WebDAV
Contents
WebDAV
WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is an extension of the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit, manage, and transfer files on remote web servers. WebDAV was designed to make the web a readable and writable medium, enabling users to manipulate files and directories over the Internet.
WebDAV is supported by many operating systems and file managers, and is commonly used for remote file access, backups, and synchronization—especially in cloud services and seedboxes.
Key Features
- **File transfer over HTTP** – Upload, download, and delete files over the web
- **Directory management** – Create, rename, move, and delete directories
- **File locking** – Prevent conflicts in collaborative environments
- **Metadata support** – Allows storing and reading of custom file properties
- **Platform compatibility** – Native support in Windows, macOS, Linux file managers
WebDAV operates over **HTTP (port 80)** or **HTTPS (port 443)** and can be used with standard web servers like Apache HTTP Server and nginx (with extensions).
Typical Use Cases
- Mounting remote seedbox storage as a drive
- Synchronizing cloud storage
- Website file management
- Secure document sharing
- Remote backups and file syncing
How to Connect
On Windows: 1. Open **File Explorer** 2. Click **This PC** → **Map network drive** 3. Choose a drive letter 4. Enter your WebDAV URL (e.g., `https://your.server.com/webdav`) 5. Enter your credentials
On Linux: Mount using `davfs2`:
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash"> sudo apt install davfs2 sudo mkdir /mnt/webdav sudo mount -t davfs https://your.server.com/webdav /mnt/webdav </syntaxhighlight>
On macOS: 1. Open **Finder** 2. Click **Go → Connect to Server** 3. Enter the URL: `https://your.server.com/webdav` 4. Login with your username and password
Security
WebDAV supports **HTTPS** for secure communication. When enabled, it encrypts all data transmitted between the client and server.
To enhance security:
- Always use HTTPS instead of plain HTTP
- Use strong authentication (username/password or client certificates)
- Restrict access via server configuration or .htaccess
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built into most OSes | Slower than SFTP/SCP for large file transfers | Easy to use | Limited support for advanced permissions | Supports HTTPS | No native compression | Mounts as a local drive | May require configuration on server side |
Comparison with Other Protocols
| Feature | WebDAV | SFTP | FTP/FTPS | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | HTTP/HTTPS | SSH | TCP | Encryption | Only with HTTPS | Yes | FTPS only | Authentication | Basic, Digest, or client certs | SSH keys/password | Password | File locking | Yes | No | No | Drive mounting | Native on OS | Requires software | Limited |
Software Supporting WebDAV
- Nextcloud / ownCloud
- Windows Explorer
- macOS Finder
- GNOME Files (Nautilus)
- Cyberduck – GUI file transfer client
- WinSCP – With limitations (read-only)
