Apple API for user-space filesystems?

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Created Jan ’22

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I recently learnt that Apple is encouraging developers to favour user-space drivers, as opposed to kernel extensions, after reading an online article and this made me wonder what this meant for filesystems?

Currently there are two solutions here:

kernel extensions
user-space filesystem via MacFusion

What about going forward, I haven't been able to find anything that would cover this? Given MacFuse, and then MacFusion, have suffered, and still suffer, the single developer risk position, it would be good to see something official from Apple, if there isn't already something.

The only thing I have been able to see is 'NSFileProviderReplicatedExtension', but this is only really suitable for things like DropBox and GoogleDrive, rather anything like ext4, sshfs or WebDAV.

Can one indicate if Apple does have a user-space solution for FS access?

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Answer 1

Frameworks Engineer OP

Apple

Jan ’22

There is not currently a full user space solution for products that need to emulate a file system, e.g. ext4. Kernel extensions are still available on x86 and Apple silicon devices and the kexts that provide those services should still function once they are enabled.

You can enable kernel extensions on macOS, detailed here: https://support.apple.com/guide/security/kernel-extensions-sec8e454101b/web

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Answer 2

thesayynn OP

May ’24

I don't think system extensions are the answer here.

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