Netatalk, Free and Open Source File Server
Netatalk is a Free and Open Source file server that uses the AFP protocol. The Netatalk software runs on a UNIX-like operating system (such as Linux, *BSD or macOS) and allows any computer with an AFP client to easily connect with each other and share files on a local network or over the Internet.
The Netatalk file server software is light-weight, performant, and portable. Conforming to the Apple Filing Protocol specification, any macOS, Mac OS X, or Classic Mac OS system can connect to a Netatalk file server out of the box.
Since its launch in 1990, Netatalk has been leveraged by universities, enterprises, and home users for collaboration and remote data backup on Macs. With Netatalk, any UNIX-like host is able to integrate seamlessly with networked macOS systems, act as centralized file storage, and provide data backup services.
Getting Started
There are three ways to get started with Netatalk: Install a pre-built binary package, deploy a container image, or build the software yourself from source code. Knowledge of basic system administration is required, including installing packages, editing configuration files, and starting/stopping system services.
📦 Install a binary package for your distribution
Use your operating system’s package manager to install the latest available netatalk package. This is the recommended option for most users.
See Repology for a list of known packages.
🐳 Deploy a container image
The project publishes images on Docker Hub and GHCR that can be deployed with a container runtime such as docker or podman.
Refer to the container documentation for details on how to configure the container.
🛠️ Build from source
You want to build from source when neither of the previous options are feasible, or when you want to do a hardened Netatalk deployment with only a subset of features enabled.
See the getting started guide for instructions how to prepare the build environment, and read more about dependencoes in the Netatalk manual.
How to Use
By default, Netatalk shares the home directory of each authorized user, with a secure authentication method for modern AFP clients. It is recommended to start and stop the Netatalk AFP server through your operating systems’s init system.
If you need a different setup, for instance sharing a specific directory or allowing very old AFP clients access, you have to configure the host system and then restart Netatalk. 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.
Once Netatalk is up and running, use an AFP client to connect to the file server.
Latest News
Netatalk 4.5.2 is available
6th of September 2026
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 4.5 release series.
This is a bugfix version that fixes a performance regression in the DSI transport layer caused by the security patches in version 4.5.1. In order to fix this, we made a ABI breaking change – dsi_writeinit changed to a pointer handoff signature – and consequently the libatalk soversion is bumped to 21.
A suite of hardening fixes to the EA and Spotlight code is also included.
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
Netatalk 4.5.1 is available
16th of July 2026
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the latest release of the Netatalk 4.5 release series.
This is a bugfix release that includes patches for the below four security vulnerabilities, big-endian support in SpotlightRPC, and a handful of other improvements.
CVE-2026-62318, CVE-2026-62319, CVE-2026-62320, CVE-2026-62321
For a summary of news and a detailed list of changes see the Release Notes.
Introducing the Netatalk Client
6th of July 2026
The Netatalk development team is proud to announce the first release of the Netatalk Client, a new project that provides a modern AFP client for Unix-like operating systems.
The Netatalk Client got started in 2024 as a fork of the afpfs-ng project, which had been dormant for over a decade at the time. It has now been thoroughtly overhauled with countless features added, including support for the latest AFP protocol versions, modern authentication methods, and improved performance and reliability.
Netatalk Client is still considered beta level software, but early adopters are encouraged to test it and report any issues to the Netatalk development team.
See the Netatalk Client v0.9.5 release notes and tarball.
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