---
title: "davfs2"
category: "Backup, files and security"
tagline: "Mounts a WebDAV share, such as your Nextcloud files, as an ordinary folder."
source: "pacman"
package: "davfs2"
website: "https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/davfs2"
code: "https://github.com/alisarctl/davfs2"
links:
  - name: "cadaver"
    url: "https://notroj.github.io/cadaver/"
---

## What it is

davfs2 is a file system driver for WebDAV, the protocol Nextcloud and many other file servers use. It mounts a WebDAV share at a folder, so any app can open and save files there as if they were on your disk. It keeps a local cache so files you've opened stay quick.

cadaver, installed alongside it, is a command-line WebDAV client: it browses a share and uploads or downloads files with FTP-style commands, without mounting anything.

## Why it's here

- **Your Nextcloud in Files.** Open and save your Core's files from any app.
- **No sync client needed.** Files stay on the server instead of being copied to every machine.
- **A quick check from the terminal.** cadaver lists or fetches files on a WebDAV server in seconds.

## On CoreDesktop

When you connect your Core with [configure](/utilities/#configure), it mounts your Nextcloud files with davfs2 at `/mnt/{your domain}`. It adds the mount to `/etc/fstab` so you can mount it without sudo, adds you to the `network` group, saves a Nextcloud app password in `~/.davfs2/secrets`, mounts it each time you log in, and adds it to the Files sidebar under your domain name.

The [backups](/utilities/#backups) don't use this mount, and the [AI sandbox](/ai-sandbox/) keeps agents out of `~/.davfs2`. Both davfs2 and cadaver come from pacman, and `update` keeps them current.