Connecting a WebDAV share to freedam turns a folder tree that already exists — on a Synology NAS, an ownCloud instance, a SharePoint WebDAV endpoint, or any Apache mod_dav server — into a searchable, governed asset library, without moving the files by hand. freedam scans the share, ingests what it finds, and keeps the library in sync as the share changes over time.

What it does

WebDAV is one of freedam's built-in Data Source connectors (Admin → Sources). Unlike a one-shot import, a source remembers what it pulled last time: on each refresh, only what changed is downloaded. New files become assets, files that changed upstream become a new version of the existing asset (links, shares, and collection memberships stay intact), and files that disappeared are handled by your chosen deletion policy — soft-archived and automatically restored if they come back, or left alone entirely under the additive policy.

The connector is read-only; freedam never writes back to the server. Authentication is username and password, with both Basic and Digest supported, and credentials are stored encrypted and never logged.

How it works

You create the source with the server's base URL (including the port — Synology, for example, serves WebDAV over HTTPS on port 5006 by default), credentials, and a base path such as /Dam. A Test connection button probes the server: an OPTIONS request confirms it actually speaks WebDAV, a PROPFIND checks the credentials, and freedam then suggests a layout — which folders look like asset folders, and whether a catalog spreadsheet is present — that you can accept or adjust.

Mapping is where it gets powerful. Each asset folder can be scanned with include and exclude patterns (junk like Thumbs.db is excluded by default). Optionally, a catalog file — a CSV or XLSX with one row per product or record — drives matching: keys are extracted from filenames using a pattern you build by labelling parts of a real example, matched files inherit the row's metadata and hierarchy placement, and a live preview shows exactly where each sampled file would land before you run anything. Unmatched files are routed to a collection you choose, where they can be reviewed, re-linked once catalog rows arrive, or dismissed.

Refreshes run manually, or on a standard cron schedule you set per source — daily at 02:00, hourly, weekdays only, whatever fits. A test run can import just the first few files, or do a full dry run that computes the complete plan and writes nothing.

Good to know

• Safety stops protect the library. If a refresh sees the file listing shrink by more than 50% compared to the previous run, it pauses for review instead of mass-archiving over a transient server error. Three consecutive authentication failures disable the source and notify admins.
• One run at a time. Only one refresh executes per source; the scheduler skips a tick if the previous run is still going.
• TLS verification is on by default. You can disable it for self-signed certificates on trusted internal networks, but freedam displays a permanent warning on the source when you do.
• Byte-identical files are skipped — repeated refreshes of an unchanged share create no versions and cost no bandwidth. Configuring sources requires the admin.sources permission.

The full walkthrough — including a Synology example, catalog mapping, and troubleshooting — lives in the documentation. Want to see a synced library before you connect your own? Try the demo.