Scientists at Paderborn University have further developed Soot, the world's leading framework for statically analysing Java and Android applications. The "FutureSoot" project, led by Prof Dr Eric Bodden's Secure Software Engineering group and Prof Dr Rüdiger Kabst's Chair of Entrepreneurship, has produced a ground-breaking innovation: SootUP. After around five years of intensive work, the project, which was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with around 395,250 euros, has been successfully completed.
"Soot has long inspired researchers and users with its versatile analysis functions. However, technical shortcomings and complexity problems became a hurdle for the use and further development of the framework," says Bodden. The aim of FutureSoot was therefore to remove these obstacles and make Soot fit for the future. The result: long-term, documented maintenance and simplified use of the framework.
The scientists developed a sustainability concept, set up a reliable build-and-test infrastructure and modularised the core components. To do this, they brought together companies, researchers and users to gain a comprehensive understanding of the use and to harmonise the community's expectations of the new framework variant. The result is impressive: SootUP presents a completely redesigned, modular version of Soot that guarantees continuous quality assurance. "SootUP is easier to use than its predecessor. Its modular architecture makes it possible to adapt to future technology changes," explains Bodden.
The new, modular Soot version - released in December 2022 - was also tested as part of a hackathon event at the Heinz Nixdorf Institute at Paderborn University. This confirmed its importance for the developer community and its high usability.
Kabst summarises: "SootUP marks an important milestone in the world of software analysis and offers researchers and users new ways to analyse and optimise Java and Android applications. The FutureSoot project and the creation of SootUP demonstrate the innovative strength and commitment of Paderborn University and its partners in software development and sustainable business model and start-up development."
Further information is available at: https://soot-oss.github.io/SootUp/.
