Getting Started: User-Specific WebDAV

This package is built around user-isolated storage through pluggable authentication, storage resolution, and path authorization.

Note

This guide describes the default package integration points for routing, configuration, and extension.

Overview

This page walks through the default setup flow:

  1. configure a storage space
  2. configure logging if needed
  3. create a first WebDAV account
  4. understand how the URL resolves to user storage
  5. register a policy if you want application-specific authorization rules
  6. connect with a WebDAV client

Configure Storage Spaces

return [
    'route_prefix' => 'webdav',
    'base_uri' => '/webdav/',
    'browser_listing' => false,
    'auth' => [
        'account_model' => \App\Models\WebDavAccount::class,
        'user_model' => \App\Models\User::class,
    ],
    'logging' => [
        'driver' => 'stack',
        'level' => 'info',
    ],
    'storage' => [
        'default_space' => 'default',
        'spaces' => [
            'default' => [
                'disk' => 'local',
                'root' => 'webdav',
            ],
        ],
    ],
];

Configure Logging

Package logging is optional and covers both package-level events and the SabreDAV logger integration.

  • set webdav-server.logging.driver to a Laravel log channel such as stack, single, or stderr to enable logging
  • set webdav-server.logging.driver to null to disable package and SabreDAV logging entirely
  • use webdav-server.logging.level to control the minimum emitted level

Typical usage:

  • info for relevant operational events such as authentication success or failure
  • debug for request parsing, context resolution, space resolution, authorization checks, and SabreDAV runtime setup

Create Your First WebDAV Account

The package includes artisan commands for managing records in the configured webdav-server.auth.account_model.

Create a first account:

php artisan laravel-webdav-server:account:create testuser s3cr3t --display-name="Test User" --user-id=1

Inspect the created account:

php artisan laravel-webdav-server:account:show testuser

List all WebDAV accounts:

php artisan laravel-webdav-server:account:list

Update an existing account:

php artisan laravel-webdav-server:account:update testuser --secret=n3w-s3cr3t --enable

Use php artisan laravel-webdav-server to see the package-specific command overview.

How the URL Resolves to User Storage

  • URL: GET /webdav/default/myfile.pdf with Basic Auth
  • {space} parameter: default
  • RequestSpaceKeyResolver resolves the route-level spaceKey
  • SpaceResolverInterface resolves that key to one concrete storage target
  • the default resolver builds {root}[/prefix]/{principal.id}

With root = webdav and authenticated principal 42, the effective WebDAV root becomes webdav/42.

Create Your Policy

The package registers its own reference policy by default. If you want application-specific rules, register your own policy for PathResourceDto:

use App\Policies\PathPolicy;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Gate;
use N3XT0R\LaravelWebdavServer\DTO\Auth\PathResourceDto;

public function boot(): void
{
    Gate::policy(PathResourceDto::class, PathPolicy::class);
}

namespace App\Policies;

use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Authenticatable;
use N3XT0R\LaravelWebdavServer\DTO\Auth\PathResourceDto;

final class PathPolicy
{
    public function read(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return $this->isUserPath($user, $resource);
    }

    public function write(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return $this->isUserPath($user, $resource);
    }

    public function delete(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return $this->isUserPath($user, $resource);
    }

    public function createDirectory(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return $this->isUserPath($user, $resource);
    }

    public function createFile(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return $this->isUserPath($user, $resource);
    }

    private function isUserPath(Authenticatable $user, PathResourceDto $resource): bool
    {
        return str_starts_with($resource->path, 'webdav/'.$user->getAuthIdentifier().'/')
            || $resource->path === 'webdav/'.$user->getAuthIdentifier();
    }
}

Authentication

The package uses independent Basic Auth, not Laravel's auth() middleware.

  • credentials are validated against the configured account model
  • username and password columns are configurable
  • successful authentication resolves a WebDavPrincipalValueObject
  • invalid credentials are surfaced as package auth exceptions
  • if logging is enabled, authentication outcomes are logged at info
  • debug logging traces credential extraction and principal resolution without logging secrets

Access From Clients

macOS:   webdav://your-domain.test/webdav/default
Linux:   dav://your-domain.test/webdav/default
Windows: \\your-domain.test\webdav

Use the username and password from your configured WebDAV account records.