Pros of Unicorn

• More comprehensive emulation capabilities, supporting full system emulation
• Wider architecture support, including ARM, MIPS, SPARC, and more
• Larger and more active community, with frequent updates and contributions

Cons of Unicorn

• Higher resource consumption due to full emulation capabilities
• Steeper learning curve for beginners compared to Keystone's simpler assembly focus
• Potentially slower performance for basic assembly tasks

Code Comparison

Unicorn (emulating x86 code):

from unicorn import *
from unicorn.x86_const import *

code = b"\x41\x4a"  # INC ecx; DEC edx
mu = Uc(UC_ARCH_X86, UC_MODE_32)
mu.mem_map(0x1000, 0x1000)
mu.mem_write(0x1000, code)
mu.emu_start(0x1000, 0x1000 + len(code))

Keystone (assembling x86 code):

from keystone import *

code = "INC ecx; DEC edx"
ks = Ks(KS_ARCH_X86, KS_MODE_32)
encoding, count = ks.asm(code)
print("Encoded bytes:", encoding)

The code examples demonstrate Unicorn's focus on emulation and Keystone's emphasis on assembly, highlighting their different primary use cases.

Pros of Capstone

• More mature and widely adopted disassembly framework
• Supports a broader range of architectures (x86, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, etc.)
• Extensive documentation and community support

Cons of Capstone

• Focused solely on disassembly, lacking assembly capabilities
• Can be more resource-intensive for large-scale disassembly tasks
• Steeper learning curve for beginners due to its comprehensive feature set

Code Comparison

Capstone (disassembly):

from capstone import *

CODE = b"\x55\x48\x8b\x05\xb8\x13\x00\x00"
md = Cs(CS_ARCH_X86, CS_MODE_64)
for i in md.disasm(CODE, 0x1000):
    print("%x:\t%s\t%s" %(i.address, i.mnemonic, i.op_str))

Keystone (assembly):

from keystone import *

CODE = "mov rax, 0x1122334455667788"
ks = Ks(KS_ARCH_X86, KS_MODE_64)
encoding, count = ks.asm(CODE)
print("%s = %s (number of statements: %d)" %(CODE, encoding.hex(), count))

Keystone focuses on assembly, while Capstone specializes in disassembly. Keystone is newer and less mature but offers complementary functionality to Capstone. Both projects are maintained by the same team, providing a comprehensive solution for assembly and disassembly needs when used together.

Pros of radare2

• More comprehensive toolkit for reverse engineering and binary analysis
• Extensive command-line interface with powerful scripting capabilities
• Large and active community with frequent updates and contributions

Cons of radare2

• Steeper learning curve due to its complexity and vast feature set
• Can be resource-intensive for large binaries or complex analysis tasks

Code Comparison

radare2:

r2 -A binary
[0x00000000]> pdf @ main

Keystone:

from keystone import *
ks = Ks(KS_ARCH_X86, KS_MODE_32)
encoding, count = ks.asm("mov eax, 1")

Key Differences

Radare2 is a comprehensive reverse engineering framework, while Keystone is primarily an assembler library. Radare2 offers a wide range of features for binary analysis, disassembly, and debugging, making it suitable for complex reverse engineering tasks. Keystone, on the other hand, focuses on providing a lightweight and efficient assembler engine for various architectures.

Radare2's command-line interface allows for interactive analysis and scripting, whereas Keystone is typically used as a library integrated into other tools or projects. While Radare2 has a steeper learning curve, it offers more flexibility and power for advanced users. Keystone's simplicity makes it easier to integrate into existing projects but with a more limited scope.

Pros of edb-debugger

• Full-featured graphical debugger with a user-friendly interface
• Supports multiple architectures and operating systems
• Includes advanced features like memory searching and editing

Cons of edb-debugger

• More complex to set up and use compared to Keystone
• Limited to debugging and reverse engineering tasks
• Larger codebase and resource footprint

Code Comparison

edb-debugger (C++):

void Debugger::step() {
    if (attached()) {
        ptrace(PTRACE_SINGLESTEP, active_thread(), 0, 0);
        wait_debug_event();
    }
}

Keystone (C):

ks_engine *ks;
ks_open(KS_ARCH_X86, KS_MODE_32, &ks);
ks_asm(ks, "mov eax, 1", 0, &encoded, &size, &count);
ks_close(ks);

Summary

edb-debugger is a comprehensive graphical debugger suitable for complex reverse engineering tasks, while Keystone is a lightweight assembler library focused on code generation. edb-debugger offers a more user-friendly interface but requires more setup, whereas Keystone provides a simple API for assembly tasks but lacks debugging capabilities. The choice between them depends on the specific needs of the project, with edb-debugger being better for in-depth analysis and Keystone for quick assembly operations.