WebDAV <webdav>

Article
03/23/2022

Overview

The <webdav> element contains the settings that configure Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7. WebDAV is an Internet-based open standard that enables editing Web sites over HTTP and HTTPS connections. WebDAV yields several advantages over the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), the most notable advantages are more security options and the ability to use a single TCP port for all communication.

Compatibility

Version	Notes
IIS 10.0	The `<webdav>` element was not modified in IIS 10.0.
IIS 8.5	The `<webdav>` element was not modified in IIS 8.5.
IIS 8.0	The `<webdav>` element was not modified in IIS 8.0.
IIS 7.5	The `<webdav>` element ships as a feature of IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0	The `<webdav>` element was introduced in WebDAV 7.0, which was a separate download for IIS 7.0.
IIS 6.0	N/A

Note

The WebDAV 7.0 and WebDAV 7.5 modules shipped out-of-band for IIS 7.0, which required downloading and installing the modules from the following URL:

https://www.iis.net/expand/WebDAV

With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the WebDAV 7.5 module ships as a feature for IIS 7.5, so downloading WebDAV is no longer necessary.

Setup

To support WebDAV publishing for your Web server, you must install the WebDAV module. To do so, use the following steps.

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2

On the taskbar, click Server Manager.
In Server Manager, click the Manage menu, and then click Add Roles and Features.
In the Add Roles and Features wizard, click Next. Select the installation type and click Next. Select the destination server and click Next.
On the Server Roles page, expand Web Server (IIS), expand Web Server, expand Common HTTP Features, and then select WebDAV Publishing. Click Next.
On the Select features page, click Next.
On the Confirm installation selections page, click Install.
On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

On the Start screen, move the pointer all the way to the lower left corner, right-click the Start button, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows features on or off.
Expand Internet Information Services, expand World Wide Web Services, expand Common HTTP Features, and then select WebDAV Publishing.
Click OK.
Click Close.

Windows Server 2008 R2

On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
In the Server Manager hierarchy pane, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).
In the Web Server (IIS) pane, scroll to the Role Services section, and then click Add Role Services.
On the Select Role Services page of the Add Role Services Wizard, expand Common HTTP Features, select WebDAV Publishing, and then click Next.
On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.
On the Results page, click Close.

Windows 7

On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off.
Expand Internet Information Services, then World Wide Web Services, and then Common HTTP Features.
Select WebDAV Publishing, and then click OK.

Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista

Download the installation package from the following URL:
- https://www.iis.net/expand/WebDAV
Follow the instructions in the following walkthrough to install the WebDAV module:
- Installing and Configuring WebDAV on IIS 7.0

How To

How to enable WebDAV publishing

Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:
- If you are using Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2:
  - On the taskbar, click Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1:
  - Hold down the Windows key, press the letter X, and then click Control Panel.
  - Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:
  - On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:
  - On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  - Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
In the Connections pane, expand the server name, and then go to the site, application, or directory where you want to enable WebDAV publishing.
In the Home pane, double-click WebDAV Authoring Rules.
In the Actions pane, click Enable WebDAV.

Note

Once you have enabled WebDAV publishing, you will need to add authoring rules before users or groups can publish content to your server. For more information about how to create authoring rules, see the authoringRules topic.

How to add WebDAV authoring rules

Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:
- If you are using Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2:
  - On the taskbar, click Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows 8 or Windows 8.1:
  - Hold down the Windows key, press the letter X, and then click Control Panel.
  - Click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:
  - On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
- If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:
  - On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  - Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
In the Connections pane, expand the server name, and then go to the site, application, or directory where you want to enable directory browsing.
In the Home pane, double-click WebDAV Authoring Rules.
In the Actions pane, click Add Authoring Rule...
In the Add Authoring Rule dialog, specify the following options:
- Allow access to: Specify whether the authoring rule should apply to all content types, or specify specific content types to allow.
- Allow access to this content to: Specify whether the authoring rule should apply to all users, to specific groups or roles, or to specific users.
- Permissions: Specify whether the authoring rule should allow Read, Write, or Source access for the specified content types and users.
Click OK.

Configuration

The <webdav> element is configurable at the global, site, and directory level in the ApplicationHost.config file. WebDAV settings in Web.config files are ignored.

Attributes

None.

Child Elements

Element	Description
`authoring`	Optional element. Specifies the configuration settings for WebDAV authoring.
`authoringRules`	Optional element. Specifies the authoring rules for WebDAV publishing. These rules specify the content types and authoring permissions for users or groups.
`globalSettings`	Optional element. Specifies the global settings for the WebDAV module.

Configuration Sample

The following example lists a sample <webdav> element for the Default Web Site. This example clears any existing authoring rules, adds a single rule for the administrators group, enables WebDAV authoring, specifies that hidden files are allowed, enables WebDAV locks and specifies the lock provider, and enables WebDAV properties and specifies the default XML namespace for property mapping.

