9 Commits

Author SHA1 Message Date
Michael Roitzsch
af5c420f43 internals: update for macOS 13.4 Ventura 2023-04-02 15:25:56 +02:00
Michael Roitzsch
eeab6a8bfa Makefile: scan Xcode templates for extensions
extension definitions and their extension point names appear in Xcode
project templates
• scan all of Xcode’s Developer directory, not just selected subdirs
• extract plist part regarding extensions from TemplateInfo.plist files
• check for macOS and iOS extension keys
2023-04-02 12:04:55 +02:00
Michael Roitzsch
4d8f14e4a6 Makefile: silence Nix git dirty warning 2023-04-02 09:06:16 +02:00
Michael Roitzsch
04d82534d8 flake: update for Xcode 14.3 2023-04-02 09:05:36 +02:00
Michael Roitzsch
9542568442 internals: update for macOS 13.2 Ventura 2022-12-26 18:33:03 +01:00
Michael Roitzsch
05eed46555 flake: update for Xcode 14.2 2022-12-26 10:02:28 +01:00
Michael Roitzsch
72af1896ec flake: update for Xcode 14.1 2022-11-06 20:37:58 +01:00
Michael Roitzsch
40b2576d55 internals: update for macOS 12.4 Monterey 2022-06-06 21:45:17 +02:00
Michael Roitzsch
909ec8a160 flake: update for Xcode 13.4 2022-05-25 18:45:24 +02:00
4 changed files with 92 additions and 56 deletions

View File

@@ -50,12 +50,12 @@ sqlite: $(DB)
# MARK: - data extraction helpers
ACEXTRACT = $(shell nix build --no-write-lock-file .\#acextract && \
ACEXTRACT = $(shell nix build --no-write-lock-file --no-warn-dirty .\#acextract && \
readlink result && rm result)/bin/acextract
DSCEXTRACTOR = $(shell nix build --no-write-lock-file .\#dsc-extractor && \
DSCEXTRACTOR = $(shell nix build --no-write-lock-file --no-warn-dirty .\#dsc-extractor && \
readlink result && rm result)/bin/dyld-shared-cache-extractor
dyld: /System/Library/dyld/dyld_shared_cache_$(shell uname -m) /System/DriverKit/System/Library/dyld/dyld_shared_cache_$(shell uname -m)
dyld: /System/Cryptexes/OS/System/Library/dyld/dyld_shared_cache_x86_64h /System/Cryptexes/OS/System/DriverKit/System/Library/dyld/dyld_shared_cache_x86_64h
if ! test -x $(DSCEXTRACTOR) ; then \
printf '\033[1mdscextractor tool unavailable\033[m\n' >&2 ; \
echo 'FAIL;' ; \
@@ -70,18 +70,18 @@ prefix = $$(case $(1) in \
(macOS) ;; \
(macOS-dyld) echo $(dir $(realpath $(firstword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))/dyld ;; \
(iOS) echo $(XCODE)/Contents/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/iOS.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot ;; \
(tvOS) echo $(XCODE)/Contents/Developer/Platforms/AppleTVOS.platform/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/tvOS.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot ;; \
(watchOS) echo $(XCODE)/Contents/Developer/Platforms/WatchOS.platform/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/watchOS.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot ;; \
(tvOS) echo /Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Volumes/tvOS_*/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/tvOS*.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot ;; \
(watchOS) echo /Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Volumes/watchOS_*/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Profiles/Runtimes/watchOS*.simruntime/Contents/Resources/RuntimeRoot ;; \
esac)
find = \
{ \
$(2) find /Library /System /bin /dev /private /sbin /usr ! \( -path /System/Volumes/Data -prune \) $(1) 2> /dev/null | sed 's/^/macOS /' ; \
cd $(XCODE)/Contents/Developer ; find Library Toolchains Tools usr $(1) | sed 's|^|macOS /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/|' ; \
$(2) find /Library /System /bin /dev /private /sbin /usr ! \( -path /Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Volumes -prune \) ! \( -path /System/Volumes/Data -prune \) $(1) 2> /dev/null | sed 's/^/macOS /' ; \
cd $(XCODE)/Contents/Developer ; find * ! \( -path '*/Library/Developer/CoreSimulator' -prune \) $(1) | sed 's|^|macOS /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/|' ; \
test -d "$(call prefix,macOS-dyld)" && cd "$(call prefix,macOS-dyld)" && find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./macOS-dyld /' ; \
cd $(call prefix,iOS) ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./iOS /' ; \
cd $(call prefix,tvOS) ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./tvOS /' ; \
cd $(call prefix,watchOS) ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./watchOS /' ; \
cd "$(call prefix,iOS)" ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./iOS /' ; \
cd "$(call prefix,tvOS)" ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./tvOS /' ; \
cd "$(call prefix,watchOS)" ; find . $(1) | sed '1d;s/^\./watchOS /' ; \
}
file = SELECT id, $(1) FROM files WHERE os = '$$os' AND path = '$$(echo "$$path" | sed "s/'/''/g")'
@@ -135,6 +135,17 @@ db_manifests::
test -r "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" && plutil -convert json "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" -o - | \
sed "/: invalid object/d;s/'/''/g;s|.*|INSERT INTO info $(call file,json('&'));\n|" ; \
done
$(call find,-type f -name 'TemplateInfo.plist') | while read -r os path ; do \
test -r "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" && { \
echo '<dict>' ; \
PlistBuddy -c 'Print Definitions:Info.plist\:NSExtension' "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" ; \
PlistBuddy -c 'Print Definitions:Info.plist\:EXAppExtensionAttributes' "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" ; \
PlistBuddy -c 'Print Options:0:Units:Swift:Definitions:Info.plist\:NSExtension' "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" ; \
PlistBuddy -c 'Print Options:0:Units:Swift:Definitions:Info.plist\:EXAppExtensionAttributes' "$(call prefix,$$os)$$path" ; \
echo '</dict>' ; \
} 2> /dev/null | plutil -convert json - -o - | \
sed "/Property List error:/d;s/'/''/g;s|.*|INSERT INTO info $(call file,json('&'));\n|" ; \
done
db_assets::
if ! test -x $(ACEXTRACT) ; then \
@@ -189,7 +200,7 @@ check_binaries: internals.tsv $(DB)
check_manifests: internals.tsv $(DB)
printf '\033[1mchecking extension points...\033[m\n' >&2
grep -o 'extension points\?: [^;]*' $< | sed 's/^[^:]*: //;s/ //g;s/([^)]*)//g' | tr , '\n' | \
sed "s/'/''/g;s|.*|SELECT count(*), '&' FROM info, json_each(plist, '$$.NSExtension') WHERE key = 'NSExtensionPointIdentifier' AND value = '&';|" | \
sed "s/'/''/g;s|.*|SELECT count(*), '&' FROM (SELECT value FROM info, json_each(plist, '$$.NSExtension') WHERE key = 'NSExtensionPointIdentifier' UNION SELECT value FROM info, json_each(plist, '$$.EXAppExtensionAttributes') WHERE key = 'EXExtensionPointIdentifier') WHERE value = '&';|" | \
sqlite3 $(DB) | sed -n "/^0|/{s/^0|//;p;}"
check_services: internals.tsv $(DB)

19
flake.lock generated
View File

@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@
"dsc-extractor": {
"flake": false,
"locked": {
"lastModified": 1636949004,
"narHash": "sha256-5K0CCRx5csFS5yLCWUmkkrKO1Ny3BOwasrrM2fUWgTU=",
"lastModified": 1662651226,
"narHash": "sha256-pI9pP5QhO1X2hdJTxVl8p1xp+bDJzzfCsVNebDUTd0o=",
"owner": "keith",
"repo": "dyld-shared-cache-extractor",
"rev": "39b5d773495d99cdfaeab1904e47338b7257c59c",
"rev": "c9da45a40a70d9fc0d1c955190b9efb685e55cf6",
"type": "github"
},
"original": {
@@ -50,16 +50,15 @@
},
"nixpkgs": {
"locked": {
"lastModified": 1647887150,
"narHash": "sha256-1TnRvE3qhhafrQnGapaaSVue6nEwRUICkz227TfHHQw=",
"lastModified": 1671936867,
"narHash": "sha256-tOok3/MJWoRUEoPU5Ma/cTCeuw8ACx3Ozu1MlFcdvc8=",
"owner": "NixOS",
"repo": "nixpkgs",
"rev": "4c3c80df545ec5cb26b5480979c3e3f93518cbe5",
"rev": "18ee49839ea8817218c3bfe3a62e06f47a10fdd5",
"type": "github"
},
"original": {
"id": "nixpkgs",
"ref": "nixpkgs-unstable",
"type": "indirect"
}
},
@@ -92,13 +91,13 @@
"snapshot-header": {
"flake": false,
"locked": {
"narHash": "sha256-Y/DTtpnT8JQZO5Ijr+tW0IrIOuECcJ+ZvFLCgwrFt2M=",
"narHash": "sha256-/2aR6n5CbUobwbxkrGqBOAhCZLwDdIsoIOcpALhAUF8=",
"type": "tarball",
"url": "https://opensource.apple.com/tarballs/xnu/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz"
"url": "https://github.com/apple/darwin-xnu/archive/refs/tags/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz"
},
"original": {
"type": "tarball",
"url": "https://opensource.apple.com/tarballs/xnu/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz"
"url": "https://github.com/apple/darwin-xnu/archive/refs/tags/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz"
}
}
},

View File

@@ -14,21 +14,20 @@
flake = false;
};
snapshot-header = {
url = "https://opensource.apple.com/tarballs/xnu/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz";
url = "https://github.com/apple/darwin-xnu/archive/refs/tags/xnu-6153.141.1.tar.gz";
flake = false;
};
snap-util = {
url = "github:ahl/apfs";
flake = false;
};
nixpkgs.url = "flake:nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
};
outputs = { self, nixpkgs, acextract, command-line, dsc-extractor, snapshot-header, snap-util }: {
packages.x86_64-darwin = {
acextract =
with import nixpkgs { system = "x86_64-darwin"; };
let xcode = makeSetupHook {
deps = [ (xcodeenv.composeXcodeWrapper { version = "13.3"; }) ];
deps = [ (xcodeenv.composeXcodeWrapper { version = "14.3"; }) ];
} "${xcbuildHook}/nix-support/setup-hook";
in stdenv.mkDerivation {
name = "acextract-${lib.substring 0 8 self.inputs.acextract.lastModifiedDate}";
@@ -79,17 +78,17 @@
};
dsc-extractor =
with import nixpkgs { system = "x86_64-darwin"; };
rustPlatform.buildRustPackage {
stdenv.mkDerivation {
name = "dsc-extractor-${lib.substring 0 8 self.inputs.dsc-extractor.lastModifiedDate}";
src = dsc-extractor;
cargoHash = "sha256-Z405Q9gV/mJL2WtCstZ+Y9rEw32zgwU1RiYaAjkIcfw=";
nativeBuildInputs = [ cmake ];
};
snap-util =
with import nixpkgs { system = "x86_64-darwin"; };
stdenv.mkDerivation {
name = "snap-util-${lib.substring 0 8 self.inputs.snap-util.lastModifiedDate}";
src = snap-util;
nativeBuildInputs = [ (xcodeenv.composeXcodeWrapper { version = "13.3"; }) ];
nativeBuildInputs = [ (xcodeenv.composeXcodeWrapper { version = "14.3"; }) ];
preBuild = "NIX_CFLAGS_COMPILE='-idirafter ${snapshot-header}/bsd'";
installPhase = ''
mkdir -p $out/bin

View File

@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
Term Description
1TR One True Recovery; booting into macOS recovery on Apple Silicon by holding the power button to verify physical presence; enables interaction with SEP to change Boot Policy
AA Apple account
AA Apple Archive, see also Apple Encrypted Archive; command line tools: aa, aea, compression_tool
AAC Automatic Assessment Configuration; AutomaticAssessmentConfiguration.framework; puts device in a locked mode for exam-style test applications
AAT Apple Advanced Typography; font format and rendering engine
Accounts launchd service: com.apple.accountsd; /System/Library/Accounts
ACDE Apple Connect Device External? ACDEClient.framework, old two-step verification, derived from a company-internal AppleConnect system? server: appleconnect.apple.com
ACDE Apple Connect Device External? ACDEClient.framework, old two-step verification, derived from a company-internal AppleConnect system?
