BACK UP SQL SERVER TO A WEBDAV SERVER
If your organization runs Nextcloud or ownCloud – or uses a WebDAV-capable storage service like Koofr – you already have a backup target that keeps your SQL Server data under your own control. Backing up over WebDAV is particularly popular where data sovereignty matters: your backups land on infrastructure you host and govern, not a third-party cloud. This tutorial covers the WebDAV-specific setup in SQL Backup Master, including the URL formats each service expects.
Step 1: Find your WebDAV URL
Each service exposes WebDAV at a slightly different address:
- Nextcloud – open Files, then click the Files settings; the WebDAV URL is shown there, typically https://your-server/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/.
- ownCloud – typically https://your-server/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/ (older versions use /remote.php/webdav/).
- Koofr – https://app.koofr.net/dav/Koofr.
- Other servers – consult your provider; the URL usually starts with https:// and includes the path to the WebDAV endpoint. If you omit the protocol, SQL Backup Master assumes https://.
Step 2: Prepare credentials
You'll authenticate with your account username and password – but note that services with two-factor authentication enabled (including Nextcloud and Koofr) typically require an app password generated in the account's security settings, rather than your login password. For Nextcloud, create one under Personal settings > Security > Devices & sessions. Using a dedicated app password also means you can revoke backup access without changing your main password.
Step 3: Create the backup job
In SQL Backup Master, create a new backup job, connect to your SQL Server instance, and select the databases to protect. These steps are common to all destinations and are covered in detail in our Amazon S3 tutorial (Steps 3–5) – the process is identical here.
Step 4: Add the WebDAV destination
In the Destinations section, click Add and double-click WebDav. In the destination settings window, enter:
- Server – the WebDAV URL from Step 1.
- Username and Password – your account credentials (or app password) from Step 2.
- Remote dir (optional) – a folder for your backups, e.g. "SQL Backups". It's created automatically if it doesn't exist.
Two advanced options are worth knowing about: Use Windows authentication (for IIS-based WebDAV servers using NTLM/Kerberos instead of basic authentication), and Accept all TLS/SSL certificates for self-signed certificates on servers you control – though for a self-hosted Nextcloud, a proper certificate (e.g. Let's Encrypt) is strongly preferred, since bypassing validation causes backups to complete with warnings. If uploads of large databases time out, raise the Timeout value from its default of 300 seconds.
Click Test to verify the connection, then OK, and save the backup job.
Step 5: Schedule, run, and verify
Configure a recurring schedule if you'd like unattended backups, then run the job with Back up now. When it completes, review the job log and open your Nextcloud (or other WebDAV) web interface to confirm the backup files arrived in the folder you specified.