netatalk.io

Dev Docs

Netatalk Project Developer Docs

This wiki branch contains documentation and knowledge about the Netatalk project for developers - a Free and Open Source implementation of the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP).

These developer docs are intended to supplement the main user docs (https://netatalk.io/manual/en/) to simplify and encourage contributions to Netatalk.

These developer docs include many Mermaid diagrams to make understanding easier and ease the learning curve (hopefully).

What is Netatalk?

Netatalk is a robust, lightweight and fast AFP 3.4 server implementation that enables Unix/Linux systems to act as native file servers for Mac clients, providing seamless integration with macOS features like Time Machine, Spotlight, and Bonjour service discovery.

Developer Docs Structure

• Navigation index and table of contents
• Core library functions and interfaces
• High-level system architecture
• Component interactions and data flow
• Network protocol implementation
• AFP daemon implementation
• AppleTalk protocol support
• User Authentication Modules (UAM)
• CNID database system
• Master daemon and service coordination
• Initial setup and configuration
• Volume configuration reference
• Coding standards and development practices
• High-performance network tuning
• Frequently encountered problems and solutions

Source Code Organization

The main Netatalk implementation resides in these key directories:

• libatalk/ - Core AFP library implementation and utility functions
• etc/afpd/ - AFP daemon (afpd) source code and protocol handlers
• etc/netatalk/ - Master daemon and service management
• etc/cnid_dbd/ - CNID database daemon for file ID management
• etc/uams/ - User Authentication Modules (UAM) implementations
• include/atalk/ - Public header files and API definitions
• meson.build - Build system configuration and dependency management
• test/ - Test suite and benchmarking utilities
• contrib/ - Additional scripts and integration tools

Key Features

• AFP 3.4 Protocol Support - Full implementation with modern macOS compatibility Implementation: etc/afpd/afp_*.c, libatalk/dsi/, include/atalk/afp.h

• AppleTalk Legacy Support - Maintains compatibility with classic Mac systems Implementation: libatalk/atp/, libatalk/asp/, include/atalk/atp.h, include/atalk/asp.h

• Spotlight Integration - Search functionality via GNOME Tracker/TinySPARQL Implementation: etc/afpd/spotlight*.c, libatalk/util/server_ipc.c

• Time Machine Support - Native macOS backup destination Implementation: etc/afpd/volume.c, etc/afpd/enumerate.c, etc/afpd/afp_options.c

• Advanced Authentication - Multiple UAM modules including DHX, DHX2, PAM, Kerberos Implementation: etc/uams/, etc/afpd/auth.c, include/atalk/uam.h

• High Performance - Optimized for large file transfers and concurrent connections Implementation: libatalk/dsi/dsi_tcp.c, etc/afpd/fork.c, etc/afpd/file.c

• Cross-Platform - Supports Linux, BSD variants, macOS, and Solaris Implementation: meson.build, include/atalk/compat.h, libatalk/compat/

Project Information

• License: GNU General Public License v2 with portions BSD or MIT License Files: COPYING, COPYRIGHT, header comments in source files

• Language: C11 with GCC extensions Standards Compliance: meson.build (c_std setting)

• Build System: Meson (migrated from Autotools) Build Configuration: meson.build, meson_options.txt, subprojects/

• Repository: https://github.com/Netatalk/netatalk

• Website: https://netatalk.io
• Documentation: https://netatalk.io/manual/en/ Doc Sources: doc/manual/, doc/manpages/, doc/developer/, README.md

Community

• GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/Netatalk/netatalk/discussions
• Mailing Lists: netatalk-admins, netatalk-devel
• Community Forums: TinkerDifferent, 68kmla, E-Maculation

Footnotes

This is a mirror of the Netatalk GitHub Wiki

Last updated 2025-12-07