radare2
radare2 is a command-line reverse-engineering framework for disassembly, debugging and binary patching.
Legal & ethical use. Use this tool only on systems, networks and data that you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorised access or scanning can break computer-misuse laws (for example Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and equivalents elsewhere). Practise in your own lab or in authorised environments such as CTFs.
What it is used for
- Disassemble and debug small binaries from the terminal
- Script analysis tasks
Key features
- Disassembler and debugger
- Scripting and plugins
- Many architectures
Installation
Install from your distribution or build from the repository.
Beginner usage guide
Open a binary with `r2 -A`, list functions with `afl`, seek to main and print disassembly with `pdf`.
Example commands
Run these only against your own lab or authorised targets. Placeholder addresses such as 192.0.2.x are documentation ranges.
Analyse a binary and print main
r2 -A -qc "pdf @ main" ./a.out-A analyses, -q quits after commands, -c runs them; `pdf @ main` prints the disassembly of main.
Keep learning
🚩 Practice challenge: License Check medium
References
Source verification
Last reviewed: 2026-10-27
Links checked over HTTP: 2026-10-27 07:51 UTC — official: 200, docs: 200, repo: 200
Command flags checked against the real binary r2 (radare2 6.0.5 0 @ linux-x86-64) on 2026-10-27.