[FIXED] Can EXE generated by cx_freeze be completely decompiled back to readable Python code?

Issue

I'm new to python, and I'm evaluating developing desktop programs with Python + PySide, and found that cx_freeze works very good in converting my python code into executables, and it's cross-platform.

My question is, can someone else decompile an EXE generated by cx_freeze back to fully readable code , as if my original source code?

Note: I'm not worried about someone cracking my program, but just don't want someone else can take my code and developed base on it.

Thanks.

Solution

In general - no. CX Freeze and py2exe store the PYC version of your code, the bytecode compiled from the PY files. Currently, if I am not mistaken, there are no working viable PYC decompilers. Some give you a more-or-less readable byte code with annotations, but none will give you the actual Python source code. So in that regard - no, it cannot be decompiled. You can also consider going the full native way and use Shed Skin

Answered By - reflog