WebDAV

Store backups on any WebDAV-compatible server — Nextcloud, ownCloud, Apache, Nginx, or any other WebDAV endpoint.

Overview

WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is an extension of HTTP that allows clients to manage files on remote servers. Benefits:

• 🌐 Works over HTTP/HTTPS — no special ports or protocols
• 🔒 HTTPS encryption in transit by default
• 📁 Native support in Nextcloud, ownCloud, Synology, and many NAS devices
• 🔑 Simple username/password authentication

Configuration

Field	Description	Default
Name	Friendly name	Required
URL	WebDAV server URL	Required
Username	WebDAV username	Required
Password	WebDAV password	Optional
Path Prefix	Subdirectory for backups	Optional

Setup Examples

Nextcloud

1. Ensure WebDAV is enabled (it is by default)
2. Create a dedicated user or use an existing account
3. Configure in DBackup:
   • URL: https://nextcloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/
   • Username: backupuser
   • Password: Your password or an app password
   • Path Prefix: backups/server1

App Passwords

For security, create a dedicated app password in Nextcloud under Settings > Security > App passwords instead of using your main password.

ownCloud

1. WebDAV is enabled by default
2. Configure in DBackup:
   • URL: https://owncloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/
   • Username: backupuser
   • Password: Your password
   • Path Prefix: backups

Synology NAS (WebDAV)

1. Install the WebDAV Server package from Package Center
2. Enable HTTPS in WebDAV Server > Settings
3. Configure in DBackup:
   • URL: https://synology-ip:5006
   • Username: backupuser
   • Password: Your password
   • Path Prefix: backups

Apache (mod_dav)

1. Enable modules: a2enmod dav dav_fs
2. Configure a WebDAV directory in your Apache config:

<Directory /var/www/webdav>
    Dav On
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "WebDAV"
    AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/.htpasswd
    Require valid-user
</Directory>

3. Create the htpasswd file: htpasswd -c /etc/apache2/.htpasswd backupuser
4. Restart Apache: sudo systemctl restart apache2
5. Configure in DBackup:
   • URL: https://server.example.com/webdav
   • Username: backupuser
   • Password: Your htpasswd password

Nginx (nginx-dav-ext-module)

1. Install Nginx with DAV support
2. Add a WebDAV location block:

location /webdav {
    alias /var/www/webdav;
    dav_methods PUT DELETE MKCOL COPY MOVE;
    dav_ext_methods PROPFIND OPTIONS;
    dav_access user:rw group:rw all:r;

    auth_basic "WebDAV";
    auth_basic_user_file /etc/nginx/.htpasswd;

    create_full_put_path on;
    autoindex on;
}

3. Create htpasswd: htpasswd -c /etc/nginx/.htpasswd backupuser
4. Restart Nginx: sudo systemctl restart nginx
5. Configure in DBackup:
   • URL: https://server.example.com/webdav
   • Username: backupuser
   • Password: Your htpasswd password

Directory Structure

After backups, your WebDAV server will contain:

/your-prefix/
├── mysql-daily/
│   ├── backup_2024-01-15T12-00-00.sql.gz
│   ├── backup_2024-01-15T12-00-00.sql.gz.meta.json
│   └── ...
└── postgres-weekly/
    └── ...

Docker Configuration

The WebDAV adapter uses the webdav npm package and requires no additional system dependencies. It works out of the box in both Docker and local development environments.

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

401 Unauthorized

Solutions:

1. Verify username and password are correct
2. For Nextcloud/ownCloud, try using an app password
3. Ensure the WebDAV endpoint URL is correct

Forbidden

403 Forbidden

Solutions:

1. Check file/folder permissions on the server
2. Verify the user has write access to the target directory
3. Check if server-side security rules (e.g., fail2ban) are blocking requests

Not Found

404 Not Found

Solutions:

1. Verify the WebDAV URL is correct
2. For Nextcloud: ensure URL includes /remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/
3. Check that the WebDAV service is enabled on the server

SSL Certificate Errors

UNABLE_TO_VERIFY_LEAF_SIGNATURE

Solutions:

1. Use a valid SSL certificate (e.g., Let's Encrypt)
2. For self-signed certificates in development, set NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=0 (not recommended for production)

File Size Limits

Some WebDAV servers impose upload size limits:

Solutions:

1. Apache: Increase LimitRequestBody directive
2. Nginx: Increase client_max_body_size directive
3. Nextcloud: Adjust upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in PHP config

Security Best Practices

1. Use HTTPS — Always use TLS-encrypted connections
2. App passwords — Use dedicated app passwords instead of main account passwords
3. Dedicated user — Create a separate account for backups with minimal permissions
4. Path isolation — Restrict the backup user to a specific directory
5. Firewall rules — Limit which IPs can access the WebDAV endpoint
6. Enable backup encryption — Use DBackup's encryption profiles for at-rest encryption

Comparison with Other Destinations

Feature	WebDAV	SFTP	SMB	S3	Local
Setup complexity	Easy	Medium	Easy	Easy	Easiest
Works over internet	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌
HTTPS encryption	✅	N/A (SSH)	❌	✅	N/A
Nextcloud/ownCloud	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
NAS support	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌
Self-hosted	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
No CLI dependency	✅	✅	❌	✅	✅

Next Steps

• Enable Encryption
• Configure Retention
• Storage Explorer