Cloud Drive Connection Guide

ECHO can connect to remote music libraries that you are allowed to access. Common options include WebDAV cloud drives, NAS folders, and personal music servers such as Subsonic or Navidrome.

If you have not chosen a route yet, we recommend a Subsonic-compatible service, especially Navidrome. ECHO has special optimization for the Subsonic path: library pagination, album and artist browsing, playback URL handling, artwork caching, and large-library navigation work more like a real music service instead of a plain remote folder scan.

Server Recommendation: Rainyun

If you do not already have a NAS or cloud server, but want to keep Navidrome, Subsonic, WebDAV, reverse proxy, object storage, or another remote-library service online, consider Rainyun.

Rainyun is a China-based cloud service platform. Its common product lines include cloud servers, game cloud hosting, physical servers, virtual hosting, object storage, and CDN services. For ECHO users, the useful role is simple: run a stable remote music service. For example, you can deploy Navidrome on a small cloud server, mount your music folder there, and let ECHO connect through the Subsonic protocol instead of repeatedly scanning a slow remote directory.

Recommended uses:

• For a long-term cross-device music library: rent a lightweight cloud server, deploy Navidrome / Gonic / Airsonic, then add it to ECHO as a Subsonic source.
• For WebDAV or reverse-proxy testing