Catswords.Phantomizer

Catswords.Phantomizer is an HTTP-based dynamic-link library (DLL) loader designed for .NET applications. It allows your application to fetch and load assemblies directly from your CDN (Azure Blob, S3, Cloudflare R2, etc.) at runtime, with optional GZip compression support.

🚀 Features

Load managed (*.dll) and native (*.dll) assemblies over HTTP
Optional .dll.gz decompression for faster network delivery
CDN-friendly URL structure
Easy bootstrap through a small embedded loader
Loader is implemented using pure .NET BCL only, ensuring stable operation without external dependencies

📦 How to Use

1. Embed Phantomizer into your project

Add Catswords.Phantomizer.dll.gz to your Resources.resx file.

2. Initialize Phantomizer at application startup

Place the following code inside your Main method, static constructor, or any early entry point:

static Program() {
    // ...
    InitializeAssemblyLoader();
    // ...
}

private static void InitializeAssemblyLoader()
{
    byte[] gzBytes = Properties.Resources.Phantomizer;

    byte[] dllBytes;
    using (var input = new MemoryStream(gzBytes))
    using (var gz = new GZipStream(input, CompressionMode.Decompress))
    using (var output = new MemoryStream())
    {
        gz.CopyTo(output);
        dllBytes = output.ToArray();
    }

    Assembly phantomAsm = Assembly.Load(dllBytes);
    Type loaderType = phantomAsm.GetType("Catswords.Phantomizer.AssemblyLoader", true);

    loaderType.GetProperty("BaseUrl")?.SetValue(null, GetAppConfig("AssemblyBaseUrl"));  // Set your CDN base URL
    loaderType.GetProperty("LoaderNamespace")?.SetValue(null, typeof(Program).Namespace);
    loaderType.GetProperty("AppName")?.SetValue(null, "WelsonJS");                        // Set your application name
    loaderType.GetMethod("Register")?.Invoke(null, null);

    var loadNativeModulesMethod = loaderType.GetMethod(
        "LoadNativeModules",
        BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Static,
        binder: null,
        types: new[] { typeof(string), typeof(Version), typeof(string[]) },
        modifiers: null
    );

    if (loadNativeModulesMethod == null)
        throw new InvalidOperationException("LoadNativeModules(string, Version, string[]) method not found.");

    loadNativeModulesMethod.Invoke(null, new object[]
    {
        "ChakraCore",
        new Version(1, 13, 0, 0),
        new[] { "ChakraCore.dll" }
    });
}

3. Upload your DLL files to a CDN

Upload your managed and native assemblies to your CDN following the URL pattern below.

📁 URL Rules

Type	Example URL	Description
Managed DLL	`https://example.cdn.tld/packages/managed/MyManagedLib/1.0.0.0/MyManagedLib.dll`	Normal .NET assembly
Managed DLL (GZip)	`https://example.cdn.tld/packages/managed/MyManagedLib/1.0.0.0/MyManagedLib.dll.gz`	GZip-compressed .NET assembly
Native DLL	`https://example.cdn.tld/packages/native/MyNativeLib/1.0.0.0/MyNativeLib.dll`	Native assembly
Native DLL (GZip)	`https://example.cdn.tld/packages/native/MyNativeLib/1.0.0.0/MyNativeLib.dll.gz`	GZip-compressed native assembly

4. 🎉 Start loading assemblies over HTTP

Once Phantomizer is initialized, your application will automatically fetch missing assemblies from your CDN.

Download the pre-compiled `Catswords.Phantomizer.dll.gz` file

https://catswords.blob.core.windows.net/welsonjs/packages/managed/Catswords.Phantomizer/1.0.0.0/Catswords.Phantomizer.dll.gz

Join the community

I am always open. Collaboration, opportunities, and community activities are all welcome.

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