Compare 2 versions of a .NET assembly?

Question

How to compare 2 versions of a compiled .NET assembly to see changes between the 2 versions? I have a library not well-documented and I need to know what has been changed between the old version and the new version.

Answer 1

Use Red Gate's .NET reflector and you'll be able to take a look at the actual code changes between the assemblies.

Answer 2

I use reflector, with the Diff plugin.

You might also find this Hanselman post useful, as it reviews other tools, including Reflector Diff.

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/ManagingChangeWithNETAssemblyDiffTools.aspx

Answer 3

In addition to Reflector, you can use NDepend to perform this task. Please note that this is a commercial software, but the site offers a free trial. Here's an online tutorial on how one can use NDepend to compare two assemblies.

Answer 4

Do you have the code or just the assemblies? In case you have the compiled versions, one way is to dig into them using the object browser in visual Studio. The other approach might be using disassembler like Red Gates Reflector to see to the source code.

Answer 5

NDepend is really what you need to compare compiled .NET assemblies:

Step1: ask for changes (here ask for methods where code was changed or was added)

Step2: compare source code method bodies (if you have PDB files and source code),

Step2 Bis: compare 2 versions of the IL code of a method within one click (NDepend will use automation on Reflector for that).