ownCloud

Open-source file sync and share platform, used via Sciebo at German universities

Open Science & Data Sharing Essential Institutional Tool Explore Provisional Not currently taught

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Explore Provisional Not currently taught

OwnCloud (via Sciebo) provides secure cloud storage that's hosted by German universities, ensuring GDPR compliance and data sovereignty. The Python client makes it easy to automate dataset downloads and share data with collaborators.

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Related themes: Scientific Computing

Related topics: Automating Research Workflows

Common use cases

Downloading shared datasets from Sciebo
Automating data synchronization
Sharing large research datasets
Collaborative file management

Getting started

OwnCloud is an open-source file hosting platform that provides cloud storage with privacy and control. In German research institutions, it’s commonly accessed through Sciebo, a cloud storage service for universities and research institutions.

Why ownCloud (via Sciebo)?

University Hosted: Data stays within German/European university infrastructure
GDPR Compliant: Meets European data protection requirements
Large Storage: Generous storage quotas for research data
Programmatic Access: Python API for automation
WebDAV Protocol: Standard file access protocol

Python Client Basics

Connecting to Sciebo

import owncloud

# Connect with credentials
oc = owncloud.Client('https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de')
oc.login('username', 'password')

# List files in root
files = oc.list('/')
for file_info in files:
    print(file_info.get_name())

# Logout
oc.logout()

Downloading Files from Public Links

import owncloud

# Connect to public share (no login needed)
public_link = 'https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de/s/AbCdEfGh'
oc = owncloud.Client.from_public_link(public_link)

# Download specific file
oc.get_file(
    '/dataset.csv',
    'local_path/dataset.csv'
)

Common Research Workflows

Downloading Shared Datasets

from pathlib import Path
import owncloud

# Setup
public_link = 'https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de/s/DataShare123'
output_dir = Path('data/raw')
output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

# Connect and download
oc = owncloud.Client.from_public_link(public_link)

# Download all files
files = oc.list('/')
for file_info in files:
    if file_info.is_dir():
        continue

    filename = file_info.get_name()
    local_path = output_dir / filename

    print(f"Downloading {filename}...")
    oc.get_file(f'/{filename}', str(local_path))

Downloading Specific File Types

import owncloud
from pathlib import Path

# Connect
oc = owncloud.Client.from_public_link(public_link)

# Download only CSV files
output_dir = Path('data')
for file_info in oc.list('/'):
    if file_info.get_name().endswith('.csv'):
        remote_path = f"/{file_info.get_name()}"
        local_path = output_dir / file_info.get_name()

        oc.get_file(remote_path, str(local_path))
        print(f"Downloaded: {file_info.get_name()}")

Uploading Results

import owncloud

# Connect with authentication
oc = owncloud.Client('https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de')
oc.login('username', 'password')

# Upload file
oc.put_file(
    '/Research/results/analysis.csv',  # Remote path
    'local_results/analysis.csv'        # Local file
)

# Create directory first if needed
oc.mkdir('/Research/results')

# Upload multiple files
from pathlib import Path

results_dir = Path('results')
for file_path in results_dir.glob('*.csv'):
    remote_path = f'/Research/results/{file_path.name}'
    oc.put_file(remote_path, str(file_path))
    print(f"Uploaded: {file_path.name}")

Checking File Information

# Get file info
file_info = oc.file_info('/path/to/file.csv')

print(f"Name: {file_info.get_name()}")
print(f"Size: {file_info.get_size()} bytes")
print(f"Modified: {file_info.get_last_modified()}")
print(f"Type: {file_info.get_content_type()}")

# Check if exists
try:
    info = oc.file_info('/dataset.csv')
    print("File exists")
except:
    print("File not found")

Practical Examples for Teaching

Download Course Materials

import owncloud
from pathlib import Path

def download_course_materials(public_link, output_dir='course_data'):
    """Download all course materials from Sciebo share."""
    output_path = Path(output_dir)
    output_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

    # Connect
    oc = owncloud.Client.from_public_link(public_link)

    # Download all files
    for file_info in oc.list('/'):
        if file_info.is_dir():
            continue

        filename = file_info.get_name()
        local_file = output_path / filename

        # Skip if already downloaded
        if local_file.exists():
            print(f"Skipping {filename} (already exists)")
            continue

        print(f"Downloading {filename}...")
        oc.get_file(f'/{filename}', str(local_file))

    print(f"\nAll files downloaded to {output_path}")

# Usage
share_link = 'https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de/s/CourseData'
download_course_materials(share_link)

Automated Data Sync

import owncloud
from pathlib import Path
import time

def sync_directory(username, password, remote_dir, local_dir):
    """Sync remote Sciebo directory to local."""
    oc = owncloud.Client('https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de')
    oc.login(username, password)

    local_path = Path(local_dir)
    local_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

    # Get remote files
    remote_files = oc.list(remote_dir)

    for file_info in remote_files:
        if file_info.is_dir():
            continue

        filename = file_info.get_name()
        remote_path = f"{remote_dir}/{filename}"
        local_file = local_path / filename

        # Check if needs update
        if local_file.exists():
            remote_mtime = file_info.get_last_modified()
            local_mtime = local_file.stat().st_mtime

            if remote_mtime <= local_mtime:
                continue  # Local is up to date

        print(f"Syncing {filename}...")
        oc.get_file(remote_path, str(local_file))

    oc.logout()

WebDAV Alternative

For more flexibility, you can use webdav4 directly:

from webdav4.client import Client

# Connect
client = Client(
    'https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de/remote.php/webdav',
    auth=('username', 'password')
)

# Download file
client.download_file(
    '/remote/path/file.csv',
    'local/path/file.csv'
)

# Upload file
client.upload_file(
    'local/file.csv',
    '/remote/path/file.csv'
)

Error Handling

import owncloud

try:
    oc = owncloud.Client.from_public_link(public_link)
    oc.get_file('/dataset.csv', 'local_dataset.csv')
except owncloud.HTTPResponseError as e:
    print(f"HTTP Error: {e}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error downloading file: {e}")

Environment Variables for Credentials

import os
import owncloud

# Store credentials in .env file (never commit to git!)
SCIEBO_USER = os.getenv('SCIEBO_USER')
SCIEBO_PASSWORD = os.getenv('SCIEBO_PASSWORD')

oc = owncloud.Client('https://uni-muenster.sciebo.de')
oc.login(SCIEBO_USER, SCIEBO_PASSWORD)

Installation

pixi add pyocclient
# or
pip install pyocclient

For WebDAV alternative:

pixi add webdav4
# or
pip install webdav4

Best Practices

Use public links for sharing datasets (no authentication needed)
Never commit credentials to version control
Use environment variables or .env files for credentials
Check if files already exist before downloading
Use try-except for robust error handling
Logout when done with authenticated sessions
Consider webdav4 for more advanced features
Use Path objects for cross-platform compatibility
Document share links in README files
Provide alternative download methods for reproducibility

Security Notes

Never share passwords in code or notebooks
Use app-specific passwords when available
Public share links don’t require authentication
Consider link expiration dates for shared data
Be aware of file permissions when uploading