ACFS Apple Clustered File System; deprecated file system for Xsan; acfs.framework
Acoustic ID Siri feature to recognize songs
Activation cryptographic check-in with iCloud to lock devices reported by the user as lost; verified by iBoot; MobileActivationMacOS.framework; launchd service: com.apple.mobileactivationd; servers: humb.apple.com, albert.apple.com
Activity jobs, coarse-grained work units of applications; tracked by the system across XPC, bears a QoS class for scheduling; low-level mechanism not to be confused with User Activity
AE Apple Events; messaging system to invoke application functionality; CoreServices.framework/AE.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreservices.appleevents, com.apple.AEServer (AE over network)
AEA Apple Encrypted Archive; command line tool: aea
Aegir astronomy watch face and lock screen; /System/Library/CoreServices/AegirProxyApp.app
AGC Apple Graphics Control, management of multiple displays and display port connections; launchd service: com.apple.displaypolicyd
AHAP Apple Haptic Audio Pattern; file format for simultaneous audio and haptic data; CoreHaptics.framework
AIR Apple Intermediate Representation; synthetic bytecode architecture target for GPU binary toolchain
ALF Application-Level Firewall, launchd service: com.apple.alf (socketfilterfw)
Alloy substrate for communication between user devices over Bluetooth and devices to iCloud, implemented over IDS; /System/Library/IdentityServices/ServiceDefinitions; launchd service: com.apple.identityservicesd
@@ -38,17 +40,19 @@ ASR Apple Software Restore; restore entire volumes from sources like disk images
Assertions power state management allowing applications to prevent sleeping; launchd service: com.apple.powerd; command line tools: caffeinate, pmset
Assessment checking of System Policy; term also used for AAC
Asset Cache discretionary caching server for Mobile Assets, Packages, iOS updates, App Store content, ODR, MMCS data; launchd services: com.apple.AssetCache.builtin, com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService, com.apple.AssetCacheManagerService, com.apple.AssetCacheTetheratorService; command line tools: AssetCacheLocatorUtil, AssetCacheManagerUtil, AssetCacheTetheratorUtil
Assistant Siri; dictation and semantic understanding, Intent is communicated to and enacted on the client, uses TTS; /System/Library/Assistant, AssistantServices.framework; server: *.siri.apple.com
Assistant Siri; dictation and semantic understanding, Intent is communicated to and enacted on the client, uses TTS for output, Snippets to embed mini UIs into responses; /System/Library/Assistant, /System/Library/Snippets, AssistantServices.framework; server: *.siri.apple.com
ATS App Transport Security, sandbox mechanism only allowing TLS-secured connections
ATSUI Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging; rendering engine superseded by CoreText.framework, font management; ApplicationServices.framework/ATS.framework; launchd service: com.apple.xtyped (fontd); command line tools: atsutil
ATT App Tracking Transparency; apps declare user tracking on app store
Attestation cryptographic proof of a genuine SEP; used for web authentication and app attestation; DeviceCheck.framework; online service signs a GID-based challenge response? used to pair RemoteXPC channel? stripped down variant used to securely identify Touch ID keyboards
Attestation cryptographic proof of a genuine SEP; used for web authentication and app attestation; DeviceCheck.framework; SEP responds to challenge using hardware-key (GID, PKA), online service verifies; used to pair Touch ID keyboards, used to pair RemoteXPC channel?
Authorization discretionary access control policies for high-level services; similar to PAM; policy stored in /var/db/auth.db
Avatar Memoji and Animoji (face tracking); AvatarKit.framework
Avatar Memoji and Animoji, including pre-rendered iMessage stickers; AvatarKit.framework
AVB Audio Video Bridging, low-latency audio over Ethernet; launchd service: com.apple.avbdeviced; command line tool: avbdiagnose, avbutil
AWD Apple Wireless Diagnostics, sends system telemetry to Apple; CoreAnalytics.framework, WirelessDiagnostics.framework; launchd services: com.apple.awdd, com.apple.analyticsd
AWDL Apple Wireless Direct Link; secondary WiFi interface that runs in parallel to an active WiFi access point connection, similar to WiFi Direct (p2p interface), uses a randomized MAC, used for peer-to-peer networking: AirDrop, AirPlay; DeviceToDeviceManager.framework
Background Assets assets that an app extension loads without the app being launched; BackgroundAssets.framework; extension point: com.apple.background-asset-downloader-extension; launchd service: com.apple.backgroundassets.user
Bezel on-screen overlays for hardware volume buttons, screen brightness, Bluetooth HID, and others; /Library/Application Support/Apple/BezelServices, launchd services: com.apple.loginwindow, com.apple.OSDUIHelper
Bifrost emergency satellite connectivity; /System/Library/LocationBundles/Bifrost.bundle
Biome CloudKit-based datastream and sync engine; BiomeStreams.framework, BiomeSync.framework; launchd services: com.apple.BiomeAgent, com.apple.biomesyncd
Blast Door sandboxed sanitization process for untrusted iMessage input; BlastDoor.framework
BOM Bill of Materials; format to store contents of installer Packages; command line tool: lsbom
@@ -64,9 +68,12 @@ CAML Core Animation Markup Language; XML file format for layers, shapes and anim
Carousel derivative of SpringBoard for Watch home screen, watch face, and notification center
Celestial media streaming used by ReplayKit for game broadcasts; Celestial.framework
Certificates validity checked using CRLs, OCSP stapling, and transparency logs; /System/Library/Security/Certificates.bundle; launchd services: com.apple.trustd, com.apple.trustd.agent, com.apple.ocspd; command line tool: crlrefresh
Circle cryptographic primitive to exchange public keys of all trusted devices of one user, signed by all Circle peers; iCloud identity keypair as an additional Circle peer, triggers countersigning from all trusted devices, private key synced across all trusted devices, new devices can pull this key from Secure Backup to join the Circle; used by CKKS; KeychainCircle.framework; command line tools: tpctl, otctl (Octagon trust is newer?)
CKKS CloudKit Key Sync, end-to-end secure syncing for credentials, seeded by Circle, transferred items stored ephemerally using OTR protocol; currently includes ApplePay, AutoUnlock, CreditCards, DevicePairing, Engram, Health, Home, Manatee, SOS, WiFi and other keys; launchd service: com.apple.secd; command line tool: ckksctl
Classroom launchd service: com.apple.studentd
Chamois Stage Manager
CHIP Connected Home over IP; Matter; integrated into HomeKit; CHIPPlugin.framework
Circle cryptographic primitive to exchange public keys of trusted devices of a user, signed by Circle peers; iCloud identity added as additional Circle peer, private key synced across all trusted devices, new devices can pull this key from Secure Backup to join the Circle; per-device Circles stored in CKKS for two-factor accounts (Octagon); KeychainCircle.framework; command line tools: tpctl, otctl (Octagon)
CKKS CloudKit Key Sync, end-to-end secure syncing for credentials, seeded by Circle; currently includes ApplePay, AutoUnlock, CreditCards, DevicePairing, Engram, Health, Home, Manatee, SOS, WiFi and other keys; launchd service: com.apple.secd; command line tool: ckksctl
Clarity customizable accessibility mode for simplified UI; ClarityFoundation.framework
Classroom school teachers can create assignments for student iPads and track progress in Schoolwork app; ClassKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.studentd
Cloud Pairing part of Alloy, Bluetooth out-of-band pairing over iCloud for Continuity; launchd service: com.apple.BTServer.cloudpairing (cloudpaird)
CMAS Commerial Mobile Alert System, now known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
Commpage user-mapped kernel data, like vdso/vsyscall on Linux; mapped at 0x7fffffe00000
@@ -76,6 +83,8 @@ Continuity umbrella term for Handoff, Sidecar, SMS relay, Universal Clipboard, W
Control Center icons in menu/status bar and Bento Box controls UI, gradually replaces SystemUIServer on macOS; handles incoming AirPlay content; launchd services: com.apple.controlcenter, com.apple.SystemUIServer.agent
CPML CorePrediction Machine Learning; CPMLBestShim.framework
CRD Conference Room Display; Apple TV mode
Cryptex Cryptographically sealed Extension of SSV, mount-invisible extension of the root volume, allows lightweight updates as part of Rapid Security Response; /System/Cryptexes (mountpoint), /System/Volumes/Preboot/*/cryptex1/current/*.dmg (disk images)
CSR Configurable Security Restrictions; XNU subsystem that is the basis for SIP
CTK Crypto Token Kit; smart card management, also for the Secure Element on iOS? launchd service: com.apple.ctkd; command line tool: sc_auth
CTS Centralized Task Scheduling; execution of DAS tasks; /System/Library/UserEventPlugins/com.apple.cts.plugin
CVMS Core VM Server/Service? compilation of GPU shaders; launchd service: com.apple.cvmsServ
@@ -87,22 +96,25 @@ Data Detectors text analysis to highlight phone numbers, street addresses, and t
Data Vault directories with the UF_DATAVAULT special flag; CSR limits access to one application
DAV Distributed Authoring and Versioning; network protocol on top of HTTP for syncing calendars (CalDAV), contacts (CardDAV), and formerly also bookmarks (BookmarkDAV)
DCP Display Co-Processor
DDE Device Discovery Extension; detects devices on local network without app access to local network; DeviceDiscoveryExtension.framework, DeviceDiscoveryUICore.framework; extension point: com.apple.discovery-extension
DEP Device Enrollment Program; devices check in with Apple during Setup Assistant to query for their enrollment status, retrieve MDM server URL to fetch initial configuration profile
Developer Mode enables launching of self-compiled apps in iOS, rough equivalent to System Policy; command line tool: devmodectl
DFR Dynamic Function Row?, TouchBar; /System/Library/CoreServices/ControlStrip.app; DFRFoundation.framework
DFU Device Firmware Update; special boot mode where iOS has not booted and the system can be installed over the Lightning connection
Differential Privacy crowdsourcing without user tracking; privacy budget for management of anonymity set; used for keyboard words, emoji, Spotlight searches, Parsec deep links, HealthKit usage, Safari telemetry; /System/Library/DifferentialPrivacy; stored in /var/db/DifferentialPrivacy; launchd service: com.apple.dprivacyd
Digital Separation safety check feature to inhibit sharing relationships; DigitalSeparation.framework
DMC Disk Mount Conditioner; simulates slow IO devices; command line tool: dmc
