Chapter 5. WebDAV Modifications to HTTP

WebDAV reuses HTTP methods in authoring scenarios. The most frequently used methods are OPTIONS, GET, PUT, and DELETE. WebDAV doesn't do very much to change the behavior of these methods, because a WebDAV server ought to work well with an HTTP client that uses these methods. However, it's worthwhile reconsidering several HTTP requests in the context of the WebDAV data model and authoring scenarios. Here are the major issues considered:

  • WebDAV URLs have more defined semantics.

  • WebDAV has a couple of new ways to see what functionality is supported by the server or by individual resources.

  • WebDAV adds new status and error bodies in responses to HTTP methods.

  • Authoring scenarios require more careful use of ETags ...

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