Serve Cloud Storage as WebDAV or HTTP with RcloneView

RcloneView can expose any cloud storage provider as a local WebDAV or HTTP server. Any app that supports WebDAV — file managers, DAM tools, creative apps, mobile clients — can then read and write cloud files directly.

Mounting a cloud drive with rclone's VFS layer is the most common way to expose cloud storage locally. But some scenarios call for a different approach: a WebDAV server that applications can connect to over the network, a plain HTTP server for serving files to a browser, or a lightweight way to access cloud storage from a device that can't mount FUSE drives. Rclone's serve command handles all of these — and RcloneView gives you access to it through the terminal and job interface.

Manage & Sync All Clouds in One Place

RcloneView is a cross-platform GUI for rclone. Compare folders, transfer or sync files, and automate multi-cloud workflows with a clean, visual interface.

• One-click jobs: Copy · Sync · Compare
• Schedulers & history for reliable automation
• Works with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, WebDAV, SFTP and more

WindowsmacOSLinux

Get Started Free →

Free core features. Plus automations available.

What Rclone Can Serve

Rclone supports multiple server protocols via the rclone serve command:

Protocol	Use Case
webdav	File managers, DAM tools, apps with WebDAV support
http	Read-only browser access to cloud files
ftp	Legacy app compatibility
sftp	Secure shell-based file access
s3	Expose any cloud as S3-compatible (use with S3 clients)
dlna	Media streaming to DLNA-compatible devices

This guide focuses on WebDAV and HTTP, the most widely useful for desktop workflows.

Use Case 1: WebDAV for App Integration

Many professional apps support WebDAV natively: Cyberduck, Finder (macOS), Adobe Bridge, DAM tools, project management tools, and more. Exposing your cloud storage as WebDAV makes it accessible to these apps without a drive mount.

Start a WebDAV server from RcloneView

Open the Terminal panel in RcloneView and run:

rclone serve webdav gdrive:/Documents/ --addr 127.0.0.1:8888 --user myuser --pass mypassword

This starts a WebDAV server at http://127.0.0.1:8888 exposing your Google Drive /Documents/ folder.

Connect from an app

In any WebDAV-capable app, add a WebDAV connection:

• URL: http://127.0.0.1:8888
• Username: myuser
• Password: mypassword

The app will see your Google Drive Documents folder as a WebDAV share — browseable, readable, and writable.

Use Case 2: HTTP for Read-Only Browser Access

For sharing files with colleagues without granting them cloud account access, serve a folder as HTTP:

rclone serve http s3-remote:my-bucket/reports/ --addr 0.0.0.0:8080

Anyone on the network can open http://your-machine-ip:8080 in a browser and see a directory listing with download links — no cloud account required.

Use Case 3: Serve S3 for S3-Client Compatibility

A powerful technique: expose a non-S3 cloud (like Google Drive or Backblaze B2's native API) as an S3-compatible endpoint, so any S3 client can access it:

rclone serve s3 gdrive:/Backups/ --addr 127.0.0.1:9000 --auth-key ACCESSKEY,SECRETKEY

S3 clients (AWS CLI, s3cmd, any S3 SDK) can then connect to http://127.0.0.1:9000 and interact with Google Drive as if it were S3.

Creating a Persistent Serve Job

To run a serve command on startup or on a schedule:

1. In RcloneView, create a new Job with Custom Command mode.
2. Enter your rclone serve webdav command with the desired flags.
3. Set it to start automatically when RcloneView launches, or schedule it as needed.

Security Considerations

Scenario	Recommendation
Local use only	Bind to 127.0.0.1 — not accessible outside your machine
LAN sharing	Bind to your machine's local IP, add --user and --pass
Internet-facing	Use HTTPS (add --cert and --key flags) or put behind a reverse proxy
Public HTTP server	Use rclone serve http with read-only VFS: add --read-only

Always set username/password for any server accessible beyond 127.0.0.1:

rclone serve webdav remote:path --addr 0.0.0.0:8888 --user admin --pass strongpassword --read-only

Useful Serve Flags

Flag	Purpose
--addr host:port	Bind address and port
--user / --pass	HTTP Basic Auth
--read-only	Prevent writes
--vfs-cache-mode full	Cache files locally for better performance
--no-modtime	Disable modtime reporting (useful for some apps)
--htpasswd /path/file	Use htpasswd file for multiple users

Getting Started

1. Download RcloneView from rcloneview.com.
2. Open the Terminal in RcloneView.
3. Run rclone serve webdav remote:path --addr 127.0.0.1:8888 to start a WebDAV server.
4. Connect from your app using the WebDAV URL and credentials.

WebDAV unlocks cloud storage access for dozens of apps that wouldn't otherwise be able to read your cloud files. No mount required.

---

Related Guides:

• Mount Cloud Storage as a Local Drive
• Mount SFTP and SMB as Local Drives
• RcloneView Terminal: CLI Inside the GUI

Supported Cloud Providers

View All Providers →

Connect Your Clouds →