The resources.arsc file in Android applications (APKs) serves as a compiled binary mapping of application resources (strings, colors, layouts, etc.) to their integer identifiers. While numerous decompilation tools exist, most are either platform-dependent (Windows-only), embedded within larger monolithic frameworks (e.g., Apktool), or lack a clear, reusable API. This paper introduces , a lightweight, cross-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS) decompiler written in portable C++17 with minimal dependencies. ADP accurately parses, decompiles, and reconstructs the resource table into human-readable formats (YAML/JSON) or restores the original arsc structure after modification. We detail its internal architecture—from chunk parsing to string pool processing—and evaluate its performance against 10,000 real-world APKs. ADP achieves 99.97% parsing success, 3.2× faster decompilation than Apktool’s internal parser, and offers a standalone library interface suitable for integration into larger reverse engineering pipelines.

| Tool | Success Rate | Avg Time (ms) | Round-trip Accuracy | |----------------------|--------------|---------------|----------------------| | ADP (C++) | 99.97% | 48.3 | 100% (3,000 tests) | | Apktool (v2.9.3) | 99.95% | 154.1 | 99.98% | | androguard (py) | 98.21% | 892.4 | 96.2% |

ARSC Decompiler Portable fills a specific but crucial niche in the Android reverse-engineering toolkit. By focusing solely on the resource table and offering a truly portable, dependency-free execution model, it empowers analysts, developers, and hobbyists to examine and modify APK resources quickly and discreetly. Whether used in a malware lab, a translation team’s workflow, or a legacy app maintenance task, this tool stands as a lean, reliable solution for decoding Android’s binary resource core.

: Locate the resources.arsc file inside your application package.

: Static analysis of app resources can help categorize and identify malicious code or suspicious permissions ResearchGate UI/UX Research

Understanding ARSC Decompiler Portable: A Guide to Android Resource Analysis

Usually distributed as a standalone .exe or executable .jar .

Developers modifying system APKs can change resource values (like default accent color or animation duration) by decompiling, editing, and recompiling only the resource table—without decompiling the entire APK.

: Converting .arsc to XML and building them back into binary format. 2. JADX (GUI & CLI)

Requires just the apktool.jar file and a portable Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

unzip suspicious_app.apk -d extracted_apk/

ADP failed on 3 APKs (0.03%) due to corrupted string pool lengths – these also crashed Apktool. No unique failures.

Standard Android reverse-engineering suites often demand massive SDK downloads. A lightweight portable decompiler isolates the resource-decoding mechanism to operate independently of heavy software dependencies.

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Extract the folder to your preferred location (or USB drive).