How can I code my own file system (NTFS, FAT, ext4

etc.)?
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Creating your own file system is a complex and ambitious project. It involves a deep
understanding of operating systems, disk structures, and how data is stored and retrieved. Here’s
a high-level overview of the steps involved and some considerations to help you get started:

1. Understand the Basics of File Systems

 File System Types: Learn about different file systems (NTFS, FAT, ext4) and
their features. Understand concepts like inodes, block sizes, journaling, and
metadata.
 Data Structures: Familiarize yourself with the data structures used in file
systems, such as:
o Inodes: Store metadata about files.
o Superblocks: Contain information about the file system itself.
o Directories: Manage file names and their corresponding inodes.

2. Define Your Requirements

 Decide what features your file system will support (e.g., file permissions,
journaling, large file support).
 Determine the target platform (e.g., Linux, Windows) and storage medium
(e.g., hard drives, SSDs).

3. Choose a Programming Language

 Most file systems are implemented in C or C++ due to their performance and
low-level access to system resources.
 Consider using Rust for safety features, though it may have a steeper learning
curve for low-level programming.
4. Set Up Your Development Environment

 Use a UNIX-like operating system for development, as many file systems are
developed and tested in this environment.
 Install necessary tools (compilers, debuggers, etc.) and libraries for your
language of choice.

5. Implement Core Components

 Block Management: Create a mechanism for managing how data is divided

into blocks and how these blocks are stored.
 File Allocation: Establish a method for allocating space for files, handling
fragmentation, and managing free space.
 Metadata Management: Implement file and directory structures for storing
metadata, including timestamps, permissions, and file sizes.
 Data Integrity: Consider adding features like checksums or journaling to
ensure data integrity and recovery.

6. Testing and Debugging

 Test your file system in a controlled environment. Use virtual machines or

emulators to avoid damaging actual data.
 Create unit tests to validate individual components and integration tests for the
entire file system.
 Use tools like fsck for checking and repairing file system errors.

7. Documentation

 Document your design choices, data structures, and APIs. This will help others
understand and contribute to your project.

8. Iterate and Improve

 Gather feedback from users and testers, and iterate on your design to improve
performance and usability.
 Consider open-sourcing your project to get contributions and insights from the
community.

9. Resources for Learning

 Books: "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces" and "Understanding the Linux
Kernel" are excellent resources.
 Online Courses: Look for courses on operating systems and file systems.
 Source Code: Study existing file systems like ext4, FAT, and NTFS by
examining their source code (e.g., Linux kernel source).
Example: Creating a Simple File System

If you want to start small, consider creating a simple in-memory file system or a file system that
operates on a single file. This will allow you to experiment with file system concepts without the
complexity of dealing with hardware.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <stdlib.h>
3. #include <string.h>
4.
5. #define BLOCK_SIZE 512
6. #define MAX_FILES 100
7.
8. typedef struct {
9. char name[20];
10. int size;
11. char *data;
12. } File;
13.
14. typedef struct {
15. File *files[MAX_FILES];
16. int file_count;
17. } FileSystem;
18.
19. FileSystem *create_file_system() {
20. FileSystem *fs = malloc(sizeof(FileSystem));
21. fs->file_count = 0;
22. return fs;
23. }
24.
25. int create_file(FileSystem *fs, const char *name, const char *data) {
26. if (fs->file_count >= MAX_FILES) return -1;
27. File *file = malloc(sizeof(File));
28. strncpy(file->name, name, 20);
29. file->size = strlen(data);
30. file->data = malloc(file->size + 1);
31. strcpy(file->data, data);
32. fs->files[fs->file_count++] = file;
33. return 0;
34. }
35.
36. void list_files(FileSystem *fs) {
37. for (int i = 0; i < fs->file_count; i++) {
38. printf("File: %s, Size: %d\n", fs->files[i]->name, fs-
>files[i]->size);
39. }
40. }
41.
42. void free_file_system(FileSystem *fs) {
43. for (int i = 0; i < fs->file_count; i++) {
44. free(fs->files[i]->data);
45. free(fs->files[i]);
46. }
47. free(fs);
48. }
 49.
50. int main() {
51. FileSystem *fs = create_file_system();
52. create_file(fs, "example.txt", "Hello, File System!");
53. list_files(fs);
54. free_file_system(fs);
55. return 0;
56. }

This code represents a very basic in-memory file system that can create files and list them. As
you progress, you can implement more complex features.

