Machine-code decompilation transforms an executable file into a high-level language. It has found its applications mostly in the field of reverse engineering, where analysts use decompilers to inspect suspicious binaries.

This paper introduces RetDec, a recently open-sourced retargetable decompiler for platform-independent analysis of binary files. More specifically, we give an overview of the RetDec project’s history, its current state, comparison with other decompilers,
and an example of a successful application.