| 👁 Image | |
| Developer(s) | Apple Inc. |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 20 July 2011 (2011-07-20); 14 years ago |
| Final release | 5.12.2
/ 8 December 2021 (2021-12-08); 4 years ago |
| Written in | Objective-C |
| Operating system | macOS 10.7 - 12.6.3[1] |
| Predecessor | Mac OS X Server variants |
| Type | Server |
| Website | |
macOS Server (previously OS X Server) was an add-on component introducing server functions to an existing installation of macOS. OS X Server was initially included with the US$499.99 purchase of a Mac OS X Server license, on DVD media. With the release of OS X Mountain Lion, the full Mac OS X Server operating system was replaced with a US$49.99 Server app available from the Mac App Store.
Version History
On 20 July 2011 (2011-07-20), Mac OS X Lion was released to the Mac App Store, the first version to be released as a digital download rather than on physical DVD media. The Mac OS X Lion Server variant was released simultaneously, for purchase at US$499.99 from the Apple Store, still in physical DVD media format. While Apple announced that Mac OS X Lion Server would be made available as a US$49.99 Mac App Store download, this does not appear to have actually been the case until version 1.9, released on 7 July 2012 (2012-07-07).[2]
On 25 July 2012 (2012-07-25), Apple released OS X Mountain Lion, and updated the Server app to version 2.0 on the same day.
On 18 October 2013 (2013-10-18), Apple released Server 3.0, in preparation for OS X Mavericks, which released on 22 October 2013 (2013-10-22).
On 16 September 2015 (2015-09-16), Apple released Server 5.0.3, in preparation for OS X El Capitan, which released on 30 September 2015 (2015-09-30).
On 20 September 2016 (2016-09-20), Apple released macOS Sierra, and updated the Server app to version 5.2 on the same day.
On 25 September 2017 (2017-09-25), Apple released macOS High Sierra, and updated the Server app to version 5.4 on the same day.
On 28 September 2018 (2018-09-28), Apple released Server 5.7.1 for macOS Mojave, which released on 24 September 2018 (2018-09-24).
On 8 October 2019 (2019-10-08), Apple released Server 5.9 for macOS Catalina, which released the day prior.
On 14 December 2020 (2020-12-14), Apple released Server 5.11 for macOS Big Sur, which released on 12 November 2020 (2020-11-12).
On 8 December 2021 (2021-12-08), Apple released Server 5.12 for macOS Monterey, which released on 25 October 2021 (2021-10-25).
Discontinuance of Server
Starting in macOS High Sierra, Apple began to phase out macOS Server. The File Server and Time Machine Server features were merged into the Sharing preferences pane in High Sierra. Caching Server was introduced to the Sharing pane as a replacement for the Software Update feature.[1]
FTP and Server Docs were removed in Server 5.4, citing their dated protocols as a reason. File Server (SMB), Remote Login (SSH), and iCloud were suggested as alternatives.
On 30 March 2018 (2018-03-30), Apple released a macOS Server Service Migration Guide document, with instructions for system administrators to replace macOS Server with standalone open source software, or by directly using daemons built into macOS.
Almost all features were removed in Server 5.7.1, leaving only Profile Manager, Open Directory, and Xsan. Apple provided a list of alternative software to replace the macOS Server functionality. The underlying daemons implementing the functionality of the DHCP, Firewall, Websites, and NetBoot/NetInstall features remained in macOS, leaving them without a GUI for configuring them.
Xsan was removed in Server 5.12. xsanctl and related command line tools were added to macOS Big Sur to replace this functionality.[3] Being based on the StorNext file system, Apple additionally suggested migrating from Xsan to StorNext.
Profile Manager was the only remaining feature in Server 5.12.2. Apple refers Profile Manager users to a guide on planning an MDM migration to replace Profile Manager.
On 21 April 2022 (2022-04-21), Apple formally announced the discontinuation of macOS Server.
macOS Server does not run on macOS Ventura, as the ServerCompatibility private framework it depends on has been fully removed from the operating system.
