WebDAVClient

WebDAVClient is an open-source C# library for working with files, folders, and properties on a WebDAV server. It provides asynchronous operations and typed results, so you can integrate WebDAV into a .NET application without building every HTTP request and XML parser yourself.

Version 3 targets .NET 8 and .NET 10. Its new DavClient API makes request conditions, server outcomes, and stream ownership explicit. The existing Client and IClient APIs remain available for applications that already use them.

Install WebDAVClient from NuGet or browse the source and documentation on GitHub.

What can you do with it?

• Browse resources and their properties. List a collection, request specific properties, or stream a large listing. Keep resource-level and property-level outcomes separate.
• Transfer files. Upload full representations and download content through streams, with support for validated byte-range downloads.
• Manage files and collections. Create, delete, copy, and move resources. The modern API does not overwrite a copy or move destination unless you explicitly allow it.
• Coordinate writes. Use HTTP validators, WebDAV conditions, and shared or exclusive locks where the server supports them.
• Work with WebDAV XML. Read typed properties without discarding their underlying XML, and submit ordered property changes with PROPPATCH.

The library also exposes OPTIONS, HEAD, a generic REPORT method, and a single-batch collection synchronization helper. It does not provide a complete synchronization engine or claim full support for every WebDAV extension.

Install the package

Using the .NET CLI:

dotnet add package WebDAVClient --version 3.0.0

Or in Visual Studio’s Package Manager Console:

Install-Package WebDAVClient -Version 3.0.0

List a collection in C#

This example uses an anonymous connection. Replace the endpoint with your WebDAV collection URL, including its trailing slash.

using System;
using System.Threading;
using WebDAVClient;
using WebDAVClient.Protocol;

using var client = new DavClient(new Uri("https://dav.example.com/files/"));
using var cancellation = new CancellationTokenSource(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30));

var result = await client.PropFindAsync(
    DavPath.Root,
    new PropFindOptions
    {
        Depth = DavDepth.One
    },
    cancellation.Token);

result.EnsureSucceeded();

foreach (var resource in result.Resources)
{
    Console.WriteLine(resource.Hrefs[0]);
}

PropFindAsync returns the addressed collection as well as its reported children. Unlike legacy List, it does not filter out the collection itself.

A successful HTTP status does not necessarily mean every WebDAV operation succeeded. You can inspect the result’s resource and property statuses, or use EnsureSucceeded() to require success for this core operation.

For an authenticated server, configure credentials or an authentication handler on a caller-owned HttpClient, disable automatic redirects, and pass that transport to DavClient. Reuse the client across operations and use HTTPS for credentials. The README covers authentication, timeouts, conditions, and ownership.

Upgrading an existing application

You do not need to rename every Client call to adopt version 3. The legacy surface is retained; moving to DavClient is an explicit migration.

Important differences include immutable endpoint configuration, request-local options, inspectable server rejections, and caller-owned upload streams by default. Modern COPY and MOVE also default to no overwrite.

The assembly version changes to 3.0.0.0, so rebuild consumers when upgrading. See the migration table before changing APIs.

Testing and scope

The v3 release candidate passed 831 tests on each target framework on Windows and Ubuntu; the Linux validation run is available on GitHub. Tests cover protocol responses, cancellation, stream ownership, compatibility, and runnable examples. Independent WsgiDAV smoke runs also exercised basic transfers and cleanup through both APIs.

That is evidence for the tested behavior, not a guarantee that every server or extension behaves identically. There are no automatic retries, managed lock renewals, or durable synchronization built in. The library has no production NuGet dependencies.

Source, documentation, and background

• Read the quickstart and API guidance.
• Browse the source or report an issue.
• Install the NuGet package.
• Read the original WebDAV client in C# article for the project’s background. Its older examples describe the legacy API.

The project grew from kvdb/WebDAVClient, with asynchronous operations and strongly typed responses added along the way.