APKLab
APKLab
The ultimate Android RE experience right inside your VS Code.
APKLab seamlessly integrates the best open-source tools: Apktool, Jadx, uber-apk-signer, apk-mitm and more to the excellent VS Code so you can focus on app analysis and get it done without leaving the IDE.
- Decode all the resources from an APK
- Disassemble the APK to Dalvik bytecode aka Smali
- Decompile the APK to Java source
- Interactive Malware Analysis Report
- Initialize Project dir as Git repo
- Excellent Smali language support with Smalise
- Analyze & Hack effectively with feature-rich VS Code
- Apply MITM patch for HTTPS inspection
- Build an APK from Smali and resources
- Rebuild an APK in Debug mode for dynamic analysis
- Sign the APK seamlessly during the build
- Install the APK directly from VS Code
- Support for Apktool-style projects (
apktool.yml) - Support for most Apktool CLI arguments
- Android resource frameworks management (Coming soon!)
- Support for user-provided keystore for APK signing
- Download and configure missing dependencies
- Supports Linux, Windows, and Mac
Requirements
JDK 11+
Run
java -versionin your Shell, if not found, download from here.quark-engine >=21.01.6 (optional - for malware analysis)
Run
quarkin your Shell, if not found, check official docs.adb (optional)
Run
adb devicesin your Shell, if not found, check this guide.
Getting Started
Open APK or Apktool project
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) ➜ APKLab: Open an APK

Or Just open an existing Apktool project folder
Apply MITM patch
Right-Click on or inside
apktool.ymlfile ➜ APKLab: Prepare for HTTPS inspection
ReBuild and Sign APK
Right-Click on or inside
apktool.ymlfile ➜ APKLab: Rebuild the APK
Install APK to device
Right-Click on
.apkfile (indistdirectory) ➜ APKLab: Install the APK
Clean ApkTool frameworks dir
- Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) ➜ APKLab: Empty ApkTool Framework Dir
Extension Settings
Dependency Paths
-apklab.apktoolPath: Full Path of apktool.jar. If you want to use a different version of it, change it like:
"apklab.apktoolPath": "/home/oozer/downloads/apktool_2.4.1.jar"
- apklab.apkSignerPath: Full Path of uber-apk-signer.jar. If you want to use a different version of it, change it like:
"apklab.apkSignerPath": "/home/oozer/downloads/uber-apk-signer-1.1.0.jar"
- apklab.jadxDirPath: Full Path of jadx-x.y.z dir. If you want to use a different version of it, change it like:
"apklab.jadxDirPath": "/home/oozer/downloads/jadx-1.1.0"
Keystore configuration
-apklab.keystorePath: Put the absolute path of your Java keystore(.jks or .keystore) file here.
"apklab.keystorePath": "/home/oozer/downloads/debug.keystore"
- apklab.keystorePassword: Put the password of your keystore here.
- apklab.keyAlias: Put the alias of the used key in the keystore here.
- apklab.keyPassword: Put the password of the used key in the keystore here.
Additional configuration
-apklab.initProjectDirAsGit: Initialize project output directory as Git repository.
- apklab.updateTools: Whether APKLab should check for tools (for apklab, jadx...) update and show a notification.
Known Issues
Please check our Bug tracker for known issues.
Contribution Guide
For bug reports, feature requests or simply discussing an idea, please open an issue here. PRs are always welcome.