DND Do Not Disturb
DSID Destination Signaling Identifier, unique ID for IDS login on a specific device
DTrace system-wide tracing infrastructure, command line tools: dtrace, *.d, dappprof, dapptrace, dtruss, errinfo, execsnoop, fddist, fs_usage, imptrace, iopattern, iopending, iosnoop, iotop, lastwords, latency, opensnoop, plockstat, rwsnoop, sampleproc, sc_usage, topsyscall, topsysproc
Duet telemetry collection engine for system and user events, forecasting by machine learning, backend for DAS, Proactive, Relevance, Screen Time, thermal and battery management; /System/Library/DuetKnowledgeBase; CoreDuet.framework, CoreKnowledge.framework, CorePrediction.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreduetd, com.apple.knowledge-agent
Dyld Shared Cache dynamic linker cache, stores all system libraries in prelinked form, original library files are removed; /System/Library/dyld; command line tool: update_dyld_shared_cache
Duet telemetry collection engine for system and user events, forecasting by machine learning, backend for DAS, Proactive, Relevance, Screen Time, thermal and battery management; /System/Library/DuetKnowledgeBase; CoreDuet.framework, CoreKnowledge.framework, CorePrediction.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreduetd, com.apple.knowledge-agent, com.apple.ospredictiond
Dyld Shared Cache dynamic linker cache, stores all system libraries in prelinked form, original library files are removed; /System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/System/Library/dyld; command line tools: dyld_info, dyld_usage, update_dyld_shared_cache
EAS Exchange Active Sync; network protocol for accessing Microsoft Exchange servers
EDR Extended Dynamic Range; rendering with transfer function extending beyond sRGB white; implemented natively on XDR displays and by backlight modulation on others; HDRProcessing.framework
Energy Impact unitless metric for per-application energy consumption, machine-specific coefficients; /usr/share/pmenergy, /usr/share/kpep; launchd services: com.apple.sysmond, com.apple.thermald; command line tool: powermetrics
Engram Messages in iCloud; devices store received iMessages in CloudKit; Engram.framework
Entitlements capability-like attributes bound to executables by code signing; some entitlements like App Sandbox restrict ambient authority, some gradually relieve those restrictions (using Seatbelt), some services or system calls grant privilege based on caller entitlements
ESS IDS user directory, public key distribution for iMessage and CloudKit sharing, uses Transparency; server: *.ess.apple.com; launchd service: com.apple.identityservicesd
Event Monitor simple rules engine for running commands on various systen events; apparently not used by default; /etc/emond.d, /var/db/emondClients; launchd service: com.apple.emond
FaceTime video calls, employs the ICE (establishing peer-to-peer connection), STUN (session credential exchange) and SRTP (encrypted media streaming) protocols; FTServices.framework; launchd services: com.apple.videoconference.camera (avconferenced)
FairPlay DRM system used by app and media stores; CoreADI.framework, CoreFP.framework, CoreLSKD.framework; launchd services: com.apple.adid, com.apple.fairplayd (invoked by kernel through host special port 17), com.apple.lskdd; credentials stored in /var/db/fpsd
Family Circle Family Sharing; launchd services: com.apple.familycircled, com.apple.askpermissiond
@@ -110,9 +122,10 @@ FDE Full Disk Encryption, FileVault; command line tool: fdesetup, sysadminctl
FDR Factory Data/Device Reset? ensures that no downgrades are performed? servers: skl.apple.com, gg.apple.com; /System/Library/FDR
Feldspar Apple News; Silex.framework
FiDES Fi? Distributed Evaluation Service? aggregates Differential Privacy data for unlinkability? maybe private federated learning? used for emoji, Suggestions, Dictation; /System/Library/DistributedEvaluation; DistributedEvaluation.framework; server: fides-pol.apple.com
File Provider infrastructure and extension system for syncing with cloud providers; placeholder files based on SF_DATALESS attribute in APFS; FileProvider.framework; locally stored in ~/Library/CloudStorage; command line tool: fileproviderctl
Find My … location sharing by explicitly querying devices remotely or collateral beacon detection using Search Party; FMCore.framework, FMF.framework; launchd service: com.apple.icloud.fmfd (find my friends)
Firmlink bi-directional non-symbolic link between the read-only system volume and the data volume, additional symlinks and mountpoints in the root directory are virtually allocated; /usr/share/firmlinks, /etc/synthetic.conf
Focus restriction modes for notification presentation; Focus.framework, DoNotDisturb.framework; local settings in ~/Library/DoNotDisturb
Focus restriction modes for notification presentation; focus filters for in-app display restrictions, communicat by Intents; Focus.framework, DoNotDisturb.framework; local settings in ~/Library/DoNotDisturb
FollowUp user interaction for Secure Backup wrapping with device passcode, CoreFollowUp.framework; launchd service: com.apple.followupd
FoundationDB fundamental iCloud storage database, marketed as CloudKit, separated into containers; records, blobs, and large asset storage with MMCS, server-side continuous queries can trigger push notifications, user management by IDS, sharing between users; PCS keys used for hierarchical zone, record, and asset encryption; CloudKitDaemon.framework; launchd service: com.apple.cloudd; locally stored in ~/Library/Caches/CloudKit, ~/Library/Containers/*/Data/CloudKit; command line tool: cktool
FPR Fast Permission Restrictions; Apple CPU registers to downgrade (old APRRs do bitmasking) or remap (SPRRs since M1) actual permissions of memory pages (the CTRR region) per thread; used for JIT protection and by AMFI to freeze user code after checking
@@ -128,7 +141,7 @@ HDI Hard Disk Image; command line tool: hdiutil
HeadBoard derivative of SpringBoard for tvOS home screen; /Applications/HeadBoard.app, /Applications/PineBoard.app
HLS HTTP Live Streaming
HSA Hardware Security Architecture; version 1 used for two-step verification, SOS with iCSC; version 2 for two-factor authentication, CKKS and Secure Backup with iCDP
HSM Hardware Security Module; HSM fleet runs escrow service for Secure Backup; public keys for authenticating the HSM services in /System/Library/Security/Certificates.bundle/Contents/Resources/AppleESCertificates.plist
HSM Hardware Security Module; HSM fleet runs escrow service for Secure Backup
Hyperion iCloud Photos, uses CloudKit; launchd service: com.apple.cloudphotod; command line tool: cpldiagnose
IAP iPod Accessory Protocol; IAP.framework
iBoot boot loader stage after boot ROM or UEFI (macOS on Intel); intermediate Low-Level Bootloader (LLB); DFU mode is implemented here; /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi
@@ -140,14 +153,14 @@ IDS Identity Service, also IDMS, Apple ID identity management for all of Apple
IDV Identity Verification? Touch ID and Face ID; /System/Library/AccessibilityBundles/CoreIDVUI.axbundle
IM Instant Messaging; usually means iMessage and FaceTime
IMG4 boot files (Mach-O binaries or configuration data) with ASN.1 signature, contains RemotePolicy certificate constraints to restrict Boot Policy evaluation
Intent use-case-driven interaction with 3rd-party apps from a host app; used for Siri, Maps, Widgets (configuration); extension points: com.apple.intents-service, com.apple.intents-ui-service
Intent use-case-driven interaction with 3rd-party apps from a host app; used for Siri, Maps, Shortcuts, Widgets (configuration); definition file or programmatically using AppIntents.framework; command line tool: appintentsmetadataprocessor (Xcode extracts Intent definition at compile time); extension points: com.apple.intents-service, com.apple.intents-ui-service
IOKit device driver subsystem for in-kernel and DriverKit drivers, command line tool: ioreg
Ironwood dictation, customized on server with selected user data (contacts, app names, music titles, HomeKit names, Siri Shortcut phrases), not tied to Apple ID; SpeechRecognitionCore.framework; server: guzzoni.apple.com
ISP Image Signal Processor; camera imaging circuit in iPhones
ITML iTunes Markup Language; metdata tagging for media services; ITMLKit.framework
ITP Intelligent Tracking Prevention, cross-site tracking defenses in Safari, statistics and user interaction classify sites, cookies are partitioned and access is restricted
JARVIS Just A Rather Very Intelligent Scheduler, Mesos cluster manager for Siri, iCloud, AMS
Jellyfish Animoji
Jellyfish Animoji; /Applications/Jellyfish.app
Jetsam reclaiming of purgeable memory and termination of apps during memory pressure
JSC JavaScript Core; JavaScriptCore.framework; command line tool: jsc
Kalamata codename for the transition from x86 to ARM-based Apple Silicon
@@ -158,14 +171,16 @@ Keybag storage of protection class keys for Keychain and filesystem, protected b
Keychain storage for credentials; launchd service: com.apple.securityd; command line tools: certtool, security, systemkeychain
KIP Kernel Integrity Protection, locking of physical memory pages to prevent changes to kernel
Launch Services management for application launches, association of UTIs to apps, uses Spotlight to update cached info; launchd services: com.apple.coreservices.launchservicesd, com.apple.lsd; CoreServices.framework/LaunchServices.framework; command line tools: lsappinfo, lsregister
Live Files user mode filesystems, currently FAT, ExFAT, NTFS on external storage; UserFS.framework, UVFSXPCService.framework; launchd service: com.apple.filesystems.userfsd
Liverpool PCS codename for CloudKit
LKDC Local Key Distribution Center, Kerberos on client machines
LSM Latent Semantic Mapping, text analysis, used for spam filtering, command line tool: lsm
Mac Buddy historic name for Setup Assistant
MAC Policy Mandatory Access Control subsystem in XNU, based on TrustedBSD, implements policy hooks for restricted kernel operations; current policies: AMFI, Seatbelt, Quarantine, CSR
Machine Learning Vision.framework, Espresso.framework, Futhark.framework, PhotoAnalysis.framework; launchd service: com.apple.mediaanalysisd
Machine Learning Vision.framework, Espresso.framework, Futhark.framework, PhotoAnalysis.framework; used for Live Text and Visual Lookup; launchd service: com.apple.mediaanalysisd
Madrid iMessage; /System/Library/Messages
Manatee PCS key for some CloudKit containers are synced via CKKS, so data is unreadable to Apple (credential management codenames: Plesio, Stingray, Cuttlefish)
Mandrake emergency siren on Apple Watch Ultra; /Applications/Mandrake.app
Mangrove transfering UI tiles over XPC; Mangrove.framework, IOSurface.framework
Marco Marco.framework, something about IDS and communication (iMessage, Calls), logging?
