Network Storage Protocols on macOS: SMB, AFP, and NFS

When using shared or network-attached storage (NAS or SAN) with Softron applications on macOS, the choice of network file-sharing protocol can have a major impact on performance, stability, and long-term reliability, especially for real-time ingest and playout workflows.

macOS currently supports three main network file systems: SMB, AFP, and NFS. While all can technically be used, they do not behave equally in professional video environments.

Make sure to check the article about general considerations for your storage.

Storage Disclaimer and Recommendations

As a software manufacturer, Softron designs and tests its applications on a wide variety of systems and storage configurations. We also continuously gather feedback from real-world installations and from the experience of our users, resellers, and integrators. This allows us to provide practical recommendations and best practices.

However, Softron is storage-agnostic. As long as a storage system delivers the required sustained bandwidth, reliability, and proper access permissions, our software can operate with it. Because storage performance and behavior can vary significantly depending on hardware, configuration, network infrastructure, and workload, no single solution can be universally recommended.

For this reason, Softron strongly encourages users to test their workflow with the free demo versions of our applications whenever possible, using their actual storage, codecs, resolutions, and number of streams. Real-world testing remains the most reliable way to validate a storage solution.

Finally, Softron’s network of authorized resellers and integrators is often the best resource to help design, size, configure, and validate a storage solution that fits your specific needs. They have hands-on experience with professional media workflows and can provide local support and expert guidance.

Protocol Recommendations

Summary

There is no single protocol that fits all environments. However, for professional ingest and playout on macOS:

Protocol	Status on macOS	Suitability for Media
AFP	Deprecated	❌ Not recommended
SMB	Default	⚠️ Works fine for most use case, but may show limitations in intensive operations.
NFS	Supported	✅ Often provides the most stable and predictable results

AFP (Apple Filing Protocol)

AFP is deprecated and should no longer be used.

AFP was historically the best-performing and most reliable protocol on macOS, especially for media workflows. However, Apple has deprecated AFP for several years, and support has been progressively removed from macOS. AFP is no longer maintained, may be unavailable on modern systems, and should not be used for new installations.

Recommendation

Do not use AFP for ingest, playout, or shared storage on modern macOS systems.

SMB (Server Message Block)

SMB is the default network protocol on macOS, and it provides good interoperability with mixed environments (Windows, Linux, NAS appliances). However, macOS’s SMB implementation has shown limitations in professional media workflows.

Known Characteristics on macOS

• SMB on macOS can show reduced performance, especially:
  • With folders containing a very large number of files
  • Under sustained, high-bandwidth read/write workloads
• Metadata operations (file listings, file creation, file deletion) can be noticeably slower than expected
• Performance can vary significantly depending on macOS version, NAS vendor, and SMB server configuration

SMB Signing

In older versions of macOS (10.11 to 10.13), SMB packet signing was enabled by default, which significantly reduced performance, especially on high-bandwidth links such as 10GbE.

From macOS 10.13.4 and later, SMB signing is disabled by default for most configurations, and manual changes are usually no longer required. However, some servers may still enforce signing, which can reintroduce performance penalties.

When to Use SMB

• Mixed OS environments
• Office or editorial workflows
• Situations where compatibility is more important than maximum sustained throughput

Recommendation

SMB usually works great, and is widely used, but it should be carefully tested under real-world load before being used for ingest or playout.

NFS (Network File System)

NFS is often the best-performing option on macOS for professional video workflows.

NFS is a Unix-native, lightweight protocol with lower overhead than SMB. In practice, many integrators and users observe:

• More consistent sustained throughput
• Better behavior with large numbers of media files
• Fewer performance drops during continuous read/write operations
• These characteristics make NFS particularly well-suited for:
• Continuous recording (ingest)
• Real-time playout
• Shared storage accessed by multiple systems simultaneously

Considerations

• NFS requires more careful setup:
• Correct user/group ID mapping
• Proper export and mount options
• Permissions issues are more common if the system is not correctly configured
• NFS setup is typically handled by an integrator or storage vendor

Recommendation

For dedicated media networks and high-bandwidth workflows, NFS is often the preferred protocol on macOS.

Short Troubleshooting & Best Practices

If you experience performance issues with network storage on macOS:

• Test sustained performance, not short benchmarks
• Avoid folders with extremely large numbers of small files when using SMB
• Check whether SMB signing is enforced by the server
• Prefer wired connections (1GbE minimum, 10GbE recommended)
• Disable Spotlight indexing on network media volumes
• Avoid snapshots, backups, or RAID maintenance during production hours
• Ensure volumes are mounted before launching Softron applications
• For critical workflows, test both SMB and NFS and compare real-world behavior