GVfs
GVfs is a virtual file system designed to integrate well with the Gnome desktop environment on Linux. It allows users to access remote file systems like FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and SMB using the same API as local files.
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remote-file-access
GVfs: Virtual File System for Linux
GVfs is a virtual file system designed to integrate well with the Gnome desktop environment on Linux. It allows users to access remote file systems like FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and SMB using the same API as local files.
What is GVfs?
GVfs (GNOME Virtual file system) is an open-source virtual file system designed specifically to integrate with the GNOME desktop environment on Linux. It provides a layer that enables users and applications to access remote file systems such as FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB and more using the same API as local files.
Some key features and benefits of GVfs include:
- File system abstraction - Makes remote files systems appear as part of the local file system hierarchy for ease of access.
- URL based mounts - File systems can be mounted simply using a URL.
- Support for popular protocols - Comes with backends that support protocols like FTP, SFTP, HTTP, WebDAV, SMB and more.
- Trash support - Provides a trash can for remote as well as local files.
- File monitoring support - Ability to monitor remote files for changes just like local files.
- Streaming file transfers - Supports streaming of read/write between file systems for better memory management.
- Secure authentication agents - Integrates with local keyring services for secure authentication.
By providing file access transparency and consistency between local and remote locations, GVfs aims to simplify file access and management for users within the Gnome ecosystem. It is installed by default in major Gnome Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian.
GVfs Features
Features
- Allows accessing remote file systems like FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, SMB, etc. using the same API as local files
- Supports asynchronous I/O for faster file transfers
- Provides a unified view of local and remote files through Gnome Files (Nautilus)
- Uses GIO virtual streams for transparent remote access
- Supports Gnome keyring password storage for accessing protected resources
- Implements the Gnome Virtual File System abstraction layer
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Seamless integration with Gnome desktop environment
Easier access to remote files without special tools or commands
Faster transfer speeds with asynchronous I/O
Unified file browsing for local and remote files
Leverages GIO for transparent remote access
Cons
Tight coupling with Gnome may limit use in other desktop environments
Limited protocol support compared to tools like curl or wget
May lack some advanced configuration options of standalone FTP/SFTP clients
Relies on Nautilus for file management functionality
Official Links
The Best GVfs Alternatives
Top File Management and Virtual File System and other similar apps like GVfs
Here are some alternatives to GVfs:
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