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Packaging Lua Code
There are a few different ways to approach packaging your Lua scripts for inclusion in your app. The first (and simplest) is to simply copy your Lua script folder verbatim into the app bundle, ship them in a resource folder that installs with your app (in the case of a desktop app) or store them in an archive and unpack them to writable storage.
The shortcoming with the simple method is that all your Lua scripts are available on the device in plaintext. While this is fine if you want to encourage users to mod your game, in some cases you may want to obfuscate your code to make accessing it more difficult.
It should be emphasized here that there is a big difference between obfuscation and encryption. Any savvy would-be hacker, with enough time and effort, can decompile your game code. This is true of code written in any language, so Moai does not introduce any new security vulnerabilities. The point of obfuscating your Lua code is to prevent the casual hacker from gaining easy access to your game logic.
There are several options for obfuscation:
Running Lua files through luac: You can compile your Lua files using luac. These files are no longer in plaintext and therefore are harder to change.
Wrapping compiled Lua files into your executable: After compiling all of your Lua files using luac, you can convert them to hex, dump them into header files, and compile this data in alongside your source code. This approach ensures you don't have script files sitting in resource folders, but it requires the implementation of a custom loader for the Lua chunks you've put into the header files. You won't be able to use Lua's loadfile command with this set up.
Encrypting your compiled Lua files: After compiling all of your Lua files using luac, you can also encrypt them. You must then hide your encryption key somewhere. The easiest approach is simply to hide the key in your app, but it's also the most vulnerable.
None of these options is truly secure. No matter which technique you use, you are still vulnerable to hacking on some level. The only thing you can do is raise the level of sophistication and time required to compromise the system. It's probably best to prevent casual hacking of plaintext files, but anything more advanced will require your own research into the issues surrounding digital rights management.
FAQs
Another way to secure your Lua scripts is to obfuscate your code. Obfuscation is the process of making your code harder to understand or analyze, using techniques such as renaming variables, removing comments, or adding junk code.
Is Lua code safe? ›
Lua is safe too. However, both Dune and Lua are not capable to provide real security sandboxing, they're merely the tools to control execution boundaries and execution process.
Is Lua still used on Reddit? ›
Lua is often used as a developer-facing scripting language for adding or extending functionality to an existing lower-level system, such as a game engine written in C++. It would suck to have to add game-related functionality in C++, then be forced to recompile after every change. Lua allows faster development.
What are Lua files in Gmod? ›
A Lua file is called a script. Lua scripts are plain text files. To create and edit Lua scripts, you need a plain text editor such as notepad. You can use any plain text editor, but you are going to have a hard time if you aren't using one of the many available Lua Editors, such as Sublime Text or Visual Studio Code.
Is Lua good for cyber security? ›
Network Security and Monitoring
Lua is often used in network security appliances and monitoring tools to implement custom packet filtering, traffic analysis, and Intrusion detection systems. Its lightweight nature and speed make it well-suited for real-time network analysis, where performance is critical.
Is Roblox coded in Lua? ›
Roblox uses the coding language Lua. This article will cover how to start coding in Roblox, introducing common concepts like scripts, data types, and variables. By the end, you'll be able to type out code that displays messages in Roblox Studio.
Is Lua obsolete? ›
While Lua is still used fairly often in gaming and web service, it performed poorly in terms of community engagement and job market prospects. That being said, in spite of its age, Lua's growth has flat-lined rather than declined, which means that although it's not popular, it's not dying either.
Can a 13 year old learn Lua? ›
FunTech offers courses in Lua scripting for kids aged 11 to 16 who want to get ahead in Roblox game development. Naturally we are often asked just how hard Lua is to learn. The simple answer is that it's not hard to learn compared to other languages but will require some commitment from your child.
Why does Roblox only use Lua? ›
No, Roblox does not use Java. Lua is easier to use compared to Java. Lua doesn't use syntax that some children can struggle with. For example, there is no need to add a semi-colon at the end of every line of code in Lua, whereas you do in Java.
What are the criticisms of Lua? ›
Moreover, Lua is a weakly typed language, which means that it does not check the types of data and variables that you use. This can lead to unexpected and hard-to-find errors, bugs, and security issues that might arise from using the wrong types or values in your code.
One of the main reasons why Lua is widely used for AI in games is its flexibility and expressiveness. Lua allows you to write concise and readable code that can easily implement complex logic and behaviors.
Why is Lua used so much? ›
Lua is popular as a scripting language within a game engine. The engine will usually be written in something else like c++. c++ & Lua, or c++ & Python are good choices. Lua is popular because it is particularly easy to embed.
Does GMod use C++? ›
The public Garry's Mod C++ interface. Contains a custom C++ standard library, proxy class around LuaJIT's lua_State, and headers for GMod's lua libraries and types (those loadable from gmod. LoadLib in the Lua interface).
Should I use Lua? ›
Lua is perfect for configuration, scripting, and rapid prototyping because it features dynamic typing, operates by interpreting bytecode using a register-based virtual machine, and has automatic memory management with incremental garbage collection.
What is GMod coded in? ›
Garry's Mod includes the functionality to modify the game by developing scripts written in the Lua programming language.
How do I save a Lua code? ›
To save a Lua script to a file, use File > Export (Ctrl+E).
Can Lua be sandboxed? ›
sandbox. protect("lua code") (or sandbox("lua code") ) produces a sandboxed function, without executing it. When a sandboxed function tries to access an unsafe module, an error is produced.
What is cheat engine Lua? ›
Lua is a lightweight, scripting programming language based on an interpreter generating compiled bytecodes (code executing in a virtual machine).
How to secure API keys in code? ›
Best Practices for API Key Security:
- Use HTTPS: Ensure that your API is accessible over HTTPS to encrypt data in transit. ...
- Keep Keys Confidential: API keys should be treated like passwords. ...
- Rotate API Keys Regularly: Implement a key rotation policy to reduce the risk of compromised keys.
