dexdump

The command line tool "dexdump" is a part of the Android SDK (Software Development Kit). It is primarily used for debugging and reverse engineering Android applications (APKs), specifically for examining the Dalvik Executable (DEX) files.

When an Android application is compiled, its Java source code is converted into a bytecode format called DEX, which can be executed on the Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) or the newer Android Runtime (ART). Dexdump allows you to analyze and extract information from these DEX files.

By using dexdump, you can inspect various details of an APK, including the classes, methods, fields, and constant pool. It provides valuable insight into the structure and inner workings of an Android application, enabling developers or security researchers to understand how the code is compiled, optimized, and packaged.

The dexdump tool supports a wide range of command line options, allowing you to customize the output format and filter specific information based on your requirements. It is often used in conjunction with other tools, such as dex2jar or JADX, to further analyze or decompile the DEX files.

It's important to note that since Android 5.0 (Lollipop), the default runtime has switched from DVM to ART, which uses a different file format called "ART Dex File." Dexdump can still be used to analyze these files, but it is not limited to them.