Google has released a test version of their new JACK compiler for Android developers with Android Studio 2.1.
My question is, how do we enable obfuscation for the APK with JACK? The article below says that JACK performs obfuscation natively and eliminates the need for Proguard:
- Compiling with Jack
Whereas the following article says that JACK makes use of Proguard configuration files (i.e. the .pro
file) for performing obfuscation:
- Experimental New Android Tool Chain - Jack and Jill.
It also says that
During this process Jack also handles any requested code minification (shrinking and/or obfuscation).
What exactly does this mean? Do we have to use the minifyEnabled
option and define a .pro
file containing the Proguard options?
In Summary:
How exactly do we go about enabling obfuscation with JACK? Can we bypass the use of Proguard, or does Proguard play a de-facto role in the obfuscation process, even if we compile with JACK?
Does JACK currently support obfuscation or not, and is it available in a stable (i.e. non-beta/canary) version of Android Studio?
Note:
I have already referred the following posts:
How to enable Jack (Java Android Compiler Kit) in android studio.
Error:Jack is required to support java 8 language features.
Further References:
An Introduction to Jack and Jill on X86.
The dark side of Jack and Jill.
Java 8 Language Features.
Update:
The answer by Matt Insko is helpful, but I would like more detail, and a more precise, canonical answer.