PE Dependency Analyzer

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A command-line tool for analyzing and publishing dependencies of Windows PE files (executables and DLLs).

Features

• Analyzes dependencies of PE files (both native and managed)
• Classifies dependencies into categories:
  • System Dependencies (Windows system DLLs)
  • Runtime Dependencies (MSVC, MFC, and .NET runtime DLLs)
  • Virtual Dependencies (Windows API Sets)
  • Other Dependencies (application-specific DLLs)
• Supports recursive dependency analysis
• Can publish the application with its dependencies

Requirements

• .NET 8.0 or higher
• Windows operating system

Installation

1. Clone the repository
2. Build the project:

Build Options

The analyzer can be built in several ways depending on your needs:

1. Native AOT Build (Maximum Performance)

• Fastest startup time
• Best runtime performance
• Smallest memory footprint
• Platform-specific (needs separate builds for different platforms)
• Limited reflection capabilities

dotnet publish --configuration Release /p:PublishProfile=NativeAot

Output: bin/Release/publish-native/PEDependencyAnalyzer.exe

2. Single-file Build (Easy Distribution)

• Single executable file
• Includes all dependencies
• No installation required
• Larger file size
• Slightly slower startup

dotnet publish --configuration Release /p:PublishProfile=SingleFile

Output: bin/Release/publish-single-file/PEDependencyAnalyzer.exe

3. Framework-dependent Build (Maximum Compatibility)

• Requires .NET Runtime
• Smallest distribution size
• Full runtime features
• Platform independent
• Best for development

dotnet publish --configuration Release /p:PublishProfile=Framework

Output: bin/Release/publish-framework/PEDependencyAnalyzer.exe

Choose the appropriate build based on your requirements:

• Use Native AOT for best performance in production
• Use Single-file for easy distribution to end users
• Use Framework-dependent for development or when .NET Runtime is already installed

Usage

Basic analysis:

PEDependencyAnalyzer <file_or_directory_path>

Publishing with dependencies:

PEDependencyAnalyzer <file_path> --publish[=directory_name]

Command Line Options

• --publish[=directory_name] - Enable publish mode (default directory: 'publish')
• --no-runtime - Exclude runtime DLLs from publish
• --no-virtual - Exclude virtual DLLs from publish

Examples

Analyze a single file:

PEDependencyAnalyzer app.exe

Analyze all executables in a directory:

PEDependencyAnalyzer C:\MyApp

Publish with all dependencies:

PEDependencyAnalyzer app.exe --publish

Publish to a specific directory without runtime DLLs:

PEDependencyAnalyzer app.exe --publish=dist --no-runtime

Dependency Classification

The tool classifies dependencies in the following order:

1. Virtual Dependencies: DLLs starting with "api-ms-win-" or "ext-ms-win-"
2. Runtime Dependencies: MSVC runtime, MFC, and .NET runtime DLLs
3. System Dependencies: DLLs located in Windows system directories
4. Other Dependencies: All remaining DLLs

Output Example

System Dependencies:
-------------------
KERNEL32.dll                             C:\Windows\system32\KERNEL32.dll
USER32.dll                               C:\Windows\system32\USER32.dll
...

Runtime Dependencies:
--------------------
msvcrt.dll                               C:\Windows\system32\msvcrt.dll
msvcp_win.dll                            C:\Windows\system32\msvcp_win.dll
...

Virtual Dependencies (API Sets):
------------------------------
api-ms-win-core-console-l1-1-0.dll       ...
api-ms-win-core-debug-l1-1-0.dll         ...
...

Other Dependencies:
------------------
MyApp.Core.dll                           C:\MyApp\MyApp.Core.dll
...

Summary:
--------
System Dependencies: 17
Runtime Dependencies: 2
Virtual Dependencies: 35
Other Dependencies: 1
Total Dependencies: 55

License

MIT License