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WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is an extension of HTTP/1.1 and therefore can be considered to be a protocol. It contains a set of concepts and accompanying extension methods to allow read and write across the HTTP/1.1 protocol. Instead of using NFS or SMB, WebDAV offers file transfers via HTTP.

The goal of this article is to setup a simple WebDAV configuration using a web server.

## Server

### Apache

Install the Apache HTTP Server.

Uncomment the modules for DAV:

    LoadModule dav_module modules/mod_dav.so
    LoadModule dav_fs_module modules/mod_dav_fs.so
    LoadModule dav_lock_module modules/mod_dav_lock.so

Add the following line to `/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf`:

    DAVLockDB /home/httpd/DAV/DAVLock

Make sure you add it outside of any other directives, for instance right under the `DocumentRoot` definition.

Next, add the following (also outside of any directives):

    Alias /dav "/home/httpd/html/dav"

    <Directory "/home/httpd/html/dav">
      DAV On
      AllowOverride None
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
      Require all granted
    </Directory>

Create the directory:

    # mkdir -p /home/httpd/DAV

Check the permissions of DavLockDB's directory and ensure it is writable by the webserver user `http`:

    # chown -R http:http /home/httpd/DAV
    # mkdir -p /home/httpd/html/dav
    # chown -R http:http /home/httpd/html/dav

### nginx

Install nginx-mainline (the mainline variant of nginx) and nginx-mainline-mod-dav-extAUR.

At the top of your `/etc/nginx/nginx.conf` and outside any blocks, add:

    load_module /usr/lib/nginx/modules/ngx_http_dav_ext_module.so;

Add a new `location` for WebDAV to your `server` block, for example:

    location /dav {
        root   /srv/http;

        dav_methods PUT DELETE MKCOL COPY MOVE;
        dav_ext_methods PROPFIND OPTIONS;

        # Adjust as desired:
        dav_access user:rw group:rw all:r;
        client_max_body_size 0;
        create_full_put_path on;
        client_body_temp_path /srv/client-temp;
        autoindex on;

        allow 192.168.178.0/24;
        deny all;
    }

The above example requires the directories `/srv/http/dav` and `/srv/client-temp` to exist.

You may want to use bind mounts to make other directories accessible via WebDAV.

### rclone

Install the rclone package. It supports exporting a remote or local directory using webdav.

To serve the contents of `/srv/http` with no authentication:

    $ rclone serve webdav /srv/http

## Client

### Cadaver

Install the cadaver package.

After installation, test the WebDAV server:

    $ cadaver http://localhost/dav
    dav:/dav/> mkcol test
    Creating `test': succeeded.
    dav:/dav/> ls
    Listing collection `/dav/': succeeded.
    Coll: test

### Dolphin

To create a permanent WebDAV folder in Dolphin select Network in the remotes section of the places sidebar, then press the Add Network Folder button. The network folder wizard will appear. Select WebFolder (webdav), and fill in the subsequent form.

Alternately just click the path bar and then enter the url with webdav:// protocol specifier.

### Nautilus

In Nautilus just choose "connect to server" and enter the address with `dav://` or `davs://` protocol specified:

    dav://127.0.0.1/dav

Note: If you get a "HTTP Error: Moved permanently" with `dav://`, try to use `davs://` as the protocol instead.

### rclone

rclone is a command line tool that lets you sync to/from, or mount (with many caching options), remote file systems including WebDAV.

### Thunar

In Thunar just press `Ctrl+l` and enter the address with dav or davs protocol specified:

    davs://webdav.yandex.ru

## Authentication

There are numerous different protocols you can use:

- plain
- digest
- others

### Apache

Using htdigest(1) (remove the `-c` option if the file exists):

    # htdigest -c /etc/httpd/conf/passwd WebDAV username

Note: Make sure digest authentication is enabled in `httpd.conf` by the presence of this entry: `LoadModule auth_digest_module modules/mod_auth_digest.so`

Using plain htpasswd(1) (remove the `-c` option if the file exists):

    # htpasswd -c /etc/httpd/conf/passwd username

Next, `httpd.conf` must be edited to enable authentication. One method would be to require the user `foo` for everything:

    <Directory "/home/httpd/html/dav">
      DAV On
      AllowOverride None
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
      AuthType Digest # substitute "Basic" for "Digest" if you used htpasswd above
      AuthName "WebDAV"
      AuthUserFile /etc/httpd/conf/passwd
      Require user foo
    </Directory>

Note: `AuthName` must match the realm name passed when using the `htdigest` command for digest authentication. For basic/plain authentication, this line may be removed. Also, make sure that the `AuthUserFile` path matches that used with the `htdigest` or `htpasswd` commands above.

If you want to permit everybody to read, you could use this in your httpd.conf

    <Directory "/home/httpd/html/dav">
      DAV On
      AllowOverride None
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
      AuthType Digest # substitute "Basic" for "Digest" if you used htpasswd above
      AuthName "WebDAV"
      AuthUserFile /etc/httpd/conf/passwd
      Require all granted
      <LimitExcept GET HEAD OPTIONS PROPFIND>
        Require user foo
      </LimitExcept>
    </Directory>

Do not forget to restart `httpd.service` after making changes.

Note: If you get an 405 error with Apache, add `DirectoryIndex disabled` to your `Directory` section.

## Troubleshooting

### Some file explorers cannot edit directories in nginx WebDAV

nginx WebDAV requires a directory path ends with a slash (`/`), but some file explorers does not append a `/` at the end of the path.

This can be worked-around, by either removing the corresponding checking code and recompile it, or by appending the following code in a nginx `server` block to add `/` at the end of a request, if needed:

    # The configuration was based on: https://nworm.icu/post/nginx-webdav-dolphin-deken/
    # if the request method is MKCOL or is to a directory, add / at the end of the request if it was missing
    if ($request_method = MKCOL) {
        rewrite ^(.*[^/])$ $1/ break;
    }
    if (-d $request_filename) {
        rewrite ^(.*[^/])$ $1/ break;
    }

    # if the request method is copy or move a directory, add / at the end of the request if it was missing
    set $is_copy_or_move 0;
    set $is_dir 0;
    if (-d $request_filename) {
        set $is_dir 1;
    }
    if ($request_method = COPY) {
        set $is_copy_or_move 1;
    }
    if ($request_method = MOVE) {
        set $is_copy_or_move 1;
    }
    set $is_rewrite "${is_dir}${is_copy_or_move}";
    if ($is_rewrite = 11) {
        rewrite ^(.*[^/])$ $1/ break;
    }

Category:

- WebDAV