Marklar codename from the PowerPC era for the port to x86, served the transition to Intel CPUs
@@ -192,18 +207,22 @@ Notarization app security scan by Apple; cryptographic proof stapled to code sig
Noticeboard User Notifications for Software Update and App Store, Noticeboard.framework; launchd services: com.apple.noticeboard.state (nbstated), com.apple.noticeboard.agent (nbagent)
Notifications system notification bus, unrelated to the local/remote push notifications; launchd service: com.apple.notifyd, com.apple.kuncd (invoked by kernel through host special port 10); command line tool: notifyutil; complemented by framework-level notification system (CFNotification, NSNotification); launchd services: com.apple.distnoted.xpc.daemon, com.apple.distnoted.xpc.agent
NSP Network Service Proxy; per-app VPN and proxy settings, implements Private Relay; launchd service: com.apple.networkserviceproxy
OAH Rosetta; /usr/libexec/rosetta
OAH Rosetta; ahead-of-time compiler for Intel code on Apple Silicon, usable from Linux VMs by way of a custom binformat; /usr/libexec/rosetta
ODR On-Demand Resources; loaded from App Store; launchd service: com.apple.appstored
Onboarding data protection splash screen shown by service-connected apps; /System/Library/OnBoardingBundles; OnBoardingKit.framework
Open Directory directory service for user, group, and machine management; plugin-based to use different backend stores (LDAP, Active Directory), local accounts in /private/var/db/dslocal; launchd service: com.apple.opendirectoryd; command line tools: dscacheutil, dscl, dsconfigad, dsconfigldap, dseditgroup, dsenableroot, dserr, dsexport, dsimport, dsmemberutil, odutil
OpenBSM Open Basic Security Module; deprecated security audit subsystem; /etc/security, /var/audit; launchd service: com.apple.auditd; command line tool: audit
Opus create slide shows from photos; Slideshows.framework
OSA Open Scripting Architecture; scripting of applications from different fontend languages (currently AppleScript and JavaScript); backed by Apple Events; command line tools: osacompile, osadecompile, osalang, osascript, sdef, sdp
OTUT One-Time Unlock Token; security mechanism to allow keybag unwrapping after updates
PAC Pointer Authentication Codes; pointers signed in unused bits to prevent ROP attacks
Packages unit of software installation; command line tools: pkgutil, installer, softwareupdate; launchd services: com.apple.softwareupdated, com.apple.bootinstalld, com.apple.installd, com.apple.system_installd, com.apple.uninstalld; /var/db/softwareupdate, /Library/Apple/System/Library/Receipts (system), /System/Library/Receipts (read-only), /private/var/db/receipts (App Store)
Packet Filter network traffic filtering subsystem from OpenBSD; command line tool: pfctl
Parsec Spotlight web results and searching of crowdsourced User Activity deep links; server: *.smoot.apple.com; launchd services: com.apple.parsecd, com.apple.parsec-fbf (Feedback Flush to Differential Privacy)
Passkey keypair used for authentication instead of password, synced via SOS, implements WebAuthn standard; keys can be used to login on separate device via QR code and Bluetooth proximity proof; AuthenticationServices.framework
Password Breach monitoring of Keychain passwords against a breach database; round-robin matching in fixed-size batches, local match against common leaks, remote match using hash prefix; launchd service: com.apple.Safari.passwordbreachd
Pasteboard storage for cut, copy, and paste; type of content remembered as UTI; launchd service: com.apple.pboard; command line tools: pbcopy, pbpaste
PAT Private Access Tokens; blind challenge-response authentication; Apple server attests user validity to token issuer, issuer performs blind signature, websites receiving the token cannot identify user; used for Private Relay, can replace CAPTCHAs
PCS Protected Cloud Storage; key management for separate iCloud storage compartments (PCS calls them views), each can contain FoundationDB plus bulk data stored by MMCS; see also iCDP, CKKS, Manatee; ProtectedCloudStorage.framework; /System/Library/Preferences/ProtectedCloudStorage; command line tool: pcsstatus
PCSC Personal Computer Smart Card; PCSC.framework, uses CTK
PDE Print Dialog Extension; old name, not a proper Extension
@@ -214,9 +233,10 @@ PHASE Physical Audio Spatialization Engine; 3D sound rendering engine; Apple dev
Piano Mover Mail Drop; bulk mail attachments transfered over PCS; not to be confused with storage for iMessage attachments, which uses a CloudKit container
Plugin Extensions, XPC services bundled with apps or frameworks, discovery by Launch Services; launchd service: com.apple.pluginkit.pkd; command line tool: pluginkit
PMP Port Mapping Protocol; Apple alternative to UPnP, Bonjour service: _acp-sync._tcp
Poster iPhone lock screen; PosterBoard.framework, PosterKit.framework
PowerUI battery management like smart charge and power save, learns from Duet and other data; PowerUI.framework; /var/db/PowerUI; launchd service: com.apple.PowerUIAgent
Preferences storage for user-configurable settings; launchd services: com.apple.cfprefsd.xpc.daemon, com.apple.cfprefsd.xpc.agent; stored in Library/Preferences, command line tool: defaults; interaction with Synced Defaults per /System/Library/DefaultsConfigurations
Private Relay two-hop onion routing with one entry and one exit node; Apple operates entry, third-party services operate exit nodes; QUIC for payload, ODoH for DNS, approximate IP geolocation via Waldo; authentication via Attestation, propagated to proxys using RSA blind signatures
Private Relay two-hop onion routing with one entry and one exit node; Apple operates entry, third-party services operate exit nodes; QUIC for payload, ODoH for DNS, approximate IP geolocation via Waldo, authentication via PAT
Proactive umbrella term for suggestions and completions based on Duet forecasting and User Activity context, also marketed as Siri features; PersonalizationPortrait.framework
QoS Classes inheritable property for Activities; semantic priorities, influences scheduling parameters; initially set at user-level, priority inheritance within GCD queues and across XPC in kernel?
Quagga framework for QR and barcode decoding; Quagga.framework
@@ -226,7 +246,7 @@ RAOP Remote Audio Output Protocol, AirPlay; Bonjour service: _raop._tcp
Rapport device pairing by proximity using Alloy, with PIN entry, or using iCloud; once paired, devices can access services; used for HomeKit, HomePod, AirPlay, Home Sharing, SideCar; Rapport.framework; launchd service: com.apple.rapportd; Bonjour service: _companion-link._tcp
Recents recently used items (not files) in various applications, synced with Synced Defaults; CoreRecents.framework, /System/Library/Recents; launchd service: com.apple.recentsd
Relevance Engine backend for Siri suggestions (for example of Siri Shortcuts), Widget smart stacks (also Siri watch face); consumes Duet knowledge and app-provided timelines with relevance hints; /System/Library/RelevanceEngine; launchd service: com.apple.relevanced
Remote Pairing Mobile Device pairing without wired connection; RemotePairingDevice.framework; launchd service: com.apple.dt.remotepairingdeviced; Bonjour services: _remotepairing._tcp, _remotepairing-manual-pairing._tcp
Remote Pairing Mobile Device pairing without wired connection; RemotePairingDevice.framework; Bonjour services: _remotepairing._tcp, _remotepairing-manual-pairing._tcp
RemoteXPC connection to a non-SoC-integrated SEP like Bridge; uses HTTP/2 over a network interface, Bridge connected over USB, secured using Attestation; RemoteServiceDiscovery.framework, TrustedAccessory.framework; launchd service: com.apple.remoted, com.apple.tracd; command line tool: remotectl
Revisions document autosave and auto-versioning; stored in .DocumentRevisions-V100; GenerationalStorage.framework; launchd service: com.apple.revisiond
Routine frequently visited locations on iOS, interacts with Duet; launchd service: com.apple.routined
@@ -242,13 +262,16 @@ Search Party portion of Find My service for offline devices; devices emit public
Seatbelt process sandbox by filtering system calls; profiles written in SBPL; /System/Library/Sandbox/Profiles, /usr/share/sandbox; default file access policy asks for TCC confirmation before access to folders with user data (like Documents) is allowed; command line tool: sandbox-exec; launchd service: com.apple.sandboxd (invoked by kernel through host special port 14 for logging)
Secure Backup escrow part of CKKS; escrow key individually wrapped with passcodes of trusted devices, stored in HSM to prevent brute forcing, uses SRP so passcodes are not visible to iCloud, limited number of recovery attempts; protocol called Lakitu, uses FollowUp; launchd service: com.apple.SecureBackupDaemon (com.apple.sbd); CloudServices.framework
SEP Secure Enclave Processor; dedicated ARM core for security services, runs L4/Darbat-based sepOS, inline encryption to DRAM, manages AES keys in storage DMA engine, factory-paired channels to Touch ID/Face ID hardware, Secure Element, Neural Engine; SEP can use but not read UID and GID keys; credential verification performed by hardware lockbox with retry count enforcement
Sequoia translation; downloadable language models can run on-device; /Applications/SequoiaTranslator.app, Translation.framework
Seymour Apple Fitness+; workout videos integrated with Watch sensors; SeymourCore.framework
SF Symbols scalable UI symbols; rendered with various color treatments; SFSymbols.framework
Shared With You collaboration features between apps and iMessage; content shared via iMessage is surfaced in apps (Swift Transferable protocol), content in apps can be collaboratively edited and connected to an iMessage group; collaborations are expressed by keys derived from participant device keys, padded with a number of random keys to prevent tracking of device count, a merkle tree of those keys is used to prove inclusion of a specific device to an app; SharedWithYou.framework
Sharing umbrella term for wireless proximity services: AirDrop, Continuity, Instant Hotspot, WiFi sharing; used by loginwindow for Watch unlock; Sharing.framework; launchd service: com.apple.sharingd; also serves connection sharing and remote disk
Shazam music recognition service; ShazamKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.shazamd
Shazam audio (especially music) recognition service; ShazamKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.shazamd; command line tool: shazam
Shoebox Passbook
Sidecar using iPhone/iPad as Mac accessory: camera for photos and scanning, annotations, external display over low-latency WiFi (llw interface) using avconferenced encoding; SidecarCore.framework; launchd services: com.apple.sidecar-display-agent (SidecarDisplayAgent), com.apple.sidecar-relay (SidecarRelay)
Sidecar using iPhone/iPad as Mac accessory: external camera and microphone (ContinuityCapture), camera for photos and scanning (DocumentCamera.framework), external display over low-latency WiFi (llw interface) using avconferenced encoding; SidecarCore.framework; launchd services: com.apple.sidecar-display-agent (SidecarDisplayAgent), com.apple.sidecar-relay (SidecarRelay)
Signpost telemetry API to report points of interest in code; launchd service: com.apple.signpost.signpost_reporter
Simulator running an iOS/tvOS/watchOS personality on macOS, uses sandboxing and a separate Mach bootstrap namespace for container-like isolation, command line tool: simctl
Simulator running an iOS/tvOS/watchOS personality on macOS, uses sandboxing and a separate Mach bootstrap namespace for container-like isolation; installable simulators as disk images in /Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Images; command line tool: simctl
SIP System Integrity Protection or rootless mode; collection of kernel-level security restrictions regarding file system modification, unsigned Kexts, Taskport access, NVRAM access, DTrace; /System/Library/Sandbox/rootless.conf; command line tool: csrutil, rootless-init
Site Association signed files in .well-known directory on websites; equivalent to Entitlements for websites, associates domains with app IDs for Universal Links; command line tool: swcutil
SKP Sealed Key Protection; measurement of system state (boot chain IMG4 manifests, BPR, Boot Policy data, UID key, user passcode) to derive Keybag keys
@@ -258,7 +281,7 @@ Skywalk network subsystem in XNU, links together actual technologies (Bluetooth,
SLC System-Level Cache, architectural feature of Apple Silicon; cache located within SoC at controllers for external DRAM, serves all compute units and stages transfers between them
Social Gaming Game Center; multiplayer gaming services on top of CloudKit, shared storage and low-latency multicast for multiplayer sessions; launchd service: com.apple.gamed
Sock Puppet Watch interaction that requires Companion device
SOS Secure Object Sync; syncing backend for iCloud Keychain, not to be confused with the emergency call feature; transferred items previously staged in Synced Defaults, now uses CKKS; launchd services: com.apple.secd (access to local keychain), com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy3 (connects to Synced Defaults), com.apple.security.keychain-circle-notification
SOS Secure Object Sync; syncing backend for iCloud Keychain, not to be confused with the emergency call feature; transferred items previously staged in Synced Defaults, for two-factor accounts in CKKS; launchd services: com.apple.secd (access to local keychain), com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy3 (connects to Synced Defaults), com.apple.security.keychain-circle-notification
SPI System Private Interface; /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks
SpringBoard iOS home screen; like Dock (Launchpad, Mission Control, desktop picture), Control Center, SystemUIServer (menu extras icons), loginwindow (lock screen), and WindowServer (compositor) on macOS; /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app, /Applications/PreBoard.app, BaseBoard.framework, FrontBoard.framework, SplashBoard.framework; launchd service: com.apple.backboardd (compositor)
SPRR Shadow Permission Remap Register? feature of Apple Silicon to dynamically reintepret page permissions
@@ -269,12 +292,13 @@ Stark CarPlay
Stockholm Secure Element in Apple SoCs, a processor running crypto protocols on keys it protects; used for Apple Pay and Car Key; related codenames: Icefall, Warsaw
Storage Management freeing up disk space by managing bulky items; UI in System Information.app; StorageManagement.framework; launchd service: com.apple.diskspaced; extension point: com.apple.storagemanagement; extends Cache Delete service
Suggestions semantic analysis of mails and websites to suggest contacts, calendar events and the like; launchd services: com.apple.suggestd, com.apple.reversetemplated; custom JavaScript parsers in /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_CoreSuggestions
Symbols debug symbols for backtraces; CoreSymbolication.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coresymbolicationd; command line tools: symbols, symbolscache
Symbols debug symbols for backtraces; CoreSymbolication.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coresymbolicationd; command line tools: atos, symbols, symbolscache
Symptoms network diagnostics; Symptoms.framework; /var/networkd/db/netusage.sqlite; launchd service: com.apple.symptomsd (invoked by kernel through host special port 27)
Synced Defaults simple key-value store for applications, no user control over data; can use iCloud key-value backend (old) or Manatee container (new, marked as com.apple.kvs) as storage; launchd service: com.apple.syncdefaultsd; locally stored in ~/Library/SyncedPreferences
System Configuration SystemConfiguration.framework; launchd service: com.apple.configd; command line tool: scutil
System Extension user-level components formerly in the kernel; currently either a DriverKit, Network, or Endpoint Security extension; /System/DriverKit, /System/Library/DriverExtensions; command line tool: systemextensionsctl; launchd services: com.apple.sysextd, com.apple.nesessionmanager, com.apple.endpointsecurity.endpointsecurityd
System Extension system-wide components formerly implemented as insecure plugins or kexts; current extension types: DriverKit, Network, Endpoint Security, Core Media IO; /System/DriverKit, /System/Library/DriverExtensions; command line tool: systemextensionsctl; launchd services: com.apple.sysextd, com.apple.nesessionmanager, com.apple.endpointsecurity.endpointsecurityd; command line tool: eslogger
System Policy Gatekeeper; policy engine for application launches and kext loading, malware signatures from /Library/Apple/System/Library/CoreServices/XProtect.bundle; /var/db/SystemPolicy; launchd service: com.apple.security.syspolicy (invoked by kernel through host special port 29); command line tool: spctl
Tailspin sampling of process stack traces; launchd service: com.apple.tailspind; command line tool: tailspin
TAL Transparent App Lifecycle; process for macOS apps started and stopped independently of the user launching and quitting app; also handles session restore across reboots; ~/Library/Saved Application State; launchd service: com.apple.talagent
Taskport Mach kernel concept for ptrace-like access to task internals; access policy implemented by daemon; launchd service: com.apple.taskgated (invoked by kernel through task special port 9); command line tool: DevToolsSecurity
TCC Transparency, Consent, and Control; user control over app access to privacy-related services (kTCCService*); TCC.framework; launchd services: com.apple.tccd, com.apple.tccd.system; command line tool: tccutil; stored in /Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC, ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC, /var/db/locationd (for kTCCServiceLocation)
@@ -284,21 +308,24 @@ Tones ringtones; ToneLibrary.framework
Translocation app binary copied on launch to dedicated location; initiated by Launch Services for security (prevents path traversal for apps quarantined by System Policy) or path normalization (iOS apps do not expect to be moved, but can be moved on macOS)
Transparency key transparency for ESS keys? Transparency.framework; launchd service: com.apple.transparencyd; server: init-kt.apple.com
TSS Tatsu Signing Server; online verification for firmware signatures; server: gs.apple.com
TTS Text To Speech, command line tool: say; /System/Library/Speech; synthesizer engines: MacinTalk (historic), Polyglot (phoneme-based?), Gryphon (current, DNN-based?)
