Sometimes you do not need to reach a device — you need to reach its files. Backup archives, log files, configuration exports, firmware images. They sit on a remote machine, and you need a way to access them without SSH, FTP, or manual transfers.
If you have ever needed to remotely access files on a server, download backups from a production machine, or manage remote file storage without FTP or SSH — File Mount Mode is built for exactly that.
Full WebDAV, Not Just Downloads
File Mount Mode is the third operating mode of a ProxyPass node. It exposes a local directory on the remote machine as a full WebDAV endpoint, accessible through the encrypted tunnel. Read, write, delete, organize — all through a standard protocol that every operating system supports natively.
Lightweight Architecture
The architecture stays consistent with how ProxyPass works in every mode. The node itself does not run a web server. Instead, the WebDAV server logic runs entirely on the ProxyPass cloud side. When a client sends a WebDAV request — a PROPFIND to list files, a GET to download one — the cloud translates it into a simple command and sends it through the tunnel to the node. The node reads from the local filesystem and streams the response back.
This means the node stays lightweight. No additional process, no open port, no Kestrel instance running on a production server that is already doing real work.
Multiple Access Methods
You can access File Mount endpoints in multiple ways:
- Browser — HTML directory listing with download links
- Windows Explorer — mount as a network drive natively
- Linux — standard davfs mount
- macOS Finder — connect to server via WebDAV
- Programmatically — any HTTP client
Authentication works the same way as the REST Bridge — either through custom headers or via HTTP Basic Auth as a fallback for clients that cannot set custom headers (like Windows Explorer or macOS Finder).
A Concrete Example: Automated Off-Site Backups
You run four production servers across different hosting providers. Each server generates nightly database backups — SproutDB snapshots, PostgreSQL dumps, configuration exports. Today, those backups exist only on the server that created them. If that server dies, the backups die with it.
With File Mount Mode, you deploy a ProxyPass node on each server and configure it to expose the backup directory. On your local NAS — sitting in your office or home — you set up a scheduled job that runs every night at 2 AM. The job connects to each server's WebDAV endpoint, checks for new files, and pulls them down. By morning, you have four fresh off-site backups without having installed any additional software on the production servers.
And it works the other direction too. Need to push a firmware update to a remote device? Upload it through the same WebDAV endpoint. Need to deploy a new configuration file? Drop it into the mounted directory. Full bidirectional file management through the tunnel.
Full Protocol Support with Path Protection
File Mount Mode supports the full WebDAV protocol: GET, PUT, DELETE, MKCOL, COPY, MOVE, LOCK, UNLOCK, PROPFIND, and PROPPATCH. You can upload files, create directories, rename, move, and delete — full remote file management through the tunnel.
Path traversal is blocked both at the server level (rejecting paths with ..) and at the node level (verifying the resolved path stays within the configured mount directory). Even if a malicious request somehow made it through, the node would catch it before touching the filesystem. Two layers of protection, zero chance of escape.