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WebDAV

The WebDAV integration backs up and restores WebDAV remotes. Any WebDAV-compatible service can be used as a source or destination, including Nextcloud, ownCloud and self-hosted WebDAV servers.

The integration includes two connectors:

Connector type Description
Source connector Back up a WebDAV remote into a Kloset store.
Destination connector Restore a snapshot from a Kloset store to a WebDAV remote.

Both connectors support two protocols. They differ in whether the connection is encrypted:

Protocol Transport
davs:// TLS-encrypted WebDAV. Recommended for all remote connections.
dav:// Unencrypted WebDAV. Requires insecure=true to be explicitly set.
Warning

Only use dav:// on trusted local networks. For any connection over the internet, use davs:// to protect credentials and data in transit.

Installation

The WebDAV package can be installed using pre-built binaries or compiled from source.

Pre-compiled packages are available for common platforms and provide the simplest installation method.

Logging In

Pre-built packages require Plakar authentication. See Logging in to Plakar for details.

Install the WebDAV package:

Shell 
$ plakar pkg add webdav

Verify installation:

Shell 
$ plakar pkg show

Source builds are useful when pre-built packages are unavailable or when customization is required.

Prerequisites:

  • Go toolchain compatible with your Plakar version

Build the package:

Shell 
$ plakar pkg build webdav

A package archive will be created in the current directory (e.g., webdav_v1.0.0_darwin_arm64.ptar).

Install the package:

Shell 
$ plakar pkg add -allow-unsigned ./webdav_v1.0.0_darwin_arm64.ptar

Verify installation:

Shell 
$ plakar pkg show

To list, upgrade, or remove the package, see managing packages guide.

Configuration

The source connector retrieves files from a WebDAV remote and stores them in a Kloset store with encryption and deduplication. The destination connector restores files from a Kloset store back to a WebDAV remote. Both connectors authenticate with HTTP basic authentication when a username is set.

Backup flow 

flowchart LR

subgraph Source["WebDAV Remote"]
  FS["Files"]
end

subgraph Plakar["Plakar"]
  Connector["Retrieve files via
WebDAV"]
  Transform["Encrypt & deduplicate"]
  Connector --> Transform
end

Source --> Connector

Store["Kloset Store"]
Transform --> Store

Restore flow 

flowchart LR

Store["Kloset Store"]

subgraph Plakar["Plakar"]
  Transform["Decrypt & reconstruct"]
  Connector["Restore via
WebDAV"]
  Transform --> Connector
end

Store --> Transform

subgraph Destination["WebDAV Remote"]
  FS["Files"]
end

Connector --> Destination

Shared configuration

The following options apply to both source and destination connectors.

Option Required Description
location Yes davs://<webdav-host>/path or dav://<webdav-host>/path.
username No Username for basic authentication.
password No Password for basic authentication. Only used if username is set.
insecure Conditional Set to true to allow the unencrypted dav:// protocol.

Example

Back up a WebDAV remote:

Shell 
$ plakar source add my-webdav \
  davs://<webdav-host>/path/to/files \
  username=<YOUR_USERNAME> \
  password=<YOUR_PASSWORD>

$ plakar at /var/backups backup "@my-webdav"

Back up a specific path:

Shell 
$ plakar at /var/backups backup "@my-webdav:subpath"

Back up a Nextcloud account:

Shell 
$ plakar source add nextcloud \
  davs://<nextcloud-url>/remote.php/dav/files/<your-user> \
  username=<YOUR_USERNAME> \
  password=<YOUR_PASSWORD>

$ plakar at /var/backups backup "@nextcloud"

Restore a snapshot to a WebDAV remote:

Shell 
$ plakar destination add my-webdav-restore \
  davs://<webdav-host>/path/to/files \
  username=<YOUR_USERNAME> \
  password=<YOUR_PASSWORD>

$ plakar at /var/backups restore -to "@my-webdav-restore" <snapshot_id>

Limitations and scope

WebDAV does not preserve all filesystem metadata, such as Unix permissions and symlinks. Only file content, directory structure, modification times and basic attributes are captured. Empty directories are preserved.

A symlink in a snapshot is skipped on restore rather than recreated.

WebDAV cannot tell a symlink on the server from a real directory. If the destination already contains one, a restore can write through it, outside the destination root, depending on how the server handles it. Only restore into a destination whose symlinks you control.

When using dav://, the insecure=true option must be explicitly set.

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