Is webserver required for webdav?

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gedonis
Starting out
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Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2017 5:42 am

Is webserver required for webdav?

Post by gedonis »

I am using webdav for connecting to my QNAP in Windows via https://11.11.11.11:1234/Folder, using my username and password. I have QNAP TS-453b.

After upgrading to QTS 4.5.4.1715, I have the following issue. If I disable Web Server via Control Panel, WebDav protocol became not accessible. I am using QNAP server and Windows 10 laptop in the same local network. Before upgrading, webserver was not required.

Is webserver required for webdav?
Mousetick
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Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:28 pm

Re: Is webserver required for webdav?

Post by Mousetick »

Under the hood, the WebDAV service is provided by the same piece of software as the Web Server: Apache httpd. The Apache server cannot operate as a WebDAV-only server, it always provides plain HTTP service (Web Server) and this cannot be disabled. Since WebDAV depends on Apache running, and Apache running implies Web Server, it makes sense that Web Server be enabled in order to provide WebDAV.

The QNAP online instructions actually include enabling the Web Server as a first step prerequisite:
https://www.qnap.com/en/how-to/tutorial ... ith-webdav

It's possible that the QTS admin UI became broken at some point and made it possible to enable WebDAV without Web Server being enabled first, while in fact the Web Server was still implicitly and silently enabled as a result of enabling WebDAV. Perhaps the latest firmware update fixed this defect, and what you observed is the result of that fix.

It makes sense to make WebDAV an explicit dependency on Web Server, one that the administrator needs to act upon and be aware of from a security point of view. Even though you may only be using the WebDAV service, you need to be aware that enabling it also opens HTTP port 80 and possibly HTTPS port 8081 (default port numbers or whichever you specify), and makes the contents of the Web shared folder available without authentication through those ports to any HTTP client.
gedonis
Starting out
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Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2017 5:42 am

Re: Is webserver required for webdav?

Post by gedonis »

Mousetick wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 3:04 pm Under the hood...
Mousetick thanks a lot! Very detailed and clear.
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