Apple Filing Protocol

Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) is a client/server protocol that had been used in AppleTalk communication networks.

History
The AppleTalk Filing Protocol was first introduced in AppleShare File Server software and then became a standard feature of System 7 in 1991. The name was shortened to Apple Filing Protocol in Mac OS X and was deprecated by OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) in 2013. It has been phased out completely in macOS Big Sur (version 11). Users are advised to switch to SMB.

Usage
In order for non-Apple networks to access data in a legacy AppleShare server, their protocols must first be translated into the AFP language.