Each version of macOS Server has been removed from the App Store. First, macOS Server[permanent dead link] 4.0 and later for OS X Yosemite through macOS Monterey was removed by 20 July 2023 (2023-07-20). Next, on 4 March 2025 (2025-03-04), OS X Server 2.2.5[dead link] was pulled. Finally, on 20 February 2026 (2026-02-20), OS X Server 3.2.2[dead link] was pulled, marking the end of an era.
Releases
Final
Mac OS X Lion Server (1.x)
| Version | Release Date | Documentation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 20 July 2011 (2011-07-20) | — | Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7. |
| 1.1 | 16 August 2011 (2011-08-16) | Release Notes [Archived 2015-12-22 at the Wayback Machine] | Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.1. |
| 1.2.1 | 12 October 2011 (2011-10-12) | Release Notes Security Notes |
Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.2. |
| 1.3.1 | 1 February 2012 (2012-02-01) | Release Notes Security Notes |
Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.3. |
| 1.4.3 | 9 May 2012 (2012-05-09) | Release Notes Security Notes |
Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.4. |
| 1.5.0 | 19 September 2012 (2012-09-19) | Release Notes Security Notes |
Included with Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7.5. |
| 1.9 | 7 July 2012 (2012-07-07)[4] | ? | Initial release on the Mac App Store. |
| 1.9.1 | 17 July 2012 (2012-07-17)[4] | ? |
OS X Mountain Lion Server (2.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date[4] | Documentation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | 12S307 | 25 July 2012 (2012-07-25) | — | Initial release for OS X Mountain Lion. |
| 2.1 | 12S363 | 20 September 2012 (2012-09-20) | ? | |
| 2.1.1 | 12S365 | 27 September 2012 (2012-09-27) | Security Notes | |
| 2.2 | 12T134 | 6 December 2012 (2012-12-06) | ? | |
| 2.2.1 | 12T162 | 4 February 2013 (2013-02-04) | Release Notes Security Notes |
|
| 2.2.2 | 12T214 | 17 September 2013 (2013-09-17) | Security Notes | |
| 2.2.3 | 12T218 | 17 September 2014 (2014-09-17) | Security Notes | |
| 2.2.4 | 12T220 | 24 September 2014 (2014-09-24) | Release Notes Security Notes |
|
| 2.2.5 | 12T224 | 16 October 2014 (2014-10-16) | Security Notes | Remained on sale as a separate US$19.99 Mac App Store listing until 4 March 2025 (2025-03-04). |
OS X Mavericks Server (3.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date[5] | Documentation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 13S440 | 18 October 2013 (2013-10-18) | Security Notes | Initial release for OS X Mavericks. |
| 3.0.1 | 13S2015 | 11 November 2013 (2013-11-11) | Release Notes | |
| 3.0.2 | 13S2043 | 6 January 2014 (2014-01-06) | Release Notes | |
| 3.0.3 | 13S3007 | 25 February 2014 (2014-02-25) | Release Notes | |
| 3.1 | 13S4138 | 17 March 2014 (2014-03-17) | Release Notes | |
