WebDAV - Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning

What is WebDAV?

WebDAV stands for Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning. It is an extension of the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers.

Why is WebDAV useful?

  • Enables collaborative authoring and file management over the web.

  • Allows remote editing, creation, deletion, and moving of files and folders.

  • Supports locking mechanisms to prevent overwrite conflicts.

  • Works seamlessly with existing HTTP infrastructure and security.

How it works?

  • WebDAV extends standard HTTP methods with additional commands like PROPFIND, PROPPATCH, MKCOL, COPY, MOVE, LOCK, and UNLOCK.

  • Clients communicate with the WebDAV-enabled server via these HTTP extensions to manage resources.

  • The server processes the requests and modifies files or directories accordingly.

  • Supports metadata management and resource locking to coordinate edits.

Where is WebDAV used?

  • In content management systems and collaborative authoring environments.

  • For remote file storage and synchronization services.

  • Supported by various operating systems for mounting remote file systems.

  • Used in applications like Microsoft SharePoint, ownCloud, Nextcloud, and others.

Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?

  • WebDAV operates at the Application Layer (Layer 7) of the OSI model.

  • It is an extension of the HTTP protocol, which also operates at this layer.

IS WebDAV windows specific?

  • No, WebDAV is not Windows-specific.

  • It is supported by many platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and various web servers.

IS WebDAV Linux Specific?

  • No, WebDAV is not Linux-specific.

  • Linux supports WebDAV clients and servers via tools like davfs2 and Apache’s mod_dav module.

Which Transport Protocol is used by WebDAV?

  • WebDAV uses TCP as its transport protocol.

  • It operates over HTTP or HTTPS, which run on top of TCP.

Which Port is used by WebDAV?

  • WebDAV uses port 80 for HTTP.

  • It uses port 443 for HTTPS (secure communication).

Is WebDAV using Client server model?

  • Yes, WebDAV uses a client-server model.

  • Clients send requests to WebDAV-enabled servers to manage files and directories remotely.

Topics in this section,

  • In this section, you are going to learn

  • Terminology

  • Version Info

  • rfc details

  • setup

  • setup

  • packet details

  • usecases

  • features

  • Reference links