# Apple Data Formats and Knowledge

> The Hack Different community's knowledge base on Apple hardware, firmware and operating-system internals, set up and largely maintained by Rick Mark, which pairs a long categorized link list with original pages and machine-readable YAML data. The README groups references from Mach-O, the dyld shared cache, img4 and boot policy to the Secure Enclave, basebands, USB and Lightning, wireless protocols and diagnostic formats, while the data folder holds 56 topic files plus per-device, certificate and firmware-key records on devices, chips, IPSW builds, Mach-O constants, NVRAM, boot arguments, lockdownd services and entitlements. Rake tasks regenerate parts of the data from Apple's update feeds, The iPhone Wiki and local Apple binaries, and the data is also published as apple-data packages for Ruby, Python and Node.js.

- Type: Learning resource
- Targets: Binary · Firmware · Protocol
- Category: Learning resources
- Relationship: Learning resource
- Sources reviewed: 2026-10-19
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-09
- Original resource: <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/hack-different-apple-knowledge/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/hack-different-apple-knowledge/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/hack-different-apple-knowledge/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Reading needs a browser. Building the Jekyll site and running Rake tasks needs Ruby 4.0.5 and Bundler; BUILD.md covers macOS and Debian/Ubuntu setup with hunspell and overcommit hooks. Tasks deriving data from Mach-O binaries or kernel collections read Apple software on the user’s Mac.
- **Limits:** The data-format guide calls the formats v0 and subject to change; several README topics are headings without links.
- **Scope:** The keybags data includes bootloader firmware decryption keys and IVs credited to The iPhone Wiki; the symbols folder includes listings from Apple frameworks. The README also links jailbreaks, exploit write-ups and third-party Apple boot ROM copies.
- **License:** The README states code and data are MIT-licensed and documents are also CC BY-SA 4.0. It excludes contributions based on AppleInternal or other DMCA-protected material; linked projects and Apple software keep their own terms.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/_docs/Data_Formats.md>
3. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/BUILD.md>
4. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/LICENSE>
5. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/tree/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/_data>
6. <https://github.com/hack-different/apple-knowledge/blob/7e30ba57ac24c6da9e123a3b2732b5d9810d4114/_packages/python/README.md>
7. <https://pypi.org/project/apple-data/>

## More in References and learning

- [Snake & Apple: macOS internals and security article series](https://awesomerea.org/resources/snake-apple-macos-security-series/index.md) · Learning resource
- [Compiler Explorer](https://awesomerea.org/resources/compiler-explorer/index.md) · Learning resource
- [DecBench](https://awesomerea.org/resources/decbench/index.md) · Research
- [Little Big Adventure engine architecture](https://awesomerea.org/resources/lba-engine-architecture/index.md) · Learning resource
- [IDA Pro guide](https://awesomerea.org/resources/ida-pro-guide/index.md) · Learning resource
- [PAN GlobalProtect protocol documentation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/pan-globalprotect-protocol-doc/index.md) · Documentation

## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.