- HTTP
HTTPFS operates through TCP channels using HTTP, a simple stateless reliable protocol (simpler than ftp).
- Versatility
HTTPFS can talk to any host that runs any HTTP server and the VFS-server
Perl CGI script.
- Transparency
HTTPFS works transparently through firewalls, HTTP proxies and Web caches
- Authentication, caching, load balancing for free
HTTPFS can rely on authentication mechanisms already built into Web servers. In addition, it can do its own.
HTTPFS also stands to benefit from various caching schemes web gateways frequently employ as well as load-balancing and replication facilities.
- Serving "files" and list "directories"
HTTPFS can serve "files" and list "directories" that are made up on the fly. In particular, with HTTPFS, one can browse a remote _database_ as if it were a local filesystem!
- Triggers and hooks
HTTPFS can fire up triggers and call hooks whenever a file or directory get accessed or modified (something that is very difficult to do with ftp).
- HTTP 1.1 features
HTTPFS can use advanced HTTP 1.1 features, namely, transmission of only selected parts of files (Range
:), and If-Match:
, Keep-Alive
, etc. headers.