Command Line Interface

PyWebDAV Server provides a command-line interface for managing the WebDAV server and backend configurations.

Main Commands

pywebdavserver

The main entry point provides access to subcommands:

pywebdavserver [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Options:

--version - Show version and exit
--help - Show help message

Commands:

serve - Start the WebDAV server
server - Alias for serve
config - Manage backend configurations
obscure - Obscure passwords

serve Command

Start the WebDAV server.

Synopsis

pywebdavserver serve [OPTIONS]

Options

Storage Options:

--backend TEXT

Backend name from config or backend type (local/drime).

Default: local

--backend-config TEXT

Use a named backend from configuration file.

Example: --backend-config drime-personal

--path PATH

Root directory path for local backend.

Default: /tmp/webdav

Network Options:

--host TEXT

Host address to bind to.

Default: 127.0.0.1

Examples:

0.0.0.0 - All interfaces
192.168.1.100 - Specific IP
localhost - Localhost only

--port INTEGER

Port number to listen on.

Default: 8080

--ssl-cert PATH

Path to SSL certificate file (for HTTPS).

Required for HTTPS along with --ssl-key.

--ssl-key PATH

Path to SSL private key file (for HTTPS).

Required for HTTPS along with --ssl-cert.

Authentication Options:

--no-auth

Disable authentication (allow anonymous access).

Use only for development/testing.

--username TEXT

WebDAV username for authentication.

If omitted, anonymous access is allowed.

--password TEXT

WebDAV password for authentication.

Required when --username is specified.

Repository Options:

--readonly

Enable read-only mode (no writes allowed).

Prevents all write operations including uploads, deletes, and modifications.

Drime Backend Options:

--workspace-id INTEGER

Workspace ID for Drime backend.

0 = personal workspace (default)
Other values for team workspaces

--cache-ttl FLOAT

Cache TTL in seconds for Drime backend.

Default: 30.0

--max-file-size INTEGER

Maximum file size in bytes.

Default: 524288000 (500 MB)

Debug Options:

-v, --verbose

Increase verbosity (can be repeated: -v, -vv, -vvv, etc.).

No flag: Warnings only
-v: Info messages
-vvv: Debug messages

Examples

Basic local server:

pywebdavserver serve --backend local --path /srv/webdav --no-auth

Production server with authentication:

pywebdavserver serve \
    --backend local \
    --path /srv/webdav \
    --host 0.0.0.0 \
    --port 8080 \
    --username admin \
    --password secret123

Server with HTTPS:

pywebdavserver serve \
    --backend local \
    --path /srv/webdav \
    --host 0.0.0.0 \
    --port 443 \
    --ssl-cert /etc/ssl/certs/webdav.crt \
    --ssl-key /etc/ssl/private/webdav.key \
    --username admin \
    --password secret123

Read-only server:

pywebdavserver serve \
    --backend local \
    --path /srv/webdav \
    --readonly \
    --no-auth

Drime cloud backend:

pywebdavserver serve \
    --backend-config drime-personal \
    --no-auth

config Command

Manage backend configurations interactively.

Synopsis

pywebdavserver config

Interactive Mode

Run the command for interactive configuration:

pywebdavserver config

This launches an interactive wizard with the following options:

List backends - Show all configured backends
Add backend - Create a new backend configuration
Show backend - Display detailed backend information
Remove backend - Delete a backend configuration
Exit - Leave the configuration manager

Adding a Backend

When adding a backend, you’ll be prompted for:

Local Backend:

Backend name (identifier)
Root directory path
Read-only mode (yes/no)

Drime Backend:

Backend name (identifier)
Drime API key (hidden input)
Workspace ID (0 for personal)
Read-only mode (yes/no)
Cache TTL (seconds)
Max file size (MB)

Examples

Interactive session:

$ pywebdavserver config

PyWebDAV Server Configuration Manager

Available commands:
  1. List backends
  2. Add backend
  3. Show backend
  4. Remove backend
  5. Exit

Enter choice [5]: 2

Add new backend
Backend name: my-local-storage
Backend type (local, drime): local
Root directory path [/tmp/webdav]: /srv/webdav
Read-only mode? [y/N]: n

✓ Backend 'my-local-storage' added successfully

List configured backends:

Enter choice [5]: 1

Configured backends:
  • my-local-storage (local)
  • drime-personal (drime)

Show backend details:

Enter choice [5]: 3

Backend name: my-local-storage

Backend: my-local-storage
Type: local

Configuration:
  path: /srv/webdav
  readonly: False

obscure Command

Obscure a password for use in configuration files.

