Researchers at Paderborn University have further developed Soot, the world-leading framework for the static analysis of Java and Android applications. The ‘FutureSoot’ project, headed by the ‘Secure Software Engineering’ group under Professor Eric Bodden and the Chair of Entrepreneurship under Professor Rüdiger Kabst, has created a groundbreaking innovation: SootUP. After around five years of intensive work, the project – which received approximately 395,250 euros of funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) – has successfully been completed.
‘Soot has long been winning over both researchers and users with its versatile analysis functions. However, technical shortcomings and complexity issues have become a barrier to using and further developing the framework’, Bodden notes. The aim of FutureSoot was therefore to remove these barriers and make Soot fit for the future. The result: long-term, documented maintenance together with simplified use of the framework.
The researchers have developed a sustainability concept, established a reliable build-and-test infrastructure, and modularised the core components. To achieve this, they worked with companies, researchers and users to gain a comprehensive understanding of how it is used and match community expectations to the new framework version. The results are impressive: SootUP is a completely redesigned, modular version of Soot that ensures continuous quality assurance. ‘SootUP is easier to use than its predecessor. Its modular architecture means that it can be adapted to future technological changes’, Bodden explains.
The new, modular version of Soot – published in December 2022 – was also tested during a hackathon event at Paderborn University’s Heinz Nixdorf Institute. This confirms its importance for the development community and its high usability.
Kabst summarises things as follows: ‘SootUP represents a vital milestone in the world of software analysis and offers researchers and users new ways of analysing and optimising Java and Android applications. The FutureSoot project and the development of SootUP demonstrate the innovative capacity 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/.
