Sfcc Webdav Workflows

SFCC WebDAV Workflows

WebDAV is SFCC’s “remote filesystem over HTTP”. It’s central to:

• Moving data in/out via IMPEX
• Reading logs
• Managing catalogs/images in supported folders

This skill focuses on practical workflows and the most common permission and path pitfalls.

Quick Checklist

[ ] Confirm which auth path you are using: BM user (Basic Auth) vs API client (client-id/secret token)
[ ] For IMPEX, ensure the BM role includes File Transfer Manager access
[ ] If using API client auth, generate credentials in Account Manager
[ ] Verify directory permissions are configured in Business Manager for the exact folder(s)
[ ] Avoid overlapping WebDAV client permission paths (SFCC restriction)
[ ] Don’t expect write access to restricted folders (e.g. security logs)
[ ] For automation: scope access to the minimum folders required

Mental Model

• WebDAV ≈ HTTP interface to instance folders (not your local repo)
• Permissions are folder-scoped and configured in Business Manager
• Two common authentication modes:
  • Business Manager users: Basic Auth (username/password), governed by Role permissions
  • API clients: token-based auth (client credentials from Account Manager), governed by “WebDAV Client Permissions” JSON
• Wildcard folder permissions (like /catalogs/* or “all other folders”) grant access to future subfolders automatically
• WebDAV versioning is not enabled in SFCC
• Primary instance group vs sandbox: primary instance group access requires authenticated WebDAV; sandboxes often use WebDAV for manual file moves

Common SFCC WebDAV Folders (What They’re Typically For)

These vary by project, but the patterns are stable:

Business Manager Setup (Humans / Desktop Clients)

Role-based permissions

• Configure in: Administration → Organization → Roles & Permissions (select a role) → WebDAV Permissions tab
• Use this when a developer uses Cyberduck/Transmit/FileZilla with BM credentials.
• Required functional permissions often include: WebDAV_Realm_Access, WebDAV_Manage_Customization, WebDAV_Transfer_Files.
• If you select a wildcard path (like /catalogs/* or “all other folders”), permissions apply to future subfolders automatically unless sub-permissions are set explicitly.

Debugging “403 Forbidden” quickly

• Confirm you’re editing the correct role
• Confirm the role grants permissions for the exact path you’re trying to access

API Client Setup (Automation / CI / Tools)

WebDAV Client Permissions (JSON)

• Configure in: Administration → Organization → WebDAV Client Permissions
• You assign client_id → permissions array of { path, operations }.

Operations typically include: read, read_write.

Critical constraint: no intersecting permission paths

SFCC does not allow different WebDAV client permission paths to overlap.

Example of what to avoid:

• Client A: /impex/src
• Client B: /impex/src/foo

Design your permission model so each client owns a non-overlapping subtree.

Restricted directories

Some directories are effectively read-only for security reasons (for example, security log directories). Expect permission errors even if you attempt to grant write.

Automation Patterns

Pattern: “single-purpose” clients

Create separate API clients for:

• Log readers (read-only /Logs/)
• IMPEX uploaders (read/write /impex/src/)

This keeps credentials and blast radius smaller.

Pattern: job writes file → WebDAV serves download

When storefront requests can’t write files, a common SFCC pattern is:

1. Storefront creates a token/state record
2. Background job generates file into /impex/src/ (or another allowed folder)
3. Storefront polls and then links the file

(See also: sfcc-platform-limits for storefront file I/O constraints.)

References

• Rhino Inquisitor: A Beginner’s Guide To WebDAV For Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud
  • https://www.rhino-inquisitor.com/a-beginners-guide-to-webdav-in-sfcc/
• Salesforce Help: Access files with WebDAV (folder access + permissions)
  • https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=cc.b2c_access_files_webdav.htm&type=5
• Salesforce Help: Create roles & WebDAV permissions
  • https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=cc.b2c_creating_roles.htm&type=5
• Salesforce Help: Roles and permissions overview
  • https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=cc.b2c_roles_and_permissions.htm&type=5
• Salesforce Help: Transfer files to an instance (IMPEX)
  • https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=cc.b2c_transferring_files_to_an_instance.htm&type=5
• Salesforce Help: Generate API client ID (Account Manager)
  • https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=cc.b2c_generate_api_client_id.htm&type=5

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