Welcome to the Netatalk Homepage!
Netatalk is a Free and Open Source file server that implements the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP). A macOS, Linux, BSD, or Solaris system running Netatalk can act as an AppleShare server, providing file sharing services to any number of macOS, Classic Mac OS, and Apple II clients simultaneously.
Since 1990, Netatalk has been providing highly performant and versatile file sharing for Macs from UNIX-like hosts, providing seamless support for the intricate requirements of Macintosh networking, file systems, and operating system services.
Getting Started
So you want to get started with running your own Netatalk file server for your local network of Macs and Apple IIs? Well, you have come to the right place! For starters, many open source distributions and package repositories include Netatalk. Try searching for a netatalk package in your favorite package manager.
If you prefer a containerized deployment, the Netatalk team distributes official Docker images on Docker Hub. These require Docker Engine to be installed.
Finally, if you want to build Netatalk from source, a C compiler (gcc or clang are recommended) together with dependent libraries are required. Read more in the Netatalk manual or the OS specific guides in the wiki.
You will likely need to adjust the Netatalk configuration to suit your setup. Netatalk has a dizzying amount of options which can be daunting initially. The Configuration chapter and afp.conf page in the Netatalk manual are good places to start.
Features
Below is an overview of the capabilities and various facilities that Netatalk provides.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Supported Host OSes | Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, macOS, OmniOS, OpenIndiana, Solaris 11 |
| Supported Clients | macOS, Mac OS X, Mac OS 8/9, Macintosh System Software 6.0.x/7.x, Apple IIGS, Apple //e |
| AFP Protocol Versions | 1.1, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3. 3.4 |
| AFP over TCP | Yes |
| AFP over AppleTalk | Yes (supported on Linux, NetBSD) |
| Macintosh File System Metadata | Yes: macOS extended attributes, Classic Mac OS resource forks |
| Service Discovery | Yes: Zeroconf on macOS, AppleTalk on Classic Mac OS |
| Remote Backups | Yes: Time Machine compatible |
| Indexed Search | Yes: Spotlight on macOS, CatalogSearch on Classic Mac OS |
| Macintosh NetBoot | Yes: NetBoot 1.0 (Ex: kea-mboot) |
| Apple II NetBoot | Yes: //e and IIGS (via a2boot) |
| AppleTalk Printing to modern printers | Yes (via papd) |
| Printing to LocalTalk printers | Yes (via pap) |
| AppleTalk Time Server | Yes: Timelord compatible (via timelord) |
| Built-in AppleTalk Router | Yes (via atalkd) |
| Built-in MacIP Gateway | Yes (via macipgw) |
| Administrative GUI | Webmin module |
Latest News
2nd of November 2024
Netatalk 4.0.4 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 4.0 release series. This is a minor bugfix release that addresses build and distribution specific issues. Additionally, the bundled test suite has seen major refinement.
See the upgrade chapter of the manual for instructions how to upgrade existing 3.x or 2.x deployments. Early adopters are encouraged to upgrade to the 4.0 release series. We look forward to your feedback!
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
26th of October 2024
Netatalk 4.0.3 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 4.0 release series. This release contains a number of minor bugfixes in afpd, improvements to the build system, as well as a major overhaul to the afptest test suite.
See the upgrade chapter of the manual for instructions how to upgrade existing 3.x or 2.x deployments. Early adopters are encouraged to upgrade to the 4.0 release series. We look forward to your feedback!
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
18th of October 2024
Netatalk 4.0.2 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 4.0 release series. This release expands integration and end to end testing capabilities greatly. In addition, a host of build system and other improvements are included.
See the upgrade chapter of the manual for instructions how to upgrade existing 3.x or 2.x deployments. Early adopters are encouraged to upgrade to the 4.0 release series. We look forward to your feedback!
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
For a list of older announcements, go to the News Archive.
If you are interested in contributing to the development process, or just want to peruse the code, please visit our GitHub project page.
