WebDAV:
- Adds 7 new HTTP methods
- Natively understands folders as "collections"
- Clients manipulate and control namespace
- Clients can "parse" URIs to apply semantics of
hierarchy
- Supports locking of entire hierarchies
- Natively supports relocating and copying document to a
different folder
- Does not separate modifiable resources from read-only
view of resources
AtomPub:
- No new HTTP methods
- Natively understands listings as "feeds" and modifiable
listings as "collections"
- Servers control namespace, clients can make
suggestions.
- Clients can navigate to URIs identified in hypertext
but not construct these URIs
- Natively supports only optimistic concurrency control
of single resources
- Separates view-only resources from their underlying
modifiable resources.
Bottom line is "use WebDAV if you can". AtomPub is a simpler
technique, but it is also less feature rich. Of course,
extensions and other such things will add back some of the
features over time, if people like the lightweight foundation
of AtomPub.