# WHATPORT(548)

## NAME

port 548 — AFP over TCP — Apple Filing Protocol — a Mac file share, a Time Machine target, or a NAS with AFP still switched on.

Protocol: TCP

## DESCRIPTION

AFP over TCP is Apple's native file-sharing protocol, and for years it was how Macs mounted volumes from each other, from macOS Server, and from NAS boxes. Apple has since moved to SMB as the default — APFS volumes cannot be shared over AFP at all — and Apple's macOS Sequoia enterprise notes state that the AFP client is deprecated and will be removed in a future macOS release. In practice, 548 open today means a NAS (Synology, QNAP, or a Netatalk server) still offering AFP for older Macs or legacy Time Machine backups.

## EXPOSURE

**Do not expose.** A file-share service on a deprecated protocol with a shrinking maintenance base, protected only by user passwords — keep it on the LAN or reach it over a VPN.

## CHECK

```sh
nc -vz -w 3 TARGET 548
```

## SEE ALSO

- docs — [Apple — What's new for enterprise in macOS Sequoia (AFP client deprecated)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/121011) (support.apple.com)
- docs — [Apple — TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products (548 = AFP over TCP)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/103229) (support.apple.com)
- source — [Netatalk — open source AFP file server](https://github.com/Netatalk/netatalk) (github.com)

---

HTML: <https://whatport.net/548/> · JSON: <https://whatport.net/548.json> · full dataset: <https://whatport.net/ports.json>