TTS Text To Speech, neural-network-based synthesis engine (Gryphon); command line tool: say; /System/Library/Speech, /System/Library/TTSPlugins
TVML TV Markup Language; declarative UI language for TV apps; TVMLKit.framework
Ubiquity iCloud Drive; codename Bladerunner, uses CloudKit; CloudDocs.framework; command line tools: fileproviderctl; launchd service: com.apple.bird (iclouddrive-agent); locally stored in ~/Library/Mobile Documents (was supposed to move to Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive and iclouddrivectl but this was reverted)
Ubiquity iCloud Drive; codename Bladerunner, uses CloudKit; CloudDocs.framework; launchd service: com.apple.bird; locally stored in ~/Library/Mobile Documents (was supposed to move to Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive but this was reverted)
UID unique ID key, used as root key for cryptographic subsystems, generated during manufacturing by SEP and fused into hardware, only accessible by SEP
Unified Logging system-wide logging and Activity tracking; launchd service: com.apple.logd, com.apple.diagnosticd; command line tool: log; /dev/oslog; data stored in /var/db/diagnostics, support files in /var/db/uuidtext
User Activity abstraction behind deep-linking into apps with structured context data (people, places); used for Universal Links (with schema.org on websites), Handoff, Parsec, Siri Shortcuts, Proactive; UserActivity.framework; launchd service: com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd
USD Universal Scene Description; storage format for 3D assets; /usr/lib/usd
User Activity abstraction for deep-linking into apps with structured context (people, places); used for Universal Links (schema.org on websites), Handoff, Parsec (app links in search), Siri Shortcuts, Quick Note (context awareness), Proactive; UserActivity.framework; launchd service: com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd
User Notifications user interface for notification center; launchd service: com.apple.usernoted
UTI Uniform Type Identifiers; system for document types; file extensions and MIME types are mapped to UTIs, UTIs form a conformance graph, apps register their UTIs with Launch Services; /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle; also Apples hardware devices are represented as UTIs
VA Video Acceleration; AppleGVA.framework, AppleVA.framework, AppleVPA.framework
Viceroy video conferencing used by FaceTime and ReplayKit; ViceroyTrace.framework
Virtualisation running virtual machines on macOS; Hypervisor.framework (for basic VMs and vCPUs), Virtualization.framework (brings a robust set of device models)
VSDB volume status database; /var/db/volinfo.database; command line tool: vsdbutil
Waldo selects edge servers based on approximate location, part of Private Relay, seen in NSP
WFS WebDAV File Sharing; built-in file sharing with Apache; /etc/wfs; command line tool: wfsctl
Widgets content excerpt from apps; provided via a timeline of view hierarchies, configuration uses Intents, technically very similar to complications on watch face; extension point: com.apple.widgetkit-extension
Widgets content excerpt from apps; provided via a timeline of view hierarchies, configuration uses Intents; visible on home screen, lock screen, as live activities, as watch complications; WidgetKit.framework; extension point: com.apple.widgetkit-extension
Willow HomeKit; end-to-end-encrypted communication protocol and API for IoT-accessories; pairing with SRP using code printed on device, credential sync by CKKS, transported over Alloy, remote access using Apple TV as proxy; launchd service: com.apple.homed
Window Manager implements Stage Manager; /System/Library/CoreServices/WindowManager.app
Workflow Shortcuts; user-programmable system-wide automation, built-in triggers cause a chain of actions to run; actions are synthesized from User Activities and Intents provided by apps; WorkflowKit.framework, ActionKit.framework; locally stored in ~/Library/Shortcuts; launchd service: com.apple.siriactionsd (voice-triggered shortcuts); command line tool: shortcuts
xART eXtended Anti-Replay Technology; persistent storage for SEP, used by Mesa; /System/Volumes/xarts; launchd service: com.apple.xartstorageremoted; command line tool: xartutil
XCS Xcode Server; continuous integration server; command line tools: xcscontrol, xcsdiagnose
1 Term Description
2 1TR One True Recovery; booting into macOS recovery on Apple Silicon by holding the power button to verify physical presence; enables interaction with SEP to change Boot Policy
3 AA Apple account
4 AA Apple Archive, see also Apple Encrypted Archive; command line tools: aa, aea, compression_tool
5 AAC Automatic Assessment Configuration; AutomaticAssessmentConfiguration.framework; puts device in a locked mode for exam-style test applications
6 AAT Apple Advanced Typography; font format and rendering engine
7 Accounts launchd service: com.apple.accountsd; /System/Library/Accounts
8 ACDE Apple Connect Device External? ACDEClient.framework, old two-step verification, derived from a company-internal AppleConnect system? server: appleconnect.apple.com Apple Connect Device External? ACDEClient.framework, old two-step verification, derived from a company-internal AppleConnect system?
9 ACFS Apple Clustered File System; deprecated file system for Xsan; acfs.framework
10 Acoustic ID Siri feature to recognize songs
11 Activation cryptographic check-in with iCloud to lock devices reported by the user as lost; verified by iBoot; MobileActivationMacOS.framework; launchd service: com.apple.mobileactivationd; servers: humb.apple.com, albert.apple.com
12 Activity jobs, coarse-grained work units of applications; tracked by the system across XPC, bears a QoS class for scheduling; low-level mechanism not to be confused with User Activity
13 AE Apple Events; messaging system to invoke application functionality; CoreServices.framework/AE.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreservices.appleevents, com.apple.AEServer (AE over network)
14 AEA Aegir Apple Encrypted Archive; command line tool: aea astronomy watch face and lock screen; /System/Library/CoreServices/AegirProxyApp.app
15 AGC Apple Graphics Control, management of multiple displays and display port connections; launchd service: com.apple.displaypolicyd
16 AHAP Apple Haptic Audio Pattern; file format for simultaneous audio and haptic data; CoreHaptics.framework
17 AIR Apple Intermediate Representation; synthetic bytecode architecture target for GPU binary toolchain
18 ALF Application-Level Firewall, launchd service: com.apple.alf (socketfilterfw)
19 Alloy substrate for communication between user devices over Bluetooth and devices to iCloud, implemented over IDS; /System/Library/IdentityServices/ServiceDefinitions; launchd service: com.apple.identityservicesd
40 Assertions power state management allowing applications to prevent sleeping; launchd service: com.apple.powerd; command line tools: caffeinate, pmset
41 Assessment checking of System Policy; term also used for AAC
42 Asset Cache discretionary caching server for Mobile Assets, Packages, iOS updates, App Store content, ODR, MMCS data; launchd services: com.apple.AssetCache.builtin, com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService, com.apple.AssetCacheManagerService, com.apple.AssetCacheTetheratorService; command line tools: AssetCacheLocatorUtil, AssetCacheManagerUtil, AssetCacheTetheratorUtil
43 Assistant Siri; dictation and semantic understanding, Intent is communicated to and enacted on the client, uses TTS; /System/Library/Assistant, AssistantServices.framework; server: *.siri.apple.com Siri; dictation and semantic understanding, Intent is communicated to and enacted on the client, uses TTS for output, Snippets to embed mini UIs into responses; /System/Library/Assistant, /System/Library/Snippets, AssistantServices.framework; server: *.siri.apple.com
44 ATS App Transport Security, sandbox mechanism only allowing TLS-secured connections
45 ATSUI Apple Type Services for Unicode Imaging; rendering engine superseded by CoreText.framework, font management; ApplicationServices.framework/ATS.framework; launchd service: com.apple.xtyped (fontd); command line tools: atsutil
46 ATT App Tracking Transparency; apps declare user tracking on app store
47 Attestation cryptographic proof of a genuine SEP; used for web authentication and app attestation; DeviceCheck.framework; online service signs a GID-based challenge response? used to pair RemoteXPC channel? stripped down variant used to securely identify Touch ID keyboards cryptographic proof of a genuine SEP; used for web authentication and app attestation; DeviceCheck.framework; SEP responds to challenge using hardware-key (GID, PKA), online service verifies; used to pair Touch ID keyboards, used to pair RemoteXPC channel?