| 3.1.1 | 13S4140 | 24 March 2014 (2014-03-24) | Release Notes | |
| 3.1.2 | 13S4517 | 20 May 2014 (2014-05-20) | Release Notes Security Notes |
|
| 3.2.1 | 13S5179 | 17 September 2014 (2014-09-17) | Release Notes Security Notes |
|
| 3.2.2 | 13S5187 | 16 October 2014 (2014-10-16) | Release Notes Security Notes |
Remained on sale as a separate US$19.99 Mac App Store listing until 20 February 2026 (2026-02-20). |
OS X Yosemite Server (4.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date | Documentation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 14S333 | 16 October 2014 (2014-10-16) | ? | Initial release for OS X Yosemite. |
| 4.0.3 | 14S350 | 6 January 2015 (2015-01-06) | Release Notes | |
| 4.1 | 14S1092 | 8 April 2015 (2015-04-08)[6] | Release Notes Security Notes |
|
| 4.1.3 | 14S1127 | 1 July 2015 (2015-07-01)[6] | ? | |
| 4.1.5 | 14S1136 | 13 August 2015 (2015-08-13)[6] | Release Notes Security Notes |
5.x
| Version | Build | Release Date[6] | Documentation | Compatibility | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0.3 | 15S2257 | 16 September 2015 (2015-09-16) | Security Notes | 10.10.5 - 10.11.3 | Initial release for OS X El Capitan. |
| 5.0.4 | 15S2259 | 21 September 2015 (2015-09-21) | ? | ||
| 5.0.15 | 15S4033 | 21 October 2015 (2015-10-21) | Release Notes Security Notes |
||
| 5.1 | 15S5127 | 21 March 2016 (2016-03-21) | Security Notes | 10.11.4 - 10.11.6 | |
| 5.1.5 | 15S7047 | 16 May 2016 (2016-05-16) | ? | ||
| 5.1.7 | 15S7055 | 18 July 2016 (2016-07-18) | ? | ||
| 5.2 | 16S1195 | 20 September 2016 (2016-09-20) | Security Notes | 10.12.0 - 10.12.6 | Initial release for macOS Sierra. |
| 5.3 | 16S4123 | 27 March 2017 (2017-03-27) | Security Notes | ||
| 5.3.1 | 16S4128 | 15 May 2017 (2017-05-15) | ? | ||
| 5.4 | 17S1207 | 25 September 2017 (2017-09-25) | Release Notes Security Notes |
10.13.0 - 10.13.6 | Initial release for macOS High Sierra. FTP and Server Docs features removed. |
| 5.5 | 17S1220 | 23 January 2018 (2018-01-23) | Release Notes | 10.13.3 - 10.13.6 | Requires macOS 10.13.3 or later. |
| 5.6 | 17S2102 | 29 March 2018 (2018-03-29) | ? | 10.13.5 - 10.13.6 | Requires macOS 10.13.5 or later. |
| 5.6.1 | 17S2109 | 16 April 2018 (2018-04-16) | ? | ||
| 5.6.3 | 17S2123 | 17 September 2018 (2018-09-17) | ? | ||
| 5.7.1 | 18S1178 | 28 September 2018 (2018-09-28) | Release Notes | 10.14.0 - 10.14.6 | Initial release for macOS Mojave. All features except Profile Manager, Open Directory, and Xsan removed. |
| 5.8 | 18S2071 | 25 March 2019 (2019-03-25) | ? | ||
| 5.9 | 19S1079 | 8 October 2019 (2019-10-08) | ? | 10.15.0 - 10.15.7 | Initial release for macOS Catalina. |
| 5.10 | 20S2015 | 1 April 2020 (2020-04-01) | ? | ||
| 5.11 | 20S5056 | 14 December 2020 (2020-12-14) | Release Notes Security Notes |
11.0 - 11.7.4 | Initial release for macOS Big Sur. |
