Editing Avahi (software)

{{Short description|Zero-configuration networking (zeroconf) implementation}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Avahi
| logo                   = Avahi-logo.svg
| screenshot             = Avahi.png
| caption                = Avahi Discovery GUI showing discovered services
| collapsible            =
| author                 =
| developer              = [[Lennart Poettering]], Trent Lloyd, Sjoerd Simons
| released               =
| latest release version = 0.8
| latest release date    = {{Start date and age|2020|02|18}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/avahi/avahi/releases/tag/v0.8|title=Avahi 0.8, the 'Dobro Jutro' release|website=[[GitHub]] |accessdate=11 April 2020}}</ref>
| latest preview version =
| latest preview date    =
| programming language   = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system       = [[Linux]], [[BSD]]
| platform               =
| size                   =
| language               =
| genre                  = {{ubl|[[Computer networking|Networking]]|[[Service discovery]]|[[Linux on the desktop]]}}
| license                = [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPLv2.1]]
| website                = {{URL|//www.avahi.org}}
}}

'''Avahi''' is a [[free software|free]] [[zero-configuration networking]] (zeroconf) implementation, including a system for [[multicast DNS]] and [[DNS-SD|DNS Service Discovery]]. It is licensed under the [[GNU Lesser General Public License]] (LGPL).

Avahi is a system that enables programs to publish and discover services and hosts running on a [[local network]]. For example, a user can plug a computer into a network and have Avahi automatically advertise the [[network service]]s running on its machine, facilitating user access to those services.

== Software architecture ==
[[File:Avahi-Architecture-Overview.svg|thumb|right|Architectural overview of the Avahi software framework]]

Avahi implements the Apple [[Zeroconf]] specification, [[multicast DNS|mDNS]], [[DNS-SD]] and RFC 3927/[[Link-local address|IPv4LL]]. Other implementations include Apple's [[Bonjour (software)|Bonjour]] framework (the mDNSResponder component of which is licensed under the [[Apache License]]).

Avahi provides a set of language bindings ([[Python (programming language)|Python]], [[Mono (software)|Mono]], etc.) and ships with most [[Linux]] and [[BSD]] distributions. Because of its modularized architecture, major desktop components like [[GNOME]] [[GVfs|Virtual file system]] and [[KDE]] [[KIO|input/output architecture]] already integrate Avahi.

== Avahi vs. Bonjour ==
The Avahi project started in 2004 because [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s Zeroconf implementation, [[Bonjour (software)|Bonjour]], used the GPL-incompatible [[Apple Public Source License]]. In 2006 Apple [[Software relicensing|relicensed]] parts of Bonjour under the [[Apache License]].<ref>{{cite mailing list |url=http://lists.apple.com/archives/bonjour-dev/2006/Aug/msg00005.html |title=Fwd: Apple Opens Up: Bonjour now under Apache license |date=2006-08-07 |accessdate=18 March 2015 |mailing-list=bonjour-dev |last=Prabhakar |first=Ernest Prabhakar |archive-date=2018-07-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081353/https://lists.apple.com/archives/bonjour-dev/2006/Aug/msg00005.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Avahi's performance resembles that of Bonjour, sometimes exceeding it; however Avahi can lose services when managing large numbers of requests simultaneously.<ref>[http://lipn.fr/~cerin/documents/PresentationSGS08heithem.pdf Analysis of Peer-to-Peer Protocols Performance for Establishing a Decentralized Desktop Grid Middleware]</ref>

==History==
Avahi was developed by [[Lennart Poettering]] and Trent Lloyd. It is the result of a merger in 2005 of Poettering's original mDNS/DNS-SD implementation called "FlexMDNS", and Lloyd's original code called "Avahi". While most of today's code originates from the former project, the name of the latter was used for the joint project. Development on "FlexMDNS" started in late 2004, and work on the original "Avahi" began in early 2004.

Avahi was originally developed under the [[freedesktop.org]] umbrella, but has now become a separate project. Avahi, however, makes use of freedesktop.org's [[D-Bus]] IPC layer.

The name ''Avahi'' is the [[Malagasy language|Malagasy]] native name and scientific Latin name of a genus of [[woolly lemur]], a family of [[primate]]s indigenous to [[Madagascar]]. Trent Lloyd found the name and liked it, and it stuck. The logo reflects this.<ref>{{cite video
 | title       = Using Avahi The "Right Way"
 | date        = 2007
 | location    = linux.conf.au
 | url         = http://mirror.linux.org.au/pub/linux.conf.au/2007/video/monday/monday_1150_GNOME.ogg
 | format      = ogg
 | medium      = Presentation
 | people      = Trent Lloyd, [[Lennart Poettering]]
}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
* [[Linux on the desktop]]
* [[Lightweight Directory Access Protocol]]
* [[Network Information Service]]
* [[OSGi]] Alliance

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|//www.avahi.org}}
* [http://mirror.int.linux.conf.au/pub/linux.conf.au/2007/video/monday/monday_1150_GNOME.ogg Talk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807202023/http://mirror.int.linux.conf.au/pub/linux.conf.au/2007/video/monday/monday_1150_GNOME.ogg |date=2021-08-07 }} and [https://web.archive.org/web/20160227231631/http://lathiat.net/files/avahi-lca2007.pdf slides] by Poettering/Lloyd at [[linux.conf.au]] 2007

{{Freedesktop.org}}

[[Category:Freedesktop.org]]
[[Category:Applications using D-Bus]]
[[Category:Free network-related software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:GNOME]]
[[Category:KDE]]