How Can I Statically Embed Resources into C/C Executables or Shared Libraries Using GCC?

Statically Embedding Resources in C/C with GCC

Integrating resource files into an executable or shared library can streamline your application and eliminate the need for external file dependencies. To achieve this with GCC, consider the following approaches:

Objcopy-Based Method:

Utilize objcopy (GNU binutils) to merge binary data from a file into the executable's data section:

objcopy -B i386 -I binary -O elf32-i386 foo-data.bin foo-data.o

This creates an .o file that can be linked into your executable. The C interface allows accessing the embedded data through symbols like:

extern uint8_t foo_data[]      asm("_binary_foo_data_bin_start");
extern uint8_t foo_data_size[] asm("_binary_foo_data_bin_size");

Assembly-Based Method:

Use assembly to read embedded binary data and store it in variables. This method offers finer control and can place data in specific memory segments:

.incbin "foo-data.bin"
.equ foo_data_size <size of embedded data>
.global foo_data
foo_data:
    .byte <data from embedded file></data></size>

Loading Embedded Resources:

Once embedded, resources can be accessed directly from within your program code. Load the data into memory buffers or perform operations on it without the need to access external files.

Shared Libraries and Executables:

Both methods are applicable to shared libraries and ELF executables. Simply ensure that the embedded resources are included during the linking process of the target binary.

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