WebDAV: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:30, 25 January 2025

Revision as of 16:32, 25 January 2025

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{{Primary sources|date=September 2020}}

{{External links|date=November 2024}}

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}}'''WebDAV''' ('''Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning''') is a set of extensions to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which allows user agents to collaboratively author contents ''directly'' in an HTTP web server by providing facilities for concurrency control and namespace operations, thus allowing Web to be viewed as a ''writeable, collaborative medium'' and not just a read-only medium. WebDAV is defined in by a working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

{{Infobox networking protocol

| name = WebDAV

| rfcs = {{IETF RFC|2518}}, {{IETF RFC|4918}}

| ports = 80, 443

| osilayer = [[Application layer|Application]]

}}

}}'''WebDAV''' ('''Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning''') is a set of extensions to the [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP), which allows [[user agentsagent]]s to collaboratively author contents ''directly'' in an [[Web server|HTTP web server]] by providing facilities for [[concurrency control]] and [[Namespace|namespace operations]], thus allowing [[World Wide Web|Web]] to be viewed as a ''writeable, collaborative medium'' and not just a read-only medium.{{sfn|Whitehead|Goland|1999|p=293}} WebDAV is defined in {{IETF RFC|4918}} by a [[working group]] of the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF).{{sfn|Whitehead|1998|p=34}}

The WebDAV protocol provides a framework for users to create, change and move documents on a server. The most important features include the maintenance of properties about an author or modification date, namespace management, collections, and overwrite protection. Maintenance of properties includes such things as the creation, removal, and querying of file information. Namespace management deals with the ability to copy and move web pages within a server's namespace. Collections deal with the creation, removal, and listing of various resources. Lastly, overwrite protection handles aspects related to the locking of files. It takes advantage of existing technologies such as Transport Layer Security, digest access authentication or XML to satisfy those requirements.

The WebDAV protocol provides a framework for users to create, change and move documents on a [[Server (computing)|server]]. The most important features include the maintenance of properties about an author or modification date, [[namespace]] management, collections, and overwrite protection. Maintenance of properties includes such things as the creation, removal, and querying of file information. Namespace management deals with the ability to copy and move web pages within a server's namespace. Collections deal with the creation, removal, and listing of various resources. Lastly, overwrite protection handles aspects related to the locking of files. It takes advantage of existing technologies such as [[Transport Layer Security]], [[digest access authentication]] or [[XML]] to satisfy those requirements.{{sfn|Whitehead|Goland|1999|p=294}}

Many modern operating systems provide built-in client-side support for WebDAV.

Many{{which|date=August 2024}} modern [[operating systemssystem]]s provide built-in [[client-side]] support for WebDAV{{cn|date=August 2024}}.

== History ==