48 Authorization discretionary access control policies for high-level services; similar to PAM; policy stored in /var/db/auth.db
49 Avatar Memoji and Animoji (face tracking); AvatarKit.framework Memoji and Animoji, including pre-rendered iMessage stickers; AvatarKit.framework
50 AVB Audio Video Bridging, low-latency audio over Ethernet; launchd service: com.apple.avbdeviced; command line tool: avbdiagnose, avbutil
51 AWD Apple Wireless Diagnostics, sends system telemetry to Apple; CoreAnalytics.framework, WirelessDiagnostics.framework; launchd services: com.apple.awdd, com.apple.analyticsd
52 AWDL Apple Wireless Direct Link; secondary WiFi interface that runs in parallel to an active WiFi access point connection, similar to WiFi Direct (p2p interface), uses a randomized MAC, used for peer-to-peer networking: AirDrop, AirPlay; DeviceToDeviceManager.framework
53 Background Assets assets that an app extension loads without the app being launched; BackgroundAssets.framework; extension point: com.apple.background-asset-downloader-extension; launchd service: com.apple.backgroundassets.user
54 Bezel on-screen overlays for hardware volume buttons, screen brightness, Bluetooth HID, and others; /Library/Application Support/Apple/BezelServices, launchd services: com.apple.loginwindow, com.apple.OSDUIHelper
55 Bifrost emergency satellite connectivity; /System/Library/LocationBundles/Bifrost.bundle
56 Biome CloudKit-based datastream and sync engine; BiomeStreams.framework, BiomeSync.framework; launchd services: com.apple.BiomeAgent, com.apple.biomesyncd
57 Blast Door sandboxed sanitization process for untrusted iMessage input; BlastDoor.framework
58 BOM Bill of Materials; format to store contents of installer Packages; command line tool: lsbom
68 Carousel derivative of SpringBoard for Watch home screen, watch face, and notification center
69 Celestial media streaming used by ReplayKit for game broadcasts; Celestial.framework
70 Certificates validity checked using CRLs, OCSP stapling, and transparency logs; /System/Library/Security/Certificates.bundle; launchd services: com.apple.trustd, com.apple.trustd.agent, com.apple.ocspd; command line tool: crlrefresh
71 Circle Chamois cryptographic primitive to exchange public keys of all trusted devices of one user, signed by all Circle peers; iCloud identity keypair as an additional Circle peer, triggers countersigning from all trusted devices, private key synced across all trusted devices, new devices can pull this key from Secure Backup to join the Circle; used by CKKS; KeychainCircle.framework; command line tools: tpctl, otctl (Octagon trust is newer?) Stage Manager
72 CKKS CHIP CloudKit Key Sync, end-to-end secure syncing for credentials, seeded by Circle, transferred items stored ephemerally using OTR protocol; currently includes ApplePay, AutoUnlock, CreditCards, DevicePairing, Engram, Health, Home, Manatee, SOS, WiFi and other keys; launchd service: com.apple.secd; command line tool: ckksctl Connected Home over IP; Matter; integrated into HomeKit; CHIPPlugin.framework
73 Classroom Circle launchd service: com.apple.studentd cryptographic primitive to exchange public keys of trusted devices of a user, signed by Circle peers; iCloud identity added as additional Circle peer, private key synced across all trusted devices, new devices can pull this key from Secure Backup to join the Circle; per-device Circles stored in CKKS for two-factor accounts (Octagon); KeychainCircle.framework; command line tools: tpctl, otctl (Octagon)
74 CKKS CloudKit Key Sync, end-to-end secure syncing for credentials, seeded by Circle; currently includes ApplePay, AutoUnlock, CreditCards, DevicePairing, Engram, Health, Home, Manatee, SOS, WiFi and other keys; launchd service: com.apple.secd; command line tool: ckksctl
75 Clarity customizable accessibility mode for simplified UI; ClarityFoundation.framework
76 Classroom school teachers can create assignments for student iPads and track progress in Schoolwork app; ClassKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.studentd
77 Cloud Pairing part of Alloy, Bluetooth out-of-band pairing over iCloud for Continuity; launchd service: com.apple.BTServer.cloudpairing (cloudpaird)
78 CMAS Commerial Mobile Alert System, now known as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
79 Commpage user-mapped kernel data, like vdso/vsyscall on Linux; mapped at 0x7fffffe00000
83 Control Center icons in menu/status bar and Bento Box controls UI, gradually replaces SystemUIServer on macOS; handles incoming AirPlay content; launchd services: com.apple.controlcenter, com.apple.SystemUIServer.agent
84 CPML CorePrediction Machine Learning; CPMLBestShim.framework
85 CRD Conference Room Display; Apple TV mode
86 Cryptex Cryptographically sealed Extension of SSV, mount-invisible extension of the root volume, allows lightweight updates as part of Rapid Security Response; /System/Cryptexes (mountpoint), /System/Volumes/Preboot/*/cryptex1/current/*.dmg (disk images)
87 CSR Configurable Security Restrictions; XNU subsystem that is the basis for SIP
88 CTK Crypto Token Kit; smart card management, also for the Secure Element on iOS? launchd service: com.apple.ctkd; command line tool: sc_auth
89 CTS Centralized Task Scheduling; execution of DAS tasks; /System/Library/UserEventPlugins/com.apple.cts.plugin
90 CVMS Core VM Server/Service? compilation of GPU shaders; launchd service: com.apple.cvmsServ
96 Data Vault directories with the UF_DATAVAULT special flag; CSR limits access to one application
97 DAV Distributed Authoring and Versioning; network protocol on top of HTTP for syncing calendars (CalDAV), contacts (CardDAV), and formerly also bookmarks (BookmarkDAV)
98 DCP Display Co-Processor
99 DDE Device Discovery Extension; detects devices on local network without app access to local network; DeviceDiscoveryExtension.framework, DeviceDiscoveryUICore.framework; extension point: com.apple.discovery-extension
100 DEP Device Enrollment Program; devices check in with Apple during Setup Assistant to query for their enrollment status, retrieve MDM server URL to fetch initial configuration profile
101 Developer Mode enables launching of self-compiled apps in iOS, rough equivalent to System Policy; command line tool: devmodectl
102 DFR Dynamic Function Row?, TouchBar; /System/Library/CoreServices/ControlStrip.app; DFRFoundation.framework
103 DFU Device Firmware Update; special boot mode where iOS has not booted and the system can be installed over the Lightning connection
104 Differential Privacy crowdsourcing without user tracking; privacy budget for management of anonymity set; used for keyboard words, emoji, Spotlight searches, Parsec deep links, HealthKit usage, Safari telemetry; /System/Library/DifferentialPrivacy; stored in /var/db/DifferentialPrivacy; launchd service: com.apple.dprivacyd
105 Digital Separation safety check feature to inhibit sharing relationships; DigitalSeparation.framework
106 DMC Disk Mount Conditioner; simulates slow IO devices; command line tool: dmc
107 DND Do Not Disturb
108 DSID Destination Signaling Identifier, unique ID for IDS login on a specific device
109 DTrace system-wide tracing infrastructure, command line tools: dtrace, *.d, dappprof, dapptrace, dtruss, errinfo, execsnoop, fddist, fs_usage, imptrace, iopattern, iopending, iosnoop, iotop, lastwords, latency, opensnoop, plockstat, rwsnoop, sampleproc, sc_usage, topsyscall, topsysproc
110 Duet telemetry collection engine for system and user events, forecasting by machine learning, backend for DAS, Proactive, Relevance, Screen Time, thermal and battery management; /System/Library/DuetKnowledgeBase; CoreDuet.framework, CoreKnowledge.framework, CorePrediction.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreduetd, com.apple.knowledge-agent telemetry collection engine for system and user events, forecasting by machine learning, backend for DAS, Proactive, Relevance, Screen Time, thermal and battery management; /System/Library/DuetKnowledgeBase; CoreDuet.framework, CoreKnowledge.framework, CorePrediction.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coreduetd, com.apple.knowledge-agent, com.apple.ospredictiond
111 Dyld Shared Cache dynamic linker cache, stores all system libraries in prelinked form, original library files are removed; /System/Library/dyld; command line tool: update_dyld_shared_cache dynamic linker cache, stores all system libraries in prelinked form, original library files are removed; /System/Volumes/Preboot/Cryptexes/OS/System/Library/dyld; command line tools: dyld_info, dyld_usage, update_dyld_shared_cache
112 EAS Exchange Active Sync; network protocol for accessing Microsoft Exchange servers
113 EDR Extended Dynamic Range; rendering with transfer function extending beyond sRGB white; implemented natively on XDR displays and by backlight modulation on others; HDRProcessing.framework
114 Energy Impact unitless metric for per-application energy consumption, machine-specific coefficients; /usr/share/pmenergy, /usr/share/kpep; launchd services: com.apple.sysmond, com.apple.thermald; command line tool: powermetrics
115 Engram Messages in iCloud; devices store received iMessages in CloudKit; Engram.framework
116 Entitlements capability-like attributes bound to executables by code signing; some entitlements like App Sandbox restrict ambient authority, some gradually relieve those restrictions (using Seatbelt), some services or system calls grant privilege based on caller entitlements
117 ESS IDS user directory, public key distribution for iMessage and CloudKit sharing, uses Transparency; server: *.ess.apple.com; launchd service: com.apple.identityservicesd
Event Monitor simple rules engine for running commands on various systen events; apparently not used by default; /etc/emond.d, /var/db/emondClients; launchd service: com.apple.emond
118 FaceTime video calls, employs the ICE (establishing peer-to-peer connection), STUN (session credential exchange) and SRTP (encrypted media streaming) protocols; FTServices.framework; launchd services: com.apple.videoconference.camera (avconferenced)
119 FairPlay DRM system used by app and media stores; CoreADI.framework, CoreFP.framework, CoreLSKD.framework; launchd services: com.apple.adid, com.apple.fairplayd (invoked by kernel through host special port 17), com.apple.lskdd; credentials stored in /var/db/fpsd
120 Family Circle Family Sharing; launchd services: com.apple.familycircled, com.apple.askpermissiond
122 FDR Factory Data/Device Reset? ensures that no downgrades are performed? servers: skl.apple.com, gg.apple.com; /System/Library/FDR
123 Feldspar Apple News; Silex.framework
124 FiDES Fi? Distributed Evaluation Service? aggregates Differential Privacy data for unlinkability? maybe private federated learning? used for emoji, Suggestions, Dictation; /System/Library/DistributedEvaluation; DistributedEvaluation.framework; server: fides-pol.apple.com
125 File Provider infrastructure and extension system for syncing with cloud providers; placeholder files based on SF_DATALESS attribute in APFS; FileProvider.framework; locally stored in ~/Library/CloudStorage; command line tool: fileproviderctl
126 Find My … location sharing by explicitly querying devices remotely or collateral beacon detection using Search Party; FMCore.framework, FMF.framework; launchd service: com.apple.icloud.fmfd (find my friends)
127 Firmlink bi-directional non-symbolic link between the read-only system volume and the data volume, additional symlinks and mountpoints in the root directory are virtually allocated; /usr/share/firmlinks, /etc/synthetic.conf
128 Focus restriction modes for notification presentation; Focus.framework, DoNotDisturb.framework; local settings in ~/Library/DoNotDisturb restriction modes for notification presentation; focus filters for in-app display restrictions, communicat by Intents; Focus.framework, DoNotDisturb.framework; local settings in ~/Library/DoNotDisturb
129 FollowUp user interaction for Secure Backup wrapping with device passcode, CoreFollowUp.framework; launchd service: com.apple.followupd
130 FoundationDB fundamental iCloud storage database, marketed as CloudKit, separated into containers; records, blobs, and large asset storage with MMCS, server-side continuous queries can trigger push notifications, user management by IDS, sharing between users; PCS keys used for hierarchical zone, record, and asset encryption; CloudKitDaemon.framework; launchd service: com.apple.cloudd; locally stored in ~/Library/Caches/CloudKit, ~/Library/Containers/*/Data/CloudKit; command line tool: cktool
131 FPR Fast Permission Restrictions; Apple CPU registers to downgrade (old APRRs do bitmasking) or remap (SPRRs since M1) actual permissions of memory pages (the CTRR region) per thread; used for JIT protection and by AMFI to freeze user code after checking
141 HeadBoard derivative of SpringBoard for tvOS home screen; /Applications/HeadBoard.app, /Applications/PineBoard.app
142 HLS HTTP Live Streaming
143 HSA Hardware Security Architecture; version 1 used for two-step verification, SOS with iCSC; version 2 for two-factor authentication, CKKS and Secure Backup with iCDP
144 HSM Hardware Security Module; HSM fleet runs escrow service for Secure Backup; public keys for authenticating the HSM services in /System/Library/Security/Certificates.bundle/Contents/Resources/AppleESCertificates.plist Hardware Security Module; HSM fleet runs escrow service for Secure Backup
145 Hyperion iCloud Photos, uses CloudKit; launchd service: com.apple.cloudphotod; command line tool: cpldiagnose
146 IAP iPod Accessory Protocol; IAP.framework
147 iBoot boot loader stage after boot ROM or UEFI (macOS on Intel); intermediate Low-Level Bootloader (LLB); DFU mode is implemented here; /System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi
153 IDV Identity Verification? Touch ID and Face ID; /System/Library/AccessibilityBundles/CoreIDVUI.axbundle
154 IM Instant Messaging; usually means iMessage and FaceTime
155 IMG4 boot files (Mach-O binaries or configuration data) with ASN.1 signature, contains RemotePolicy certificate constraints to restrict Boot Policy evaluation
156 Intent use-case-driven interaction with 3rd-party apps from a host app; used for Siri, Maps, Widgets (configuration); extension points: com.apple.intents-service, com.apple.intents-ui-service use-case-driven interaction with 3rd-party apps from a host app; used for Siri, Maps, Shortcuts, Widgets (configuration); definition file or programmatically using AppIntents.framework; command line tool: appintentsmetadataprocessor (Xcode extracts Intent definition at compile time); extension points: com.apple.intents-service, com.apple.intents-ui-service
157 IOKit device driver subsystem for in-kernel and DriverKit drivers, command line tool: ioreg
158 Ironwood dictation, customized on server with selected user data (contacts, app names, music titles, HomeKit names, Siri Shortcut phrases), not tied to Apple ID; SpeechRecognitionCore.framework; server: guzzoni.apple.com
159 ISP Image Signal Processor; camera imaging circuit in iPhones
160 ITML iTunes Markup Language; metdata tagging for media services; ITMLKit.framework
161 ITP Intelligent Tracking Prevention, cross-site tracking defenses in Safari, statistics and user interaction classify sites, cookies are partitioned and access is restricted
162 JARVIS Just A Rather Very Intelligent Scheduler, Mesos cluster manager for Siri, iCloud, AMS
163 Jellyfish Animoji Animoji; /Applications/Jellyfish.app
164 Jetsam reclaiming of purgeable memory and termination of apps during memory pressure
165 JSC JavaScript Core; JavaScriptCore.framework; command line tool: jsc
166 Kalamata codename for the transition from x86 to ARM-based Apple Silicon
171 Keychain storage for credentials; launchd service: com.apple.securityd; command line tools: certtool, security, systemkeychain
172 KIP Kernel Integrity Protection, locking of physical memory pages to prevent changes to kernel
173 Launch Services management for application launches, association of UTIs to apps, uses Spotlight to update cached info; launchd services: com.apple.coreservices.launchservicesd, com.apple.lsd; CoreServices.framework/LaunchServices.framework; command line tools: lsappinfo, lsregister
174 Live Files user mode filesystems, currently FAT, ExFAT, NTFS on external storage; UserFS.framework, UVFSXPCService.framework; launchd service: com.apple.filesystems.userfsd
175 Liverpool PCS codename for CloudKit
176 LKDC Local Key Distribution Center, Kerberos on client machines
177 LSM Latent Semantic Mapping, text analysis, used for spam filtering, command line tool: lsm
178 Mac Buddy historic name for Setup Assistant
179 MAC Policy Mandatory Access Control subsystem in XNU, based on TrustedBSD, implements policy hooks for restricted kernel operations; current policies: AMFI, Seatbelt, Quarantine, CSR
180 Machine Learning Vision.framework, Espresso.framework, Futhark.framework, PhotoAnalysis.framework; launchd service: com.apple.mediaanalysisd Vision.framework, Espresso.framework, Futhark.framework, PhotoAnalysis.framework; used for Live Text and Visual Lookup; launchd service: com.apple.mediaanalysisd
181 Madrid iMessage; /System/Library/Messages
182 Manatee PCS key for some CloudKit containers are synced via CKKS, so data is unreadable to Apple (credential management codenames: Plesio, Stingray, Cuttlefish)