Conclusion

Building a file system is a rewarding challenge that requires a deep understanding of computer
science principles. Start small, learn continuously, and don’t hesitate to seek help from the
community. Good luck!
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What are some common challenges faced when developing a file system?

Can you explain how journaling works in file systems?

What tools can I use to test my file system implementation?

Christopher Hall

Linux and FreeBSD userAuthor has 1.9K answers and 2M answer views
· 8y

The basic idea is not that difficult; the difficulty is in ensuring that the filesystem has data(and
meta-data) integrity is the real problem. Many filesystems do not bother with data integrity but
try to ensure the meta-data is protected. Advanced systems like ZFS do both.

For starting I would suggest looking at Minix since it is micro-kernel based the filesystem is
more like a standalone program; on BSD and Linux where the filesystems are much more
integrated. Another possibility to get a softer start is to look at FUSE, this allows you to write a
standalone program on BSD/Linux and have it a
Jim DeLaHunt

I have been using file systems for over 35 years.Author has 141 answers and 595.4K answer
views
· 8y

1. Study computer science, learn about the issues in file systems design.
2. Read the code for some other file systems implementations. Learn how they
solved design problems.
3. Use binary editors and low-level file system tools to look at the actual
structures of some existing file systems.
4. Choose an OS for which to write a file system, and an implementation language
to use.
5. Learn the interfaces for your target OS’s file systems layer.
6. Code the file system.

Is this not a helpful answer? It’s because your question doesn’t give much clarity on what you
really want to know, and what obstacle you are trying to
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Dave Ruedeman

I've been using Unix and now Linux since Unix Version 6 PWB on a PDP 11Author has 666
answers and 1.2M answer views
· 6y
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Is it possible to create my own file system like FAT32 etc.?

Sure, anything is possible. In fact I’ve known people who created their own operating systems.
Mostly on embedded systems. In fact one of my colleagues reversed -engineered the FAT file
system so that it ran on a DSP chip. I did the network stack and some network applications.

I’ve also worked on systems that did their own bit level encoding on floppy disks, had their own
file system etc. The main requirement, these days, would be a C,C++ or possibly a RUST
compiler for the system that you want to work on. Of course, you would need to understand how
to interface to the raw hardware of whatever
Richard Taylor

My opinions and knowledge based on 55+ years of experience.Upvoted by

Roberto Santocho

, M.S. Computer Science & Pre-Law, Polytechnic Institute (1984) · Author has 15.7K answers
and 39.8M answer views
· 4y
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What are the similarities between an ext4 and an NTFS file system?

Q: What are the similarities between an ext4 and an NTFS file system?

The biggest similarity between these two file systems is they are both journaling file systems.

Any change to the structure of the file system occurs in two phases. First, the system writes a
journal sequence of the changes it is about to make. For example:

 Create an entry in the new folder pointing to the file descriptor, which identifies
where the actual file data is stored.
 Remove the corresponding entry from the old folder.
 Mark the journal sequence as complete.
Then the actual changes are made, and finally the journal sequenc
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Charles Banas

I write filesystems for fun.Author has 222 answers and 748.2K answer views
· 9y
Related
What advantages does NTFS have over ext4?

Not a whole lot. There are a few features unique to NTFS, for example:

 Transparent compression. NTFS can compress files to make more data fit into a
single cluster.
 Data deduplication (Since Windows Server 2012).
 Alternate Data Streams (which is used by some malware to spread).
 File change log and file snapshots.

Otherwise, both have a very similar featureset. The biggest differences are in the small details.
For example:

 Ext4 allows filenames to contain any character except / and the NUL byte. In
contrast, NTFS forbids a lot of characters, including backslashes, asterisks,
question marks, pipes, et

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Lưu Vĩnh Phúc

Works at Embedded SystemsAuthor has 747 answers and 3.9M answer views
· Updated 5y
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What is the difference between ext2 and NTFS file systems?

