WebDAVs

WebDAVs, or Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning, is an extension of the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote web servers. It provides a standardized way for clients to perform operations like reading, writing, copying, and moving files and directories over the web. Think of it as a way to access and manipulate files on a server as if they were local files on your computer, but using internet protocols.

The primary goal of WebDAVs is to enable remote content authoring and management. This means it can be used for a variety of applications, including shared document repositories, content management systems, and remote file storage. It builds upon the standard HTTP methods by introducing new ones like PROPFIND (to retrieve properties of a resource), PROPPATCH (to modify properties), MKCOL (to create a collection or directory), COPY, and MOVE.

While it offers powerful capabilities, WebDAVs has not seen widespread adoption for general file sharing compared to other technologies. One reason for this is that many operating systems and applications have varying levels of support for WebDAVs. However, it remains a valuable tool in specific enterprise environments and for developers building applications that require remote file manipulation capabilities. Security is a key consideration when implementing WebDAVs, and it is often used in conjunction with SSL/TLS for secure data transmission.