The new Apple File System (APFS) that replaces the long-running HFS+ in macOS caused a lot of concern and confusion, because it seemed like a massive change, but the effects aren’t noticeable to end users, except in improving the speed of SSD-only Macs. (Apple doesn’t upgrade hard drives to APFS, and hasn’t yet released a Fusion APFS update for its mixed SSD/hard drive systems.)
APFS restructures how files are stored in a disk partition, but it doesn’t change how programs access files within the operating system. When copying individual files or cloning a drive with Disk Utility, SuperDuper, or Carbon Copy Cloner ($40), macOS continues to abstract interaction with files, so you don’t have to learn anything about the filesystem to use it or to use cloning software. (That’s just so long as the cloning software is up to date. Carbon Copy Cloner released a major update for APFS weeks ago, and SuperDuper finished its beta testing and released an APFS-ready version 3.0 on November 8.)