Technically both were released in 1993 but ext2 is severely limited compared to NTFS, probably
because NTFS was designed anew whereas ext2 was extended from the previous version

 Size limits:
o ext2 uses 32-bit block address, limiting the maximum volume size
to 2–32 TiB (2³² - 1 clusters) depending on block size. ext4
changed to 48-bit addressing. NTFS uses 64-bit block address and
supports volumes up to 2⁶⁴ - 1 clusters
o ext2 can have at most 32000 directories in a single directory.
NTFS can have maximum 4294967295 folders in a folder
 o ext2 can have maximum 10¹⁸ files in a single volume, NTFS is
limit

Armand Welsh

I have professionally administered Windows, and Linux servers since 1998, and unprofessionally
for much longer. I'm currently an OS X junky.Author has 5.1K answers and 11.6M answer views
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What are the differences between NTFS (New Technology File System) and APFS (Apple File
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APFS is a disk format fir the average user that offers features only available on SAN/NAS
devices or server class operating systems for Windows.

My MacOS install was installed both, without APFS and with APFS (both cases, the contents of
the disk were the same. Without APFS, my 256GB SSD had 30GB free, after APFS (same OS,
and data) i had 60GB free. This is because APFS is a modern file systen, design from the ground
up to be used with the type of large files we see today. It is much more efficient than its
predecessor.

Some thing APFS offers, that NTFS doesnt, or is only available of the server

Michael Mroz

Software developer at Atlassian

· 7y
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In C, how does one code a file system for an OS?

First, we have to ask ourselves what a filesystem is. Typically when we think of a filesystem,
we’re imagining a physical disk and a means of storing and/or retrieving data on it. Maybe that
disk uses platters and electromagnets, but it could be flash-based or optical. If we broaden our
minds a little, we can remind ourselves that a Windows network drive is writing to and reading
from a TCP connection using the SMB protocol.
So what is a filesystem? It’s a contract for data storage and retrieval. Underlying technology
is irrelevant to this (though will still of course impact performance and rel

Wayne Sue

Staff at WondershareAuthor has 802 answers and 8.7M answer views

· 1y
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What are the differences between NTFS (New Technology File System) and APFS (Apple File
System)?

File system is an essential element of any operating system, which plays a vital role in arranging
and overseeing data. Its function is to establish an organized method for storing, retrieving, and
accessing files and directories.

NTFS (New Technology File System) and APFS (Apple File System) are both modern file
systems used to manage data on storage devices such as hard drives, solid-state drives (SSDs),
and other storage media. Where NTFS is developed for Windows operating system and APFS is
developed for MacOS.

The new operating system like Windows operating systems, such as Windows 10 and W
Daniel Nebdal

Works at Oslo UniversitetssykehusAuthor has 1.1K answers and 2.7M answer views
· 7y
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How do you simulate an Ext4 file system?

That’s not a small project, but I’d suggest backing it on an sqlite database file. Make one table
with an id (your inode number) and a blob (for the file contents), and another table with
“directory entries” (directory id, filename, type, and either inode or another directory id). You
can add more fields in the directory table to get things like owner, permission, and
creation/access times as needed.

That abstracts away all the actual disk space handling, so you don’t have to mess with free space
bitmaps and fragmentation and so on. It’s not going to be ideal for performance, but unless you
nee
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Drac Smith

Studied Masters in Psychology & I/O Psychology (Graduated 2017)Author has 6.7K answers
and 10.5M answer views
· Updated 7y
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What advantages does NTFS have over ext4?

None really, with a number of disadvantages. NTFS suffers from file fragmention for example.
This adds wear and tear to your hardware as well as slowing the system down. Ext4 is immune to
this as long as you are not running really low on disk space. Even when you do get Ext4 file
fragmentation it’s handled gracefully and transparently.

Journaling is a whole lot safer & less system intensive means of file integrity than the snapshot
NTFS feature.

NTFS is bloated and requires more space to store the same data than Ext4.

NTFS is also more vulnerable to catastrophic data loss and less friendly to eme
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Jim DeLaHunt

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Joined October 2013