Synopsis

pywebdavserver obscure [PASSWORD]

Description

Obscures a password using PyWebDAV Server’s custom cipher key. The obscured password can be used in configuration files.

Note: This is obfuscation, not encryption. It prevents casual viewing but is not cryptographically secure.

Interactive Mode

Without arguments, prompts for password:

pywebdavserver obscure
Enter password to obscure: ********

Obscured password: qO-l2HqnGGNrZM3ga4UI50iwySHFTmVl1pe2NW0oOxKQqBZWUw4

Note: This can be used in the config file.
The password will be automatically revealed when the config is loaded.

With Argument

Pass password as argument (less secure - visible in shell history):

pywebdavserver obscure "my-password"

Environment Variables

PyWebDAV Server respects the following environment variables:

Drime Backend

DRIME_API_KEY: Drime API authentication key.

Configuration

PYWEBDAVSERVER_CONFIG_DIR

Override default configuration directory.

Default: ~/.config/pywebdavserver

Exit Codes

PyWebDAV Server uses standard exit codes:

0 - Success
1 - General error
2 - Command-line usage error
130 - Interrupted by Ctrl+C

Integration Examples

systemd Service

Create a systemd service file (/etc/systemd/system/pywebdavserver.service):

[Unit]
Description=PyWebDAV Server - WebDAV server with pluggable backends
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=webdav
Group=webdav
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/pywebdavserver serve \
    --backend local \
    --path /srv/webdav \
    --host 0.0.0.0 \
    --port 8080 \
    --username admin \
    --password secret123
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable pywebdavserver
sudo systemctl start pywebdavserver
sudo systemctl status pywebdavserver

Docker

Example Dockerfile:

FROM python:3.11-slim

RUN pip install pywebdavserver

RUN useradd -r -s /bin/false webdav
USER webdav

EXPOSE 8080

ENTRYPOINT ["pywebdavserver", "serve"]
CMD ["--backend", "local", "--path", "/data", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--no-auth"]

Run container:

docker build -t pywebdavserver .

docker run -d \
    -p 8080:8080 \
    -v /srv/webdav:/data \
    --name pywebdavserver \
    pywebdavserver

Docker Compose

Example docker-compose.yml:

version: '3.8'

services:
  pywebdavserver:
    image: pywebdavserver:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/data
    environment:
      - WEBDAV_USERNAME=admin
      - WEBDAV_PASSWORD=secret123
    command:
      - --backend
      - local
      - --path
      - /data
      - --host
      - 0.0.0.0
      - --username
      - admin
      - --password
      - secret123
    restart: unless-stopped

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server won’t start:

# Check if port is in use
sudo netstat -tulpn | grep 8080

# Try a different port
pywebdavserver serve --port 8081

Authentication fails:

# Test with no auth
pywebdavserver serve --no-auth

SSL certificate errors:

# Verify certificate files exist
ls -l /etc/ssl/certs/webdav.crt /etc/ssl/private/webdav.key

# Check certificate validity
openssl x509 -in /etc/ssl/certs/webdav.crt -text -noout

Permission denied:

# Check data directory permissions
ls -ld /srv/webdav

# Fix ownership
sudo chown -R webdav:webdav /srv/webdav

Enable Debug Mode

For detailed troubleshooting:

pywebdavserver serve --backend local --path /srv/webdav -vvv

This outputs all debug information to stdout.

Next Steps

Review Configuration for detailed setup
Check security for production best practices
See backends for storage options