WebDAV Drive vs Edit Doc Opener vs Kernel-mode Drivers
In this article we provide comparison of WebDAV Drive App, supplied with WebDAV Ajax Library v6+, WebDAV Drive Sample supplied with User File System, legacy Edit Document Opener and other Kernel-mode driver-based software.
WebDAV Drive App vs Edit Document Opener
The table below provides comparison of WebDAV Drive App supplied with WebDAV Ajax Library v6+ and Edit Document Opener supplied with WebDAV Ajax Library v2-v5.
| WebDAV Drive App | Edit Document Opener | |
|---|---|---|
| Supplied with | WebDAV Ajax Library v6+ | WebDAV Ajax Library v2-v5 |
| Open docs from web page | Yes | Yes |
| Manage files in OS File manager | Yes | Yes |
| Manual Locking | Yes | No |
| Offline files | Yes | No |
| Synchronization | Yes | No |
| Push notifications support | Yes | No |
| Large files support | Yes | Default 50 Mb |
| Auto-locking | MS Office, Acrobat, AutoCAD | MS Office only |
| Server protocol | WebDAV | WebDAV |
| Authentication | Basic, Digest, NTLM, Kerberos, Cookies | Basic, Digest, NTLM, Kerberos, Cookies |
| Deployment | Microsoft Store / App Store | Your server |
| Web browser protocol schema | DavX | DavX |
WebDAV Drive App vs WebDAV Drive Sample
While WebDAV Drive App vs WebDAV Drive Sample provide almost identical functionality there are several differences summarized in a table below. WebDAV Drive Sample targets white-labeling, customization and programmability, while WebDAV Drive App is an out-of-the-box application that do not require any programming.
The table below provides comparison of WebDAV Drive App supplied with WebDAV Ajax Library v6+ and WebDAV Drive Sample supplied with User File System. Note that WebDAV Drive Sample code is also generated by WebDAV Integrated Wizard for Visual Studio.
| WebDAV Drive App | WebDAV Drive Sample | |
|---|---|---|
| Supplied with | WebDAV Ajax Library v6+ | User File System |
| White Labeling / Rebranding | No | Yes |
| Number of drives | Any | 11 |
| User File System License | Not required | Required |
| WebDAV Client Library for .NET License | Not required | Required2 |
| WebDAV Ajax Library License | Required | Not Required |
| Server protocol | WebDAV | WebDAV, programmable |
| Authentication | Basic, Digest, NTLM, Kerberos, Cookies | Microsoft Identity Platform (Entra ID/Azure AD), Cookies, Basic, Digest, NTLM, Kerberos, programmable |
| Deploy to MS Store / App Store | Yes | Yes |
| Deploy to your server | No | Yes |
| Web browser protocol schema | DavX | Any, programmable |
| Auto-locking | MS Office, Acrobat, AutoCAD | MS Office, Acrobat, AutoCAD, programmable |
| Synchronization | SyncID, CRUD, folder invalidation | SyncID, CRUD, folder invalidation, programmable |
1 - For the sake of simplicity, the WebDAV Drive Sample is provided with a single drive per sample. You can program any requited number of drives.
2 - WebDAV Client Library for .NET License is required for WebDAV programming only. You do not need WebDAV Client Library for .NET License if you do not use WebDAV.
WebDAV Drive vs Kernel-mode Drivers
The table below provides WebDAV Drive App / WebDAV Drive Sample vs kernel mode driver-based software on Windows comparison.
| WebDAV Drive | Kernel-mode driver-based software | |
|---|---|---|
| No Admin privileges required | Yes | No |
| Provides highest security | Yes | No |
| Can be installed with regular user permissions | Yes | No |
| Can be published to Windows Store | Yes | No |
| Securely mounts drive for a single user | Yes | No |
| Debugging in Visual Studio | Yes | No |
| Can display user interface | Yes | No |
| Can be deployed using regular installer | Yes | Yes |
| Can mount multiple drives | Yes | Yes |
| Platform execution level | Runs at user level | Runs at OS kernel level |
| Supports synchronization | Out of the box | Requires programming |
| Supports offline mode | Out of the box | Requires programming |
| File status, progress, menus in Win Explorer | Out of the box | Requires programming |