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 in the Netatalk manual is a good place to start.
Features
Below is an overview of Netatalk features.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Supported Host OS | 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 (Linux, NetBSD) |
| Macintosh File System Metadata | Filesystem EA, AppleDouble v2 |
| Service Discovery | Any AppleShare client (AppleTalk), Mac OS X 10.2 and later (Zeroconf) |
| Time Machine Backups | Yes |
| Indexed Search | Mac OS X 10.4 or later (Spotlight); Mac OS 8 to Mac OS X 10.3 (CatSearch) |
| Samba Interoperability | Yes |
| AppleTalk Printing | Yes: to modern printers via CUPS, and LocalTalk printers via PAP |
| AppleTalk Time Server | Yes: Timelord compatible |
| Apple II Netbooting | Yes: //e and IIGS |
| Built-in AppleTalk Router | Yes |
| Built-in MacIP Gateway | Yes |
| Administrative GUI | Webmin module |
Latest News
29th of September 2024
Netatalk 4.0.0 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the first release of the Netatalk 4.0 release series. In this release series, we are bringing back the entire AppleTalk networking suite that was removed in Netatalk 3.0. 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 4.0.0. We look forward to your feedback!
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
24th of September 2024
Netatalk 2.4.10 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 2.4 release series. This release contains a handful of minor bug fixes and build system improvements. All users of Netatalk 2.4 are encouraged to upgrade their systems to 2.4.10.
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
24th of September 2024
Netatalk 3.2.10 is available
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 3.2 release series. This release contains a handful of minor bug fixes and build system improvements. All users of Netatalk 3.2 are encouraged to upgrade their systems to 3.2.10.
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.
Netatalk is licensed under the GNU General Public License 2.0.
If you are interested in contributing to the development process, or just want to peruse the code, please visit our GitHub project page.
