Hiding javscript

disruptive · 01-20-2011, 08:28 AM

Particulalry with HTML5, is there a way to hide the javascript? When I'm not working on opensource, I would like to be able to protect the javascript from prying and copying eyes?

corp769 · 01-20-2011, 09:40 AM

Hiding javascript as far as viewing the source of the webpage? Can't really fully do that, but to help, you could keep all the javascript in a src file and load it as such.

disruptive · 01-20-2011, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corp769

Hiding javascript as far as viewing the source of the webpage? Can't really fully do that, but to help, you could keep all the javascript in a src file and load it as such.

Wouldn't one find that it still gets pulled into the browser?

With, what seems the march towards HTML5 and increasingly complex offerings written in JS, I guess protection will be crucial?

dugan · 01-20-2011, 10:15 AM

The standard practice is to minify it, which both decreases its download size and greatly obfuscates it.

AnanthaP · 01-20-2011, 10:15 AM

In short, no, the details of the included file are not visible.

corp769 · 01-20-2011, 10:24 AM

True. I don't have much experience with html5 yet, so I don't know what to say about that. Maybe someone else knows anything out there...

edit - those guys beat me to it. thanks.

Snark1994 · 01-20-2011, 10:30 AM

As far as I am aware, it's impossible to "hide" javascript, only obfuscate it (as dugan said). The browser needs to know what the code is to run it, and so people will always be able to see it somehow

corp769 · 01-20-2011, 10:48 AM

Snark, thanks. I thought to myself about that one, and there really isn't any way to hide code from a browser. If it can be done, some sort of government agency knows how to do it.

dugan · 01-20-2011, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corp769

Snark, thanks. I thought to myself about that one, and there really isn't any way to hide code from a browser.

Sure there are. Java applets, Flash, Silverlight, and other plugins.

corp769 · 01-20-2011, 10:59 AM

Yes that is true, but we are talking about hiding javascript. Of course you can use flash or java to do the same thing, but I think the OP wants to operate in just javascript. Well, unless he is willing to jump that hurdle and do it that way... :P

Snark1994 · 01-21-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dugan

Sure there are. Java applets, Flash, Silverlight, and other plugins.

True, but in principle the same idea applies. You would have to decompile it (and brief google searches suggested decompilers exist for all the formats you mentioned) but the fact remains that all the code necessary to run the thing is there. It just depends on how determined the person is to get at the code - but, yes, for most practical purposes you are correct