[ Thanks to Amy Newman for this link.
]
“The WebDAV protocol enables users to store and share files via
HTTP. This is particularly valuable in cases where HTTP is usually
read-only, as WebDAV allows writing as well. In addition to
accessing documents, users can (with suitable permissions) edit and
re-upload them. Think of it as a networked file-system run over
HTTP; or as a way of supporting long-distance collaboration on
files. The protocol supports locking and versioning information, so
once you’ve accessed the WebDAV folder, you can edit files without
risking overwriting other people’s edits. These days, there are
more and more ways available to undertake online collaboration, but
WebDAV remains a useful and straightforward way to share files,
especially as it’s supported by plenty of software at both server
and client end.“Unlike FTP, HTTP provides strong authentication and encryption,
as well as caching and proxy support — and because WebDAV works
over HTTP, WebDAV gets all of that for free. SSH would be another
option, but SSH is a bit more limited in terms of moving files
around, and it has nowhere near the quality of client support and
tools available. “