classesdex
classes.dex is the primary Dalvik Executable file within an Android APK. It contains the compiled bytecode for the app’s Java and Kotlin classes, and is packaged alongside resources, the manifest, and native libraries. The DEX format, developed for the Dalvik and later ART runtimes, is designed to be compact and efficient for running on Android devices. It stores information about classes, methods, fields, strings, types, and debugging data in a format optimized for the runtime.
During the build process, Java and Kotlin sources are compiled into Java bytecode and then translated into
Tools and analysis: developers and analysts can inspect or reverse engineer dex files using tools like dex2jar,
Terminology: the file is typically referred to as classes.dex in the APK, though discussions may refer to