WebDAV Storage Configuration

Besides S3-compatible object storage, CloudPaste can also use external WebDAV services as a storage backend.

Common use cases:

• You already have a NAS / Nextcloud / Cloudreve that exposes WebDAV and want to reuse it for CloudPaste;
• You cannot easily use S3, but you do have a stable WebDAV service.

The WebDAV storage driver does not provide DirectLink capability. Access paths go through CloudPaste’s proxy chain or upstream WebDAV.

1. Creating a WebDAV Storage Config

1. Log in to the admin panel → Storage Config.
2. Click “Create Storage Config”.
3. In “Storage Type”, select WebDAV.
4. Fill in basic info (name, capacity) and connection settings (endpoint, credentials, etc.).
5. Save, then go to “Mount Management” to create a mount for this storage before using it.

Recommended: start with a small test file to verify listing/upload, then migrate more data.

2. Field Reference

2.1 Basic Info

• Name
  Any label that is easy to recognize, such as “Home NAS WebDAV” or “Nextcloud Storage”.

• Storage Capacity Limit (optional)

  • Only affects CloudPaste’s own quota calculation, it does not actually limit the remote WebDAV disk.
  • When exceeded, CloudPaste will show warnings to help avoid accidentally filling up the remote storage.

2.2 Connection Settings

These fields control how CloudPaste connects to your WebDAV service.

• WebDAV Endpoint (endpoint_url)

  • Examples:
    • https://dav.example.com/dav/
    • https://nextcloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
  • Requirements:
    • Must include protocol (http:// or https://);
    • It is recommended to end with / to keep path concatenation simple;
    • This should be the WebDAV root URL, or the root URL of a specific subdirectory.

• Username / Password

  • Credentials for the WebDAV service;
  • The password is stored encrypted in the backend and only decrypted when testing or doing real operations;
  • When editing, leaving the password empty means “do not change the existing password”.

• Default Upload Path (default_folder) (optional)

  • A subdirectory relative to the WebDAV endpoint.
  • Format: without a leading /, for example:
    • cloudpaste/
    • cloudpaste/files
  • .. is not allowed to avoid path escape; empty means using the endpoint root.
  • The actual WebDAV path will be:
    endpoint_url + default_folder + internal CloudPaste path.

• TLS Certificate Check (tls_insecure_skip_verify)

  • When “Skip self-signed certificate validation” is checked:
    • If the endpoint is https:// and uses self-signed / incomplete chain certificates, CloudPaste will ignore certificate errors and still connect;
    • Suitable for internal/self-hosted environments.
  • For production on the public internet, it is recommended to fix certificates properly and leave this unchecked.

2.3 Proxy URL (url_proxy, advanced)

Only needed when you have deployed Cloudpaste-Proxy.js or a similar edge proxy. Semantics are aligned with the S3 “Proxy URL”.

• Location: Storage Config → Advanced Settings → Proxy URL
• Purpose:
  • Specifies a unified proxy entry domain for this WebDAV storage, e.g. https://proxy.example.com;
  • When combined with mount WebDAV policy use_proxy_url, WebDAV reads will redirect to
    https://proxy.example.com/proxy/fs/....
• If left empty:
  • WebDAV storage still works normally;
  • WebDAV access uses native_proxy or 302_redirect depending on the mount’s WebDAV policy.

For the combination of WebDAV policy and Proxy URL, see:
Storage / Mount Common Settings.

3. Mounts and Permissions

After saving the WebDAV storage config, you need to create a mount in “Mount Management”:

1. Go to Mount Management → create a mount;
2. Select the storage config whose type is WebDAV;
3. Set a mount path (e.g. /webdav) and remark;
4. Configure, as needed:
   • Web Proxy: whether to force web scenarios through the CloudPaste proxy;
   • Enable signing: whether to protect /api/p / proxy URLs with signatures;
   • WebDAV Policy: choose native_proxy / 302_redirect / use_proxy_url.

In the WebDAV storage config, there is also an “Allow API key usage” (is_public) option:

• When enabled, API keys can use this storage within their configured mount paths;
• Combined with the API key’s basic_path and mount paths, you can tightly restrict the access scope.

For more details on mounts and permissions:

• Mount Management Guide
• Storage / Mount Common Settings

4. Common Configuration Examples

4.1 Self-hosted WebDAV (NAS / other NAS-like devices)

1. Enable WebDAV service on your NAS and confirm it can be opened in a browser:
   https://nas.example.com:5006/webdav/
2. In CloudPaste, create a WebDAV storage config:
   • WebDAV Endpoint: https://nas.example.com:5006/webdav/
   • Username / Password: the WebDAV account on the NAS;
   • Default Upload Path: cloudpaste/ (optional);
   • TLS: if using a self-signed cert, you may temporarily enable “Skip self-signed certificate validation”.
3. Create a mount: mount path like /nas, then choose a WebDAV policy as needed.

4.2 Nextcloud / self-hosted web drive

1. Find your WebDAV URL in Nextcloud, for example:
   https://nextcloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
2. In CloudPaste:
   • WebDAV Endpoint: the URL above;
   • Username / Password: your Nextcloud login credentials;
   • Default Upload Path: e.g. cloudpaste/ or leave empty;
3. Choose the WebDAV policy according to Nextcloud’s performance and bandwidth:
   • Internal network / low traffic: native_proxy;
   • Want to offload via edge proxy: configure Proxy URL + use_proxy_url.

5. FAQs

• Connection fails / cannot list directory

  • Check if the endpoint URL works in a browser (it should prompt for WebDAV credentials);
  • Verify username/password;
  • If using self-signed https, try enabling “Skip self-signed certificate validation”.

• Upload fails or is very slow

  • Check latency and bandwidth between CloudPaste and the WebDAV server;
  • Avoid using high-latency public WebDAV as the main storage;
  • For heavy uploads, prefer an S3-compatible storage.

• WebDAV download behavior does not match expectations

  • Confirm the mount’s WebDAV policy (native_proxy / 302_redirect / use_proxy_url);
  • If Proxy URL is used, ensure Cloudpaste-Proxy.js is deployed and configured correctly.