| Solution | Pros | Cons | |----------|------|------| | | Same developer, ad-supported. | Ads, fewer features. | | Primitive FTPd | Simple FTP server, no auth required. | No encryption, not WebDAV. | | Syncthing | Peer-to-peer sync, great for backups. | Not real-time “network drive”. | | Samba Server (Root) | Windows native protocol. | Requires root, complex setup. | | OwnCloud/Nextcloud | Full-featured self-hosted cloud. | Heavy, requires separate server. |

In an era where cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox dominate, many users are shifting back to a more private, self-hosted solution. Enter WebDAV (Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning)—an extension of the HTTP protocol that allows you to manage files on a remote server as if they were on your local machine.