183 Mandrake emergency siren on Apple Watch Ultra; /Applications/Mandrake.app
184 Mangrove transfering UI tiles over XPC; Mangrove.framework, IOSurface.framework
185 Marco Marco.framework, something about IDS and communication (iMessage, Calls), logging?
186 Marklar codename from the PowerPC era for the port to x86, served the transition to Intel CPUs
207 Noticeboard User Notifications for Software Update and App Store, Noticeboard.framework; launchd services: com.apple.noticeboard.state (nbstated), com.apple.noticeboard.agent (nbagent)
208 Notifications system notification bus, unrelated to the local/remote push notifications; launchd service: com.apple.notifyd, com.apple.kuncd (invoked by kernel through host special port 10); command line tool: notifyutil; complemented by framework-level notification system (CFNotification, NSNotification); launchd services: com.apple.distnoted.xpc.daemon, com.apple.distnoted.xpc.agent
209 NSP Network Service Proxy; per-app VPN and proxy settings, implements Private Relay; launchd service: com.apple.networkserviceproxy
210 OAH Rosetta; /usr/libexec/rosetta Rosetta; ahead-of-time compiler for Intel code on Apple Silicon, usable from Linux VMs by way of a custom binformat; /usr/libexec/rosetta
211 ODR On-Demand Resources; loaded from App Store; launchd service: com.apple.appstored
212 Onboarding data protection splash screen shown by service-connected apps; /System/Library/OnBoardingBundles; OnBoardingKit.framework
213 Open Directory directory service for user, group, and machine management; plugin-based to use different backend stores (LDAP, Active Directory), local accounts in /private/var/db/dslocal; launchd service: com.apple.opendirectoryd; command line tools: dscacheutil, dscl, dsconfigad, dsconfigldap, dseditgroup, dsenableroot, dserr, dsexport, dsimport, dsmemberutil, odutil
214 OpenBSM Open Basic Security Module; deprecated security audit subsystem; /etc/security, /var/audit; launchd service: com.apple.auditd; command line tool: audit
215 Opus create slide shows from photos; Slideshows.framework
216 OSA Open Scripting Architecture; scripting of applications from different fontend languages (currently AppleScript and JavaScript); backed by Apple Events; command line tools: osacompile, osadecompile, osalang, osascript, sdef, sdp
217 OTUT One-Time Unlock Token; security mechanism to allow keybag unwrapping after updates
218 PAC Pointer Authentication Codes; pointers signed in unused bits to prevent ROP attacks
219 Packages unit of software installation; command line tools: pkgutil, installer, softwareupdate; launchd services: com.apple.softwareupdated, com.apple.bootinstalld, com.apple.installd, com.apple.system_installd, com.apple.uninstalld; /var/db/softwareupdate, /Library/Apple/System/Library/Receipts (system), /System/Library/Receipts (read-only), /private/var/db/receipts (App Store)
220 Packet Filter network traffic filtering subsystem from OpenBSD; command line tool: pfctl
221 Parsec Spotlight web results and searching of crowdsourced User Activity deep links; server: *.smoot.apple.com; launchd services: com.apple.parsecd, com.apple.parsec-fbf (Feedback Flush to Differential Privacy)
222 Passkey keypair used for authentication instead of password, synced via SOS, implements WebAuthn standard; keys can be used to login on separate device via QR code and Bluetooth proximity proof; AuthenticationServices.framework
223 Password Breach monitoring of Keychain passwords against a breach database; round-robin matching in fixed-size batches, local match against common leaks, remote match using hash prefix; launchd service: com.apple.Safari.passwordbreachd
224 Pasteboard storage for cut, copy, and paste; type of content remembered as UTI; launchd service: com.apple.pboard; command line tools: pbcopy, pbpaste
225 PAT Private Access Tokens; blind challenge-response authentication; Apple server attests user validity to token issuer, issuer performs blind signature, websites receiving the token cannot identify user; used for Private Relay, can replace CAPTCHAs
226 PCS Protected Cloud Storage; key management for separate iCloud storage compartments (PCS calls them views), each can contain FoundationDB plus bulk data stored by MMCS; see also iCDP, CKKS, Manatee; ProtectedCloudStorage.framework; /System/Library/Preferences/ProtectedCloudStorage; command line tool: pcsstatus
227 PCSC Personal Computer Smart Card; PCSC.framework, uses CTK
228 PDE Print Dialog Extension; old name, not a proper Extension
233 Piano Mover Mail Drop; bulk mail attachments transfered over PCS; not to be confused with storage for iMessage attachments, which uses a CloudKit container
234 Plugin Extensions, XPC services bundled with apps or frameworks, discovery by Launch Services; launchd service: com.apple.pluginkit.pkd; command line tool: pluginkit
235 PMP Port Mapping Protocol; Apple alternative to UPnP, Bonjour service: _acp-sync._tcp
236 Poster iPhone lock screen; PosterBoard.framework, PosterKit.framework
237 PowerUI battery management like smart charge and power save, learns from Duet and other data; PowerUI.framework; /var/db/PowerUI; launchd service: com.apple.PowerUIAgent
238 Preferences storage for user-configurable settings; launchd services: com.apple.cfprefsd.xpc.daemon, com.apple.cfprefsd.xpc.agent; stored in Library/Preferences, command line tool: defaults; interaction with Synced Defaults per /System/Library/DefaultsConfigurations
239 Private Relay two-hop onion routing with one entry and one exit node; Apple operates entry, third-party services operate exit nodes; QUIC for payload, ODoH for DNS, approximate IP geolocation via Waldo; authentication via Attestation, propagated to proxys using RSA blind signatures two-hop onion routing with one entry and one exit node; Apple operates entry, third-party services operate exit nodes; QUIC for payload, ODoH for DNS, approximate IP geolocation via Waldo, authentication via PAT
240 Proactive umbrella term for suggestions and completions based on Duet forecasting and User Activity context, also marketed as Siri features; PersonalizationPortrait.framework
241 QoS Classes inheritable property for Activities; semantic priorities, influences scheduling parameters; initially set at user-level, priority inheritance within GCD queues and across XPC in kernel?
