Linux Gets a New NTFS Driver: NTFSPLUS Promises Superior Write Performance
A new driver for the NTFS file system has appeared in Linux—this time under the name NTFSPLUS. Developed as an alternative to the existing NTFS3, long regarded as the primary kernel-level implementation with read-and-write support, the new project already demonstrates superior performance in multithreaded workloads and offers an expanded feature set.
The development of NTFSPLUS was led by Namjae Jeon, the same engineer who previously ported the exFAT driver to Linux and maintains the KSMBD server module. His interest in NTFS arose after the removal of the legacy kernel implementation that supported only read operations. According to Jeon, the remaining NTFS3 driver from Paragon Software suffers from poor maintenance quality and insufficient stability. As a result, many Linux distributions continue to rely on the outdated NTFS-3G, which operates in user space.
NTFSPLUS was built upon the old read-only driver, chosen for its clear code structure, extensive inline documentation, and ease of maintenance. The new driver introduces full write support and implements modern kernel design principles such as iomap, buffer head elimination, and migration to the folio memory model. It also supports mounting with ID mappings, delayed block allocation, and comes with command-line utilities including integrity-checking tools like fsck.
Unlike NTFS3, whose advertised journaling support remains unimplemented, NTFSPLUS includes journaling in its development roadmap. Moreover, its source code has been published as an open patch series exceeding 34,000 lines. Benchmark results indicate that NTFSPLUS significantly outperforms NTFS3 in multithreaded write operations, while the gains in single-threaded scenarios are more modest. Read performance, however, remains comparable between the two implementations.
Though NTFSPLUS has not yet been merged into the mainline Linux kernel, it has already sparked substantial interest within the community. The initiative may represent a crucial step toward providing reliable and high-performance NTFS support in Linux—particularly for users who frequently work with drives formatted under Windows.
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