Content deleted Content added
Guy Harris (talk | contribs) →Third-party utilities: The name of the product is a separate clause; set it off with commas on both end, not just the beginning. |
→Third-party utilities: section |
||
| (15 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{
{{distinguish|text=Apple File Service (AFS), the service implementing the [[Apple Filing Protocol]] (AFP)}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Andrew File System]] (AFS), the distributed file system}}
Line 21:
| date_resolution = 1 [[nanosecond]]<ref name="appleVolumeComparision"/>
| max_filename_size =
| filename_character_set = [[Unicode|Unicode 9.0]] encoded in [[UTF-8]]<ref name="appleApfsFaq2018"/>{{ref label|disputed|A|none}}
| dates_recorded = access, attributes modified, contents modified, created
| file_system_permissions = Unix permissions, [[NFSv4]] [[Access control list|ACL]]s
Line 27:
| encryption = Yes<ref name="appleFileSystemGuide"/>
| copy_on_write = Yes<ref name="appleApfsFaq2018"/><ref name="appleFileSystemGuide"/>
| OS = [[macOS]], [[iPadOS]], [[iOS]], [[tvOS]], [[watchOS]], [[visionOS]]
| website = <!-- {{URL|https://developers.apple.com/}} -->
}}
'''Apple File System''' ('''APFS''') is a [[Proprietary software|proprietary]] [[file system]] developed and deployed by [[Apple Inc.]] for [[macOS]] [[macOS Sierra| Sierra (10.12.4)]]<ref name="TechRepublic 2017.04.13">{{cite news |last1=Vigo |first1=Jesus |title=How to set up and use Apple's APFS file system on macOS Sierra |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-set-up-and-use-apples-apfs-file-system-on-macos-sierra/ |publisher=TechRepublic |date=13 Apr 2017}}</ref> and later, [[iOS]] [[iOS 10 |10.3]], [[tvOS]] 10.2,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.apple.com/library/content/releasenotes/General/WhatsNewinTVOS/Articles/tvOS10_2.html|title=tvOS 10.2|work=What's New in tvOS|publisher=Apple Inc.}}</ref> [[watchOS]] 3.2,<ref name="The Verge update today"/> and all versions of [[iPadOS]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/06/13/apple-file-system-will-scale-from-apple-watch-to-macs-replace-hfs|title='Apple File System' will scale from Apple Watch to Macs, replace HFS+|author=Roger Fingas|date=June 13, 2016|publisher=[[Apple Insider]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723030751/http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/06/13/apple-file-system-will-scale-from-apple-watch-to-macs-replace-hfs|archive-date=July 23, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="digging-into-apfs">{{Cite web |
== History ==
Line 48:
=== Clones ===
Clones allow the operating system to make efficient file copies on the same volume without occupying additional storage space. Changes to a cloned file are saved as [[Delta encoding|delta extents]], reducing storage space required for document revisions and copies.<ref name="digging-into-apfs"/> There is, however, no interface to mark two copies of the same file as clones of the other, or for other types of [[data deduplication]].
The feature is automatically available when a user copies any files using the [[Finder (software)|Finder]] application, which is [[macOS]]'s default [[file manager]], but not when using the <code>[[cp (Unix)|cp]]</code> command.<ref>{{cite web|title=A ZFS developer's analysis of the good and bad in Apple's new APFS file system|website=Ars Technica|date=2016-06-26|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/06/a-zfs-developers-analysis-of-the-good-and-bad-in-apples-new-apfs-file-system/|ref={{sfnref|Ars Technica|2016}}|access-date=2025-02-17|quote="Side note: Finder copy creates space-efficient clones, but cp from the command line does not."}}</ref> To do that on the [[command-line]], the <code>cp</code> utility on macOS has a <code>-c</code> parameter that allows it to use the <code>clonefile</code> [[system call]].<ref>{{cite web|title=[dedup] Use APFS clone (CoW) on macOS · Issue #219 · pkolaczk/fclones|website=GitHub|date=2023-08-10|url=https://github.com/pkolaczk/fclones/issues/219|access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>
=== Snapshots ===
Line 62 ⟶ 64:
=== Data integrity ===
Apple File System uses [[checksum]]s to ensure [[data integrity]] for [[file system#metadata|metadata]] but not for the actual user data, relying instead on [[error-correcting code]] (ECC) mechanisms in the [[computer data storage|storage]] [[computer hardware|hardware]].<ref name="leventhalPage5">{{cite web|url=http://dtrace.org/blogs/ahl/2016/06/19/apfs-part5/|author=Adam Leventhal|date=June 19, 2016|title=APFS in Detail: Data Integrity|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621060302/http://dtrace.org/blogs/ahl/2016/06/19/apfs-part5/|archive-date=June 21, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
=== Crash protection ===
Line 80 ⟶ 82:
=== Performance on hard disk drives ===
Enumerating files, and any [[inode]] metadata in general, is much slower on APFS when it is located on a [[hard disk drive]] (HDD). This is because instead of storing [[File system#metadata|metadata]] at a fixed ___location like [[HFS+]] does, APFS stores them alongside the actual file data.
Besides that, a key feature of APFS is "[[copy-on-write]]," which allows for rapid file duplication by creating references to the original data rather than copying it outright. This feature enables functionalities like [[snapshot (computer storage)|snapshot]]s and quick file copies. However, when files are modified after being copied, APFS creates new extents ([[data block]]s) for the changes, leading to more fragmentation over time. This issue is exacerbated with applications like [[Time Machine (macOS)|Time Machine]], which creates multiple versions of files, further increasing fragmentation and slowing [[computer performance|performance]].<ref>{{cite web|title=APFS Is Not Yet Ready for Traditional Hard Drives|website=Larry Jordan|date=2017-12-03|url=https://larryjordan.com/blog/apfs-is-not-yet-ready-for-traditional-hard-drives/|ref={{sfnref|Larry Jordan|2017}}|access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref> As a result, APFS is generally not recommended for use on HDDs, particularly for workloads involving frequent file modifications, copying, or snapshot usage.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tim|first=OWC|title=Using APFS On HDDs ... And Why You Might Not Want To|website=Rocket Yard|date=2017-11-29|url=https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/43043-using-apfs-on-hdds-and-why-you-might-not-want-to/|access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>
=== Compatibility with Time Machine prior to macOS 11===
Line 102 ⟶ 106:
=== Third-party utilities ===
{{Update-section|reason=Software companies have had a long time to update their software to support APFS. The article should reflect recent developments.|date=August 2025}}
Despite the ubiquity of APFS volumes in today's Macs and the format's 2016 introduction, third-party repair utilities continue to have notable limitations in supporting APFS volumes, due to Apple's delayed release of complete documentation. According to Alsoft, the maker of DiskWarrior, Apple's 2018 release of partial APFS format documentation has delayed the creation of a version of DiskWarrior that can safely rebuild APFS disks.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.alsoft.com/diskwarrior5apfs | title=DiskWarrior 5.2 & Apple File System (APFS) | access-date=2020-06-28}}</ref> Competing products, including MicroMat's TechTool and Prosoft's Drive Genius, are expected to increase APFS support as well.
Line 111 ⟶ 117:
== See also ==
*[[Comparison of file systems]]
==Notes==
:A.{{note label|disputed|A|none}}Disputed <ref>{{Cite web |title=libfsapfs/documentation/Apple File System (APFS).asciidoc at main · libyal/libfsapfs |url=https://github.com/libyal/libfsapfs/blob/main/documentation/Apple%20File%20System%20(APFS).asciidoc |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=GitHub |language=en}}</ref>
== References ==
| |||