<location path="Default Web Site">
   <system.webServer>
      <webdav>
         <authoringRules defaultAccess="none" allowNonMimeMapFiles="true" defaultMimeType="text/plain">
            <clear />
            <add roles="administrators" path="*" access="Read, Write, Source" />
         </authoringRules>
         <authoring enabled="true" requireSsl="false">
            <fileSystem allowHiddenFiles="true" />
            <locks enabled="true" lockStore="webdav_simple_lock" requireLockForWriting="false" />
            <properties allowAnonymousPropfind="false" allowInfinitePropfindDepth="false" allowCustomProperties="true">
               <clear />
               <add xmlNamespace="*" propertyStore="webdav_simple_prop" />
            </properties>
         </authoring>
      </webdav>
   </system.webServer>
</location>

The following example lists a sample <globalSettings> element for a WebDAV server. This example defines the built-in simple providers for locks and properties, and enables WebDAV locks for the server.

<system.webServer>
      <webdav>
         <globalSettings>
            <propertyStores>
               <add name="webdav_simple_prop" image="%windir%\system32\inetsrv\webdav_simple_prop.dll" />
            </propertyStores>
            <lockStores>
               <add name="webdav_simple_lock" image="%windir%\system32\inetsrv\webdav_simple_lock.dll" />
            </lockStores>
         </globalSettings>
         <authoring>
            <locks enabled="true" lockStore="webdav_simple_lock" />
         </authoring>
      </webdav>
   </system.webServer>

Sample Code

The following examples enable WebDAV authoring for the Default Web Site, and configure the site so that SSL is not required for WebDAV authoring.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config "Default Web Site" -section:system.webServer/webdav/authoring /enabled:"True" /requireSsl:"False"  /commit:apphost

Note

You must be sure to set the commit parameter to apphost when you use AppCmd.exe to configure these settings. This commits the configuration settings to the appropriate location section in the ApplicationHost.config file.

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();

         ConfigurationSection authoringSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoring", "Default Web Site");
         authoringSection["enabled"] = true;
         authoringSection["requireSsl"] = false;

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample
   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration

      Dim authoringSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoring", "Default Web Site")
      authoringSection("enabled") = True
      authoringSection("requireSsl") = False

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub
End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";

var authoringSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoring", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST/Default Web Site");
authoringSection.Properties.Item("enabled").Value = true;
authoringSection.Properties.Item("requireSsl").Value = false;

adminManager.CommitChanges();

VBScript

Set adminManager = createObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"

Set authoringSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoring", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST/Default Web Site")
authoringSection.Properties.Item("enabled").Value = True
authoringSection.Properties.Item("requireSsl").Value = False

adminManager.CommitChanges()

The following examples configure WebDAV authoring rules so that WebDAV clients can publish files that are not listed in the IIS MIME map, and add a single authoring rule that grants Read, Write, and Source access to the administrators group.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config "Default Web Site" -section:system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules /allowNonMimeMapFiles:"True" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config "Default Web Site" -section:system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules /+"[roles='administrators',path='*',access='Read, Write, Source']" /commit:apphost

Note

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();

         ConfigurationSection authoringRulesSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules", "Default Web Site");
         authoringRulesSection["allowNonMimeMapFiles"] = true;

         ConfigurationElementCollection authoringRulesCollection = authoringRulesSection.GetCollection();

         ConfigurationElement addElement = authoringRulesCollection.CreateElement("add");
         addElement["roles"] = @"administrators";
         addElement["path"] = @"*";
         addElement["access"] = @"Read, Write, Source";
         authoringRulesCollection.Add(addElement);

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample
   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration

      Dim authoringRulesSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules", "Default Web Site")
      authoringRulesSection("allowNonMimeMapFiles") = True

      Dim authoringRulesCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = authoringRulesSection.GetCollection

      Dim addElement As ConfigurationElement = authoringRulesCollection.CreateElement("add")
      addElement("roles") = "administrators"
      addElement("path") = "*"
      addElement("access") = "Read, Write, Source"
      authoringRulesCollection.Add(addElement)

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub
End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";

var authoringRulesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST/Default Web Site");
authoringRulesSection.Properties.Item("allowNonMimeMapFiles").Value = true;

var authoringRulesCollection = authoringRulesSection.Collection;

var addElement = authoringRulesCollection.CreateNewElement("add");
addElement.Properties.Item("roles").Value = "administrators";
addElement.Properties.Item("path").Value = "*";
addElement.Properties.Item("access").Value = "Read, Write, Source";
authoringRulesCollection.AddElement(addElement);

adminManager.CommitChanges();

VBScript

Set adminManager = createObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"

Set authoringRulesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.webServer/webdav/authoringRules", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST/Default Web Site")
authoringRulesSection.Properties.Item("allowNonMimeMapFiles").Value = True

Set authoringRulesCollection = authoringRulesSection.Collection

Set addElement = authoringRulesCollection.CreateNewElement("add")
addElement.Properties.Item("roles").Value = "administrators"
addElement.Properties.Item("path").Value = "*"
addElement.Properties.Item("access").Value = "Read, Write, Source"
authoringRulesCollection.AddElement(addElement)

adminManager.CommitChanges()

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WebDAV <webdav>

Overview

Compatibility

Setup

Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2

Windows 8 or Windows 8.1

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7

Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista

How To

How to enable WebDAV publishing

How to add WebDAV authoring rules

Configuration

Attributes

Child Elements

Configuration Sample

Sample Code

AppCmd.exe

C#

VB.NET

JavaScript

VBScript

AppCmd.exe

C#

VB.NET

JavaScript

VBScript

Feedback

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