[javascript] How can I hide or encrypt JavaScript code?

Is there any way to hide or encrypt JavaScript code to prevent people from viewing, copying, and/or modifying proprietary programs?

The only safe way to protect your code is not giving it away. With client deployment, there is no avoiding the client having access to the code.

So the short answer is: You can't do it

The longer answer is considering flash or Silverlight. Although I believe silverlight will gladly give away it's secrets with reflector running on the client.

I'm not sure if something simular exists with the flash platform.

While everyone will generally agree that Javascript encryption is a bad idea, there are a few small use cases where slowing down the attack is better than nothing. You can start with YUI Compressor (as @Ben Alpert) said, or JSMin, Uglify, or many more.

However, the main case in which I want to really 'hide stuff' is when I'm publishing an email address. Note, there is the problem of Chrome when you click on 'inspect element'. It will show your original code: every time. This is why obfuscation is generally regarded as being a better way to go.

On that note, I take a two pronged attack, purely to slow down spam bots. I Obfuscate/minify the js and then run it again through an encoder (again, this second step is completely pointless in chrome).

While not exactly a pure Javascript encoder, the best html encoder I have found is http://hivelogic.com/enkoder/. It will turn this:

<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
<!--
var c=function(e) { var m="mail" + "to:webmaster";var a="somedomain"; e.href = m+"@"+a+".com";  
};
//-->
//]]>
</script>
<a href="#" onclick="return c(this);"><img src="images/email.png" /></a>

into this:

<script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
<!--
var x="function f(x){var i,o=\"\",ol=x.length,l=ol;while(x.charCodeAt(l/13)!" +
"=50){try{x+=x;l+=l;}catch(e){}}for(i=l-1;i>=0;i--){o+=x.charAt(i);}return o" +
".substr(0,ol);}f(\")87,\\\"meozp?410\\\\=220\\\\s-dvwggd130\\\\#-2o,V_PY420" +
"\\\\I\\\\\\\\_V[\\\\\\\\620\\\\o710\\\\RB\\\\\\\\610\\\\JAB620\\\\720\\\\n\\"+
"\\{530\\\\410\\\\WJJU010\\\\|>snnn|j5J(771\\\\p{}saa-.W)+T:``vk\\\"\\\\`<02" +
"0\\\\!610\\\\'Dr\\\\010\\\\630\\\\400\\\\620\\\\700\\\\\\\\\\\\N730\\\\,530" +
"\\\\2S16EF600\\\\;420\\\\9ZNONO1200\\\\/000\\\\`'7400\\\\%n\\\\!010\\\\hpr\\"+
"\\= -cn720\\\\a(ce230\\\\500\\\\f730\\\\i,`200\\\\630\\\\[YIR720\\\\]720\\\\"+
"r\\\\720\\\\h][P]@JHADY310\\\\t230\\\\G500\\\\VBT230\\\\200\\\\Clxhh{tzra/{" +
"g0M0$./Pgche%Z8i#p`v^600\\\\\\\\\\\\R730\\\\Q620\\\\030\\\\730\\\\100\\\\72" +
"0\\\\530\\\\700\\\\720\\\\M410\\\\N730\\\\r\\\\530\\\\400\\\\4420\\\\8OM771" +
"\\\\`4400\\\\$010\\\\t\\\\120\\\\230\\\\r\\\\610\\\\310\\\\530\\\\e~o120\\\\"+
"RfJjn\\\\020\\\\lZ\\\\\\\\CZEWCV771\\\\v5lnqf2R1ox771\\\\p\\\"\\\\tr\\\\220" +
"\\\\310\\\\420\\\\600\\\\OSG300\\\\700\\\\410\\\\320\\\\410\\\\120\\\\620\\" +
"\\q)5<: 0>+\\\"(f};o nruter};))++y(^)i(tAedoCrahc.x(edoCrahCmorf.gnirtS=+o;" +
"721=%y;++y)87<i(fi{)++i;l<i;0=i(rof;htgnel.x=l,\\\"\\\"=o,i rav{)y,x(f noit" +
"cnuf\")"                                                                     ;
while(x=eval(x));
//-->
//]]>
</script>

Maybe it's enough to slow down a few spam bots. I haven't had any spam come through using this (!yet).

No, it's not possible. If it runs on the client browser, it must be downloaded by the client browser. It's pretty trivial to use Fiddler to inspect the HTTP session and get any downloaded js files.

There are tricks you can use. One of the most obvious is to employ a javascript obfuscator.

Then again, obfuscation only prevents casual snooping, and doesnt prevent people from lifting and using your code.

You can try compiled action script in the form of a flash movie.

JavaScript is a scripting language and therefore stays in human readable form until it is time for it to be interpreted and executed by the JavaScript runtime.

The only way to partially hide it, at least from the less technical minds, is to obfuscate.

Obfuscation makes it harder for humans to read it, but not impossible for the technically savvy.

One of the best compressors (not specifically an obfuscator) is the YUI Compressor.

If you have anything in particular you want to hide (like a proprietary algorithm), put that on the server, or put it in a Flash movie and call it with JavaScript. Writing ActionScript is very similar to writing JavaScript, and you can communicate between JavaScript and ActionScript. You can do the same with Silverlight, but Silverlight doesn't have the penetration Flash does.

However, remember that any mobile phones can run your JavaScript, but not Silverlight or Flash, so you're crippling your mobile users if you go with Flash or Silverlight.