WebDAV is an extension to HTTP that turns a web server into a file system: list folders, upload, download, rename, move, lock. It dates from 1999, it has outlived several generations of successors, and the reason is simple - it is built into almost everything.
What WebDAV actually is
Ordinary HTTP lets a client fetch a resource. WebDAV - “Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning” - adds the verbs a file manager needs: PROPFIND to list a directory, MKCOL to create one, MOVE, COPY, DELETE, and LOCK to stop two people saving over each other. A WebDAV server is just a web server that speaks these verbs, which is why it travels over the same port 443, works through corporate firewalls, and inherits TLS encryption in transit without any extra machinery.
The practical consequence: anything that can speak HTTP can be taught to browse your storage, and most operating systems learned decades ago.
Where it shines
Mounting storage as a drive. Finder on macOS, Explorer on Windows and most Linux file managers can connect to a WebDAV URL out of the box - no client to install, nothing to keep updated. Storage appears as a folder; you drag things into it. Our guides for macOS and Windows walk through both, including the sharp edges.
Applications with WebDAV support built in. Document scanners, note-taking apps, media players, e-readers, backup tools on NAS devices - an enormous long tail of software offers “connect to WebDAV” as its generic storage option. This is where the protocol earns its keep: it is the lingua franca for “let this app see my files” when no vendor-specific integration exists.
Occasional human use. Browsing, opening a document, saving it back. For a person doing person-things at person-speed, WebDAV is entirely adequate and wonderfully boring.
Where it struggles
WebDAV moves files one request at a time, and large transfers pay for that design. There is no multipart upload, so a dropped connection during a big file generally means starting that file again - the mechanics of why apply in full. Directory listings over thousands of entries get slow, because PROPFIND responses are verbose XML. And locking, the V in the acronym, is honoured inconsistently enough across clients that it is best treated as advisory.
None of this is fatal. It means WebDAV is the wrong tool for bulk work.
When S3 or SFTP is the better fit
Choose an S3-compatible API for automation and bulk. Multipart uploads that resume, parallel transfers, and first-class support in rclone and every serious backup tool. If the job is “move 200 GB nightly”, this is the shape for it. The S3 versus WebDAV comparison goes deeper on the trade-off.
Choose SFTP for scripts and servers. Ubiquitous on Unix, easy to script, and every sysadmin already knows it. The SFTP versus FTPS versus FTP guide covers picking between the file transfer protocols themselves.
Choose WebDAV when compatibility is the feature. The device or app in front of you speaks it, and nothing else. That situation remains common enough that the 1999 protocol is still, in 2026, frequently the right answer.
Using it here
Every dosya account exposes a WebDAV endpoint alongside S3 and SFTP - the same files through whichever protocol suits the tool at hand. Connection details and per-app credentials are in the WebDAV developer docs; using scoped credentials per application, rather than your account password everywhere, is the habit that makes revocation painless later.
The short version: WebDAV for compatibility, S3 for bulk and automation, SFTP for scripting. Pick per job, not per allegiance - the storage does not care, and neither should you.
Frequently asked questions
What is WebDAV used for?
WebDAV extends HTTP so storage can be browsed like a file system. Its main uses are mounting cloud storage as a drive in Finder or Explorer, and connecting the many apps and devices that offer WebDAV as their generic storage option.
Is WebDAV secure?
WebDAV runs over HTTPS, so connections are encrypted in transit like any other secure web traffic. Use per-application credentials rather than your account password so one device can be revoked without touching the rest.
Is WebDAV better than S3 or SFTP?
They suit different jobs. WebDAV wins on compatibility because it is built into operating systems, S3 wins for bulk transfers and automation, and SFTP wins for scripting on servers. Many services, dosya included, expose all three.
