The “bundletool dump” command-line tool is a part of the bundletool suite, which is used for manipulating Android Application Bundles (AAB). An Android Application Bundle is a publishing format introduced by Google that contains all the resources and code needed to build an Android app.
The “bundletool dump” command allows you to extract and display information about an Android Application Bundle. It provides a way to inspect the contents of an AAB and obtain various details that can be useful for understanding and analyzing the bundle.
When you execute the “bundletool dump” command with an AAB file as input, it performs a series of operations to extract information from the bundle and present it in a readable format. This information may include:
- Configuration information: The command can display details about the supported device configurations and feature modules contained in the AAB.
- Manifest information: The AndroidManifest.xml file, which contains essential metadata about the app, can be parsed and displayed. This includes information about permissions, activities, services, receivers, and other components defined in the manifest.
- Resource information: The tool can extract and provide insights into the resources bundled within the AAB, such as images, layouts, strings, and other assets used by the app.
- Signing information: It can display information related to the signing of the AAB, such as the signing certificate and its validity.
By utilizing the “bundletool dump” command, developers and testers can gain a deeper understanding of the contents and structure of an Android Application Bundle. This knowledge can be valuable for debugging purposes, analyzing the app’s configuration, or performing compatibility checks against device configurations.
It’s worth noting that “bundletool” is an official command-line tool provided by Google, primarily intended for developers who build and distribute Android apps using the Android App Bundle format. It offers various other functionalities beyond the “dump” command, allowing tasks such as building, testing, and generating APKs from the AAB.
To use “bundletool” and its “dump” command, you typically need to have the bundletool package installed on your system. Then, you can execute the “bundletool dump” command followed by the path to the AAB file you wish to analyze.
bundletool dump Command Examples
1. Display the AndroidManifest.xml of the base module:
# bundletool dump manifest --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab
2. Display a specific value from the AndroidManifest.xml using XPath:
bundletool dump manifest --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab --xpath=/manifest/@android:versionCode
3. Display the AndroidManifest.xml of a specific module:
# bundletool dump manifest --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab --module=name
4. Display all the resources in the application bundle:
# bundletool dump resources --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab
5. Display the configuration for a specific resource:
# bundletool dump resources --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab --resource=type/name
6. Display the configuration and values for a specific resource using the ID:
# bundletool dump resources --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab --resource=0x7f0e013a --values
7. Display the contents of the bundle configuration file:
# bundletool dump config --bundle=/path/to/bundle.aab
Summary
In summary, the “bundletool dump” command-line tool is a component of the bundletool suite used for manipulating Android Application Bundles. It allows you to extract and view information about an AAB, including configuration details, manifest contents, resources, and signing information. This tool can be valuable for understanding and analyzing the contents of an Android Application Bundle.