WinFsp

WinFsp

WinFsp is an open-source Windows File System Proxy that provides user-space file systems for Windows. It allows developers to quickly build high-performance file systems without writing kernel code.
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file-system proxy user-space windows

WinFsp: Open-Source Windows File System Proxy

An open-source solution providing user-space file systems for Windows, allowing developers to build high-performance file systems without kernel code requirements.

What is WinFsp?

WinFsp (Windows File System Proxy) is an open-source software component for Windows that provides user-space file systems. It allows developers to easily create custom file systems without having to write kernel code.

Some key features of WinFsp include:

  • Provides ability to create FUSE-compatible file systems on Windows
  • Implements a user-mode file system proxy to facilitate development
  • Offers high-performance user-space file systems that rival kernel file systems
  • Has API compatible with standard Windows file I/O
  • Supports memory-mapped files for fast access
  • Compatible with all Windows versions from Windows 7 onwards

WinFsp makes it much simpler to develop custom file systems for Windows that can meet specialized storage needs or access non-traditional data stores. It handles most of the hard parts of file system development like caching, asynchronous I/O, and memory management. Developers can focus on the core logic of their file system.

Some typical use cases for WinFsp-based file systems include cloud storage gateways, database file systems, encrypted file systems, transactional file systems, and more. Overall, it provides a flexible way to extend file system functionality in Windows without kernel development.

WinFsp Features

Features

  1. Implements the Windows file system interface
  2. Supports major file systems like NTFS, ReFS, FAT, etc
  3. Allows building custom user-mode file systems
  4. Provides FUSE emulation layer for porting FUSE file systems
  5. Offers .NET and PowerShell support
  6. Integrates with Windows Search, Backup, BitLocker, etc

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Avoids complexity of writing kernel code

Fast performance due to user-mode implementation

Makes it easy to create new file systems

Leverages Windows file system infrastructure

Open source with permissive licensing

Cons

Less control than writing a kernel file system driver

Additional software layer between app and OS

Limited adoption outside of tech enthusiasts


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