Plist (property list)
Definition
A structured data format native to Apple operating systems, available in XML and binary variants. iOS uses plist files to store app preferences, account credentials, configuration data, and small records such as recently visited locations or Wi-Fi networks.
Related terms
- App sandbox container
- An isolated directory assigned to each app on iOS under /var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/<UUID>/. The container holds all of the app's Documents, Library, and tmp...
- iOS Keychain
- A hardware-backed secure credential store on iOS devices that holds passwords, authentication tokens, and cryptographic keys. Keychain items are encrypted with keys...
- NAND flash
- The type of non-volatile memory used in all modern mobile device storage. Data is written to pages grouped into blocks; erasure operates...
- SQLite
- A lightweight, serverless relational database engine used pervasively on both iOS and Android to store structured app data including messages, call logs,...
- Wear-leveling
- A flash storage controller behavior that distributes write operations across all available memory cells to prevent premature failure of any single cell....
Explained in
- Data Persistence and Evidence Locations on Mobile DevicesA structured data format native to Apple operating systems, available in XML and binary variants. iOS uses plist files to store app preferences, account creden...