

  • Full command options to obfuscate scripts

  • Full command to run the obfuscated scripts and traceback (if any)

  • Necessary supplements and explanations

6.3. Hot Questions

Is there any tool could broken Pyarmor?

Pyarmor team doesn’t care about these kind of tools, but focus on researching CPython source to design obfuscation algorithm. Through several irreversible obfuscation methods, Pyarmor makes sure the obfuscated scripts can’t be restored by any way.

Refer to Highest security and performance, use the highest security options available for you to obfuscate this script

import sys

def fib(n):
    a, b = 0, 1
    while a < n:
        print(a, end=' ')
        a, b = b, a+b
    print()

print('python version:', sys.version_info[:2])
print('this is fib(10)', fib(10))

And then try any tool to broken it.

If it’s broken, please send Python version, Pyarmor version, Platform, Obfuscation options, sample script and broken steps to pyarmor@163.com

Do not publish any pyarmor hack link in Pyarmor project

Pyarmor is good at protecting Python scripts, but not good at memory protection and anti-debug. If you care about runtime memory data, or runtime key verification, generally it need extra methods to prevent debugger from hacking dynamic libraries. More information check Protecting Runtime Memory Data

6.4. License

Will Pyarmor Pro license upload my scripts to remote server to verify license?

No. For Pyarmor Basic and Pro License, only Pyarmor License file, serial number of hard disk, Ethernet address, IPv4/IPv6 address, and hostname will be sent to remote server for verification.

I am interested to know if the users are entitled to updates to ensure compatibility with future versions of Python.

No. Pyarmor license works with current Pyarmor version forever, but may not work with future Pyarmor version. I can’t make sure current Pyarmor version could support all the future versions of Python, so the answer is no.

we use Docker to build/obfuscate the code locally then publish the Docker file to the client. After the build stage, the whole environment (and the license) is gone. I wonder how the workflow would be? Can I add the license file to the pipeline and register every time and build?

We are currently using a trial license for testing, but unfortunately our scripts are big and we are not able to statistically test the operation of Pyarmor. Do you have a commercial trial license for a certain trial period so that we can test the operation of Pyarmor for our scripts?

Sorry, Pyarmor is a small tool and only cost small money, there is no demo license plan.

Most of features could be verified in trial version, other advanced features, for example, mix-str, bcc mode and rft mode, could be configured to ignore one function or one script so that all the others could work with these advanced features.

Is the Internet connection only required to generate the obfuscated script? No internet connection is required on the target device that uses such script?

No internet connection is required on target device.

Pyarmor has no any control or limitation to obfuscated scripts, the behaviors of obfuscated scripts are totally defined by user.

Please check Pyarmor EULA 3.4.1

Our company has a suite of products that we offer together or separately to our clients. Do we need a different license for each of them?

For a suite of products, if each product is different totally, for example, a suite “Microsoft Office” includes “Microsoft Excel”, “Microsoft Word”, each product need one license.

If a suite of products share most of Python scripts, as long as the proportion of the variable part of each product is far less than that of the common part, they’re considered as “one product”.

If each product in a suite of products is functionally complementary, for example, product “Editor” for editing the file, product “Viewer” for view the file, they’re considered as “one product”

Which PyArmor 8.0 license for CI, more than 100 runs / day

It’s recommend to upgrade to Pyarmor 9, and use Pyarmor CI License or Pyarmor Basic License. See also Using Pyarmor in CI Pipeline

We should be able to assume that the CI regfile will keep working as long as it is within the license limits. Otherwise, builds might break at a moment notice. Could you confirm whether it is safe to assume that the CI license will keep working?

Fix Pyarmor version in the CI/CD pipeline, CI regfile works within the validity period.

About CI License, is there an option to allow offline usage in the CI/CD pipeline?

No. There is no offline option for CI License.

6.4.1. Upgrading

If we buy version 8 license, is it compatible with earlier versions like 6.7.2?

No. Pyarmor 8 license can’t be used with earlier versions, it may report HTTP 401 error or some unknown errors.

Can we obfuscate our code base with the same level as current? (we are obfuscating our code using super plus mode (”–advanced 5”). Is that available on Pyarmor Basic?

The old license is valid for ever. In this case need not upgrade old license to Pyarmor Basic license, just install Pyarmor 8.x, and using pyarmor-7 with old license.

Check Using Pyarmor License for more information about upgrading

If we upgrade the old license, will the current license expire? (no more available in terms of Pyarmor v7?

If upgrade old license to any Pyarmor 8 license, the current license is no more available in the terms of Pyarmor 7.

How long is the current license valid? Is there a published end-of-support schedule?

The license is valid for ever with Pyarmor version when purchasing this license, but may not work for future Pyarmor, there is no schedule about in which version current license doesn’t work.

Since the first release Pyarmor changed its license 2 times because the core libraries are rewritten:

  • the initial license issued around year 2010 (I forget the exact date)

  • the second license issued on 2019-10-10

  • this is the third license, issued on 2023-03-10

Does the license include access to support and software updates? If so, what is the duration of support and how are updates delivered?

Generally the license could be used in the next versions, until there are big changes in one major version, but I have no plan in details. Just run pip install to upgrade Pyarmor to latest version, the license will keep work.

But there is no more technical supports about how to use Pyarmor, Pyarmor is a command line tool, and all the options are full documentations. Pyarmor users need spend some time to learn Pyarmor by himself.

Is there an option for custom licensing arrangements to accommodate specific project or organizational needs?

At this time, the answer is no.

In the old pyarmor 7, I’m using “pyarmor pack …”, I could not find any relate information for this in the pyarmor 8.2. How to solve this?

There is no identical pack in Pyarmor 8, Pyarmor 8+ only provide repack function to handle bundle of PyInstaller. Refer to basic tutorial, topic insight into pack and this solved issue Pyarmor pack missing in pyarmor 8.0

Using PyArmor 9.x newer version, we cannot generated licenses compatible with “Software” created using older PyArmor (7.x versions), mainly using license.lic. Correct?

You’re right. At this time one possible solution is still using Pyarmor 7 obfuscated script to verify old runtime key, in Pyarmor 9 obfuscated script check old runtime key by calling Pyarmor 7 obfuscated script indirectly (IPC)

6.5. Purchasing

How to refund my order?

If this order isn’t activated and in 30 days since purchasing, you can refund the order by one of ways

6.6. Misc.

What is the ECCN or rating of Pyarmor (EAR99,5D99S,5D002 or other type ECCN)?

EAR99

Does Pyarmor contain any encryption capabilities?

Pyarmor uses AES/RSA etc., but it hasn’t its own encryption algorithms.

What is the country of origin of this package?

China

Where is the final built for Pyarmor?

All of Pyarmor packages are published in the PyPI, refer to Pyarmor Package and section Installation in offline device in the chapter Installation

Pyarmor Pro checks the internet, what is the output IP or DNS? I need to release it on my client’s firewall, placing an outbound rule for yours IP.

Now it’s 119.23.58.77 (March 20, 2024)