WebDAV Outperforms FTP on Small Files and Local Drive Access in 2026 Tests
A developer ran FTP and WebDAV side by side on the same Linux server, network, and test files for a year. Large single-file transfers performed identically, but WebDAV handled thousands of small files about five times faster, owing to persistent HTTP connections. The article argues WebDAV can be mounted as a local drive, letting desktop applications edit remote files directly, which FTP cannot do. It also notes FTP's plaintext-by-default authentication and firewall difficulties, while WebDAV runs over HTTPS with modern authentication options. The author concedes FTP still has niche uses, though the comparison favors WebDAV on nearly every measured dimension.
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