| 5.11.1 | 21S26 | 28 April 2021 (2021-04-28) | Release Notes | ||
| 5.12 | 21S145 | 8 December 2021 (2021-12-08) | 12.0 - 12.6.3 | Initial release for macOS Monterey. Xsan removed. | |
| 5.12.1 | 21S149 | 10 January 2022 (2022-01-10) | |||
| 5.12.2 | 21S167 | 21 April 2022 (2022-04-21) | Final release. |
Beta
OS X Mountain Lion Server (2.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 beta 4 | 12S219n | 17 May 2012 (2012-05-17) |
| 2.0 beta 5 | 12S254j | 11 June 2012 (2012-06-11) |
| 2.0 GM | 12S302 | 9 July 2012 (2012-07-09) |
OS X Mavericks Server (3.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 3.0 beta | 13S263p | 10 June 2013 (2013-06-10) |
| 3.0 beta 2 | 13S263s | 26 June 2013 (2013-06-26) |
| 3.0 beta 3 | 13S289i | 8 July 2013 (2013-07-08) |
| 3.0 beta 4 | 13S289l | 29 July 2013 (2013-07-29) |
| 3.0 beta 5 | 13S323l | 9 August 2013 (2013-08-09) |
| 3.0 beta 6 | 13S341g | 21 August 2013 (2013-08-21) |
| 3.0 beta 7 | 13S357e | 4 September 2013 (2013-09-04) |
| 3.0 beta 8 | 13S388 | 16 September 2013 (2013-09-16) |
| 3.0 beta 9 | 13S411 | 3 October 2013 (2013-10-03) |
| 3.0 GM | 13S440 | 18 October 2013 (2013-10-18) |
| 3.1 beta | 13S4076f | 21 January 2014 (2014-01-21) |
| 3.1 beta 2 | 13S4090c | 4 February 2014 (2014-02-04) |
| 3.1 beta 3 | 13S4101b | 19 February 2014 (2014-02-19) |
| 3.1 beta 4 | 13S4122 | 3 March 2014 (2014-03-03) |
| 3.2 beta | 13S5115 | 11 June 2014 (2014-06-11) |
| 3.2 beta 2 | 13S5148 | 7 August 2014 (2014-08-07) |
| 3.2 beta 3 | 13S5165 | 20 August 2014 (2014-08-20) |
OS X Yosemite Server (4.x)
| Version | Build | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 beta | 14S171z | 3 June 2014 (2014-06-03) |
| 4.0 beta 2 | 14S198d | 18 June 2014 (2014-06-18) |
| 4.0 beta 3 | 14S235h | 24 July 2014 (2014-07-24) |
| 4.0 beta 4 | 14S249f | 4 August 2014 (2014-08-04) |
| 4.0 beta 5 | 14S274j | 2 September 2014 (2014-09-02) |
| 4.0 beta 6 | 14S291i | 18 September 2014 (2014-09-18) |
| 4.0 beta 7 | 14S310 | 30 September 2014 (2014-09-30) |
| 4.0 beta 8 | 14S323 | 8 October 2014 (2014-10-08) |
| 4.1 beta | 14S1031m | 8 February 2015 (2015-02-08) |
| 4.1 beta 2 | 14S1050d | 23 February 2015 (2015-02-23) |
| 4.1 beta 3 | 14S1062i | 12 March 2015 (2015-03-12) |
| 4.1 beta 4 | 14S1073d | 26 March 2015 (2015-03-26) |
5.x
| Version | Build | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 beta | 15S2126s | 8 June 2015 (2015-06-08) |
| 5.0 beta 2 | 15S2157i | 23 June 2015 (2015-06-23) |
| 5.0 beta 3 | 15S2175 | 8 July 2015 (2015-07-08) |
| 5.0 beta 4 | 15S2186i | 21 July 2015 (2015-07-21) |
| 5.0.1 beta | 15S2235 | 24 August 2015 (2015-08-24) |
| 5.0.15 beta | 15S4010 | 23 September 2015 (2015-09-23) |
| 5.0.15 beta 2 | 15S4028 | 12 October 2015 (2015-10-12) |
| 5.1 beta | 15S5058 | 11 January 2016 (2016-01-11) |
| 5.1 beta 2 | 15S5065c | 25 January 2016 (2016-01-25) |
| 5.1 beta 3 | 15S5077h | 8 February 2016 (2016-02-08) |
| 5.1 beta 4 | 15S5094h | 22 February 2016 (2016-02-22) |
| 5.1 beta 5 | 15S5094h | 7 March 2016 (2016-03-07) |
| 5.1.4 beta | 15S7005 | 6 April 2016 (2016-04-06) |
| 5.1.4 beta 2 | 15S7017 | 20 April 2016 (2016-04-20) |
| 5.1.4 beta 3 | 15S7041 | 27 April 2016 (2016-04-27) |
| 5.1.5 beta 4 | 15S7047 | 3 May 2016 (2016-05-03) |
| 5.2 beta | 16S1083q | 13 June 2016 (2016-06-13) |
| 5.2 beta 2 | 16S1113f | 5 July 2016 (2016-07-05) |
| 5.2 beta 3 | 16S1124f | 1 August 2016 (2016-08-01) |
| 5.2 beta 4 | 16S1161 | 15 August 2016 (2016-08-15) |
| 5.3 beta | 16S4075 | 24 January 2017 (2017-01-24) |
| 5.3 beta 2 | 16S4096 | 20 February 2017 (2017-02-20) |
| 5.3 beta 3 | 16S4110 | 7 March 2017 (2017-03-07) |
| 5.4 beta | 17S1119j | 5 June 2017 (2017-06-05) |
| 5.4 beta 2 | 17S1134g | 24 June 2017 (2017-06-24) |
| 5.4 beta 3 | 17S1153d | 10 July 2017 (2017-07-10) |
| 5.4 beta 4 | 17S1165a | 24 July 2017 (2017-07-24) |
| 5.4 beta 5 | 17S1180a | 7 August 2017 (2017-08-07) |
| 5.5 beta | 17S1213 | 19 January 2018 (2018-01-19) |
| 5.6 beta | 17S2055 | 24 January 2018 (2018-01-24) |
| 5.6 beta 2 | 17S2068 | 20 February 2018 (2018-02-20) |
| 5.6 beta 3 | 17S2077 | 5 March 2018 (2018-03-05) |
| 5.6 beta 4 | 17S2089 | 19 March 2018 (2018-03-19) |
| 5.7 beta | 18S1093 | 4 June 2018 (2018-06-04) |
| 5.7 beta 2 | 18S1105 | 9 July 2018 (2018-07-09) |
| 5.7 beta 3 | 18S1117 | 8 August 2018 (2018-08-08) |
| 5.8 beta | 18S2027 | 24 January 2019 (2019-01-24) |
| 5.8 beta 2 | 18S2038 | 4 February 2019 (2019-02-04) |
| 5.8 beta 3 | 18S2050 | 19 February 2019 (2019-02-19) |
| 5.8 beta 4 | 18S2060 | 4 March 2019 (2019-03-04) |
| 5.9 beta | 19S1020b | 3 June 2019 (2019-06-03) |
| 5.9 beta 2 | 19S1023 | 24 June 2019 (2019-06-24) |
| 5.9 beta 3 | 19S1027 | 9 July 2019 (2019-07-09) |
| 5.9 beta 4 | 19S1035 | 16 July 2019 (2019-07-16) |
| 5.9 beta 5 | 19S1040 | 31 July 2019 (2019-07-31) |
| 5.9 beta 6 | 19S1047 | 19 August 2019 (2019-08-19) |
| 5.11 beta | 20S5026 | 1 April 2020 (2020-04-01) |
| 5.11 beta 2 | 20S5027 | 4 August 2020 (2020-08-04) |
| 5.11 beta 3 | 20S5028 | 20 November 2020 (2020-11-20) |
| 5.12 beta 3 | 21S135 | ? |
See Also
External Links
- macOS Server User Guide
- Archived macOS Server app listing
- OS X Server 3.2.2 on the App Store
- Mac OS X Server FAQ Wiki (unofficial)
References
- ^ a b HT208312: About macOS Server 5.7.1 and later
- ^ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/07/20Mac-OS-X-Lion-Available-Today-From-the-Mac-App-Store/
- ^ https://developer.apple.com/support/downloads/Xsan-Management-Guide.pdf
- ^ a b c https://apps.apple.com/app/os-x-server-2-2-5/id537441259?mt=12
- ^ https://apps.apple.com/app/os-x-server-3-2-2/id714547929?mt=12
- ^ a b c d https://web.archive.org/web/20220126215607/https://apps.apple.com/us/app/macos-server/id883878097?mt=12