242 Quagga framework for QR and barcode decoding; Quagga.framework
246 Rapport device pairing by proximity using Alloy, with PIN entry, or using iCloud; once paired, devices can access services; used for HomeKit, HomePod, AirPlay, Home Sharing, SideCar; Rapport.framework; launchd service: com.apple.rapportd; Bonjour service: _companion-link._tcp
247 Recents recently used items (not files) in various applications, synced with Synced Defaults; CoreRecents.framework, /System/Library/Recents; launchd service: com.apple.recentsd
248 Relevance Engine backend for Siri suggestions (for example of Siri Shortcuts), Widget smart stacks (also Siri watch face); consumes Duet knowledge and app-provided timelines with relevance hints; /System/Library/RelevanceEngine; launchd service: com.apple.relevanced
249 Remote Pairing Mobile Device pairing without wired connection; RemotePairingDevice.framework; launchd service: com.apple.dt.remotepairingdeviced; Bonjour services: _remotepairing._tcp, _remotepairing-manual-pairing._tcp Mobile Device pairing without wired connection; RemotePairingDevice.framework; Bonjour services: _remotepairing._tcp, _remotepairing-manual-pairing._tcp
250 RemoteXPC connection to a non-SoC-integrated SEP like Bridge; uses HTTP/2 over a network interface, Bridge connected over USB, secured using Attestation; RemoteServiceDiscovery.framework, TrustedAccessory.framework; launchd service: com.apple.remoted, com.apple.tracd; command line tool: remotectl
251 Revisions document autosave and auto-versioning; stored in .DocumentRevisions-V100; GenerationalStorage.framework; launchd service: com.apple.revisiond
252 Routine frequently visited locations on iOS, interacts with Duet; launchd service: com.apple.routined
262 Seatbelt process sandbox by filtering system calls; profiles written in SBPL; /System/Library/Sandbox/Profiles, /usr/share/sandbox; default file access policy asks for TCC confirmation before access to folders with user data (like Documents) is allowed; command line tool: sandbox-exec; launchd service: com.apple.sandboxd (invoked by kernel through host special port 14 for logging)
263 Secure Backup escrow part of CKKS; escrow key individually wrapped with passcodes of trusted devices, stored in HSM to prevent brute forcing, uses SRP so passcodes are not visible to iCloud, limited number of recovery attempts; protocol called Lakitu, uses FollowUp; launchd service: com.apple.SecureBackupDaemon (com.apple.sbd); CloudServices.framework
264 SEP Secure Enclave Processor; dedicated ARM core for security services, runs L4/Darbat-based sepOS, inline encryption to DRAM, manages AES keys in storage DMA engine, factory-paired channels to Touch ID/Face ID hardware, Secure Element, Neural Engine; SEP can use but not read UID and GID keys; credential verification performed by hardware lockbox with retry count enforcement
265 Sequoia translation; downloadable language models can run on-device; /Applications/SequoiaTranslator.app, Translation.framework
266 Seymour Apple Fitness+; workout videos integrated with Watch sensors; SeymourCore.framework
267 SF Symbols scalable UI symbols; rendered with various color treatments; SFSymbols.framework
268 Shared With You collaboration features between apps and iMessage; content shared via iMessage is surfaced in apps (Swift Transferable protocol), content in apps can be collaboratively edited and connected to an iMessage group; collaborations are expressed by keys derived from participant device keys, padded with a number of random keys to prevent tracking of device count, a merkle tree of those keys is used to prove inclusion of a specific device to an app; SharedWithYou.framework
269 Sharing umbrella term for wireless proximity services: AirDrop, Continuity, Instant Hotspot, WiFi sharing; used by loginwindow for Watch unlock; Sharing.framework; launchd service: com.apple.sharingd; also serves connection sharing and remote disk
270 Shazam music recognition service; ShazamKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.shazamd audio (especially music) recognition service; ShazamKit.framework; launchd service: com.apple.shazamd; command line tool: shazam
271 Shoebox Passbook
272 Sidecar using iPhone/iPad as Mac accessory: camera for photos and scanning, annotations, external display over low-latency WiFi (llw interface) using avconferenced encoding; SidecarCore.framework; launchd services: com.apple.sidecar-display-agent (SidecarDisplayAgent), com.apple.sidecar-relay (SidecarRelay) using iPhone/iPad as Mac accessory: external camera and microphone (ContinuityCapture), camera for photos and scanning (DocumentCamera.framework), external display over low-latency WiFi (llw interface) using avconferenced encoding; SidecarCore.framework; launchd services: com.apple.sidecar-display-agent (SidecarDisplayAgent), com.apple.sidecar-relay (SidecarRelay)
273 Signpost telemetry API to report points of interest in code; launchd service: com.apple.signpost.signpost_reporter
274 Simulator running an iOS/tvOS/watchOS personality on macOS, uses sandboxing and a separate Mach bootstrap namespace for container-like isolation, command line tool: simctl running an iOS/tvOS/watchOS personality on macOS, uses sandboxing and a separate Mach bootstrap namespace for container-like isolation; installable simulators as disk images in /Library/Developer/CoreSimulator/Images; command line tool: simctl
275 SIP System Integrity Protection or rootless mode; collection of kernel-level security restrictions regarding file system modification, unsigned Kexts, Taskport access, NVRAM access, DTrace; /System/Library/Sandbox/rootless.conf; command line tool: csrutil, rootless-init
276 Site Association signed files in .well-known directory on websites; equivalent to Entitlements for websites, associates domains with app IDs for Universal Links; command line tool: swcutil
277 SKP Sealed Key Protection; measurement of system state (boot chain IMG4 manifests, BPR, Boot Policy data, UID key, user passcode) to derive Keybag keys
281 SLC System-Level Cache, architectural feature of Apple Silicon; cache located within SoC at controllers for external DRAM, serves all compute units and stages transfers between them
282 Social Gaming Game Center; multiplayer gaming services on top of CloudKit, shared storage and low-latency multicast for multiplayer sessions; launchd service: com.apple.gamed
283 Sock Puppet Watch interaction that requires Companion device
284 SOS Secure Object Sync; syncing backend for iCloud Keychain, not to be confused with the emergency call feature; transferred items previously staged in Synced Defaults, now uses CKKS; launchd services: com.apple.secd (access to local keychain), com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy3 (connects to Synced Defaults), com.apple.security.keychain-circle-notification Secure Object Sync; syncing backend for iCloud Keychain, not to be confused with the emergency call feature; transferred items previously staged in Synced Defaults, for two-factor accounts in CKKS; launchd services: com.apple.secd (access to local keychain), com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy3 (connects to Synced Defaults), com.apple.security.keychain-circle-notification
285 SPI System Private Interface; /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks
286 SpringBoard iOS home screen; like Dock (Launchpad, Mission Control, desktop picture), Control Center, SystemUIServer (menu extras icons), loginwindow (lock screen), and WindowServer (compositor) on macOS; /System/Library/CoreServices/SpringBoard.app, /Applications/PreBoard.app, BaseBoard.framework, FrontBoard.framework, SplashBoard.framework; launchd service: com.apple.backboardd (compositor)
287 SPRR Shadow Permission Remap Register? feature of Apple Silicon to dynamically reintepret page permissions
292 Stockholm Secure Element in Apple SoCs, a processor running crypto protocols on keys it protects; used for Apple Pay and Car Key; related codenames: Icefall, Warsaw
293 Storage Management freeing up disk space by managing bulky items; UI in System Information.app; StorageManagement.framework; launchd service: com.apple.diskspaced; extension point: com.apple.storagemanagement; extends Cache Delete service
294 Suggestions semantic analysis of mails and websites to suggest contacts, calendar events and the like; launchd services: com.apple.suggestd, com.apple.reversetemplated; custom JavaScript parsers in /System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_CoreSuggestions
295 Symbols debug symbols for backtraces; CoreSymbolication.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coresymbolicationd; command line tools: symbols, symbolscache debug symbols for backtraces; CoreSymbolication.framework; launchd services: com.apple.coresymbolicationd; command line tools: atos, symbols, symbolscache
296 Symptoms network diagnostics; Symptoms.framework; /var/networkd/db/netusage.sqlite; launchd service: com.apple.symptomsd (invoked by kernel through host special port 27)
297 Synced Defaults simple key-value store for applications, no user control over data; can use iCloud key-value backend (old) or Manatee container (new, marked as com.apple.kvs) as storage; launchd service: com.apple.syncdefaultsd; locally stored in ~/Library/SyncedPreferences
298 System Configuration SystemConfiguration.framework; launchd service: com.apple.configd; command line tool: scutil
299 System Extension user-level components formerly in the kernel; currently either a DriverKit, Network, or Endpoint Security extension; /System/DriverKit, /System/Library/DriverExtensions; command line tool: systemextensionsctl; launchd services: com.apple.sysextd, com.apple.nesessionmanager, com.apple.endpointsecurity.endpointsecurityd system-wide components formerly implemented as insecure plugins or kexts; current extension types: DriverKit, Network, Endpoint Security, Core Media IO; /System/DriverKit, /System/Library/DriverExtensions; command line tool: systemextensionsctl; launchd services: com.apple.sysextd, com.apple.nesessionmanager, com.apple.endpointsecurity.endpointsecurityd; command line tool: eslogger
300 System Policy Gatekeeper; policy engine for application launches and kext loading, malware signatures from /Library/Apple/System/Library/CoreServices/XProtect.bundle; /var/db/SystemPolicy; launchd service: com.apple.security.syspolicy (invoked by kernel through host special port 29); command line tool: spctl
301 Tailspin sampling of process stack traces; launchd service: com.apple.tailspind; command line tool: tailspin
302 TAL Transparent App Lifecycle; process for macOS apps started and stopped independently of the user launching and quitting app; also handles session restore across reboots; ~/Library/Saved Application State; launchd service: com.apple.talagent
303 Taskport Mach kernel concept for ptrace-like access to task internals; access policy implemented by daemon; launchd service: com.apple.taskgated (invoked by kernel through task special port 9); command line tool: DevToolsSecurity
304 TCC Transparency, Consent, and Control; user control over app access to privacy-related services (kTCCService*); TCC.framework; launchd services: com.apple.tccd, com.apple.tccd.system; command line tool: tccutil; stored in /Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC, ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC, /var/db/locationd (for kTCCServiceLocation)
308 Translocation app binary copied on launch to dedicated location; initiated by Launch Services for security (prevents path traversal for apps quarantined by System Policy) or path normalization (iOS apps do not expect to be moved, but can be moved on macOS)
309 Transparency key transparency for ESS keys? Transparency.framework; launchd service: com.apple.transparencyd; server: init-kt.apple.com
310 TSS Tatsu Signing Server; online verification for firmware signatures; server: gs.apple.com
311 TTS Text To Speech, command line tool: say; /System/Library/Speech; synthesizer engines: MacinTalk (historic), Polyglot (phoneme-based?), Gryphon (current, DNN-based?) Text To Speech, neural-network-based synthesis engine (Gryphon); command line tool: say; /System/Library/Speech, /System/Library/TTSPlugins
312 TVML TV Markup Language; declarative UI language for TV apps; TVMLKit.framework
313 Ubiquity iCloud Drive; codename Bladerunner, uses CloudKit; CloudDocs.framework; command line tools: fileproviderctl; launchd service: com.apple.bird (iclouddrive-agent); locally stored in ~/Library/Mobile Documents (was supposed to move to Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive and iclouddrivectl but this was reverted) iCloud Drive; codename Bladerunner, uses CloudKit; CloudDocs.framework; launchd service: com.apple.bird; locally stored in ~/Library/Mobile Documents (was supposed to move to Library/CloudStorage/iCloud Drive but this was reverted)
314 UID unique ID key, used as root key for cryptographic subsystems, generated during manufacturing by SEP and fused into hardware, only accessible by SEP
315 Unified Logging system-wide logging and Activity tracking; launchd service: com.apple.logd, com.apple.diagnosticd; command line tool: log; /dev/oslog; data stored in /var/db/diagnostics, support files in /var/db/uuidtext
316 User Activity USD abstraction behind deep-linking into apps with structured context data (people, places); used for Universal Links (with schema.org on websites), Handoff, Parsec, Siri Shortcuts, Proactive; UserActivity.framework; launchd service: com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd Universal Scene Description; storage format for 3D assets; /usr/lib/usd
317 User Activity abstraction for deep-linking into apps with structured context (people, places); used for Universal Links (schema.org on websites), Handoff, Parsec (app links in search), Siri Shortcuts, Quick Note (context awareness), Proactive; UserActivity.framework; launchd service: com.apple.coreservices.useractivityd
318 User Notifications user interface for notification center; launchd service: com.apple.usernoted
319 UTI Uniform Type Identifiers; system for document types; file extensions and MIME types are mapped to UTIs, UTIs form a conformance graph, apps register their UTIs with Launch Services; /System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle; also Apple’s hardware devices are represented as UTIs
320 VA Video Acceleration; AppleGVA.framework, AppleVA.framework, AppleVPA.framework
321 Viceroy video conferencing used by FaceTime and ReplayKit; ViceroyTrace.framework
322 Virtualisation running virtual machines on macOS; Hypervisor.framework (for basic VMs and vCPUs), Virtualization.framework (brings a robust set of device models)
323 VSDB volume status database; /var/db/volinfo.database; command line tool: vsdbutil
324 Waldo selects edge servers based on approximate location, part of Private Relay, seen in NSP
325 WFS WebDAV File Sharing; built-in file sharing with Apache; /etc/wfs; command line tool: wfsctl
326 Widgets content excerpt from apps; provided via a timeline of view hierarchies, configuration uses Intents, technically very similar to complications on watch face; extension point: com.apple.widgetkit-extension content excerpt from apps; provided via a timeline of view hierarchies, configuration uses Intents; visible on home screen, lock screen, as live activities, as watch complications; WidgetKit.framework; extension point: com.apple.widgetkit-extension
327 Willow HomeKit; end-to-end-encrypted communication protocol and API for IoT-accessories; pairing with SRP using code printed on device, credential sync by CKKS, transported over Alloy, remote access using Apple TV as proxy; launchd service: com.apple.homed
328 Window Manager implements Stage Manager; /System/Library/CoreServices/WindowManager.app
329 Workflow Shortcuts; user-programmable system-wide automation, built-in triggers cause a chain of actions to run; actions are synthesized from User Activities and Intents provided by apps; WorkflowKit.framework, ActionKit.framework; locally stored in ~/Library/Shortcuts; launchd service: com.apple.siriactionsd (voice-triggered shortcuts); command line tool: shortcuts
330 xART eXtended Anti-Replay Technology; persistent storage for SEP, used by Mesa; /System/Volumes/xarts; launchd service: com.apple.xartstorageremoted; command line tool: xartutil
331 XCS Xcode Server; continuous integration server; command line tools: xcscontrol, xcsdiagnose