Best tool(s) for decompiling Lua bytecode?

Question

I am really having trouble finding a good working Lua bytecode decompiler. I'm trying to decompile some scripting files I found in a game but they appear to be compiled, yet don't seem impossible to decode. What's the best tool to decompile Lua binaries?

Answer 1

The Lua Tools page of the lua-users.org wiki lists a couple of decompilers. Your choice will depend on which Lua version your are trying to decompile...

Answer 2

It seems there was some tool named LuaDec, but the site seems to be down. There's another decompiler available here, it seems to be good for massive decompiling.

Answer 3

It looks like LuaDec itself was last updated for Lua 5.0.2. A new version targeting Lua 5.1.x bytecode has been released as LuaDec51. The wiki is always a good place to start looking for resources as mentioned by f3lix. The mailing list is also a good place to ask.

Do note that it is relatively easy to add obfuscation or even encryption to the bytecode loader. Neither would require edits to the Lua core. If the system you are analyzing has taken any of those measures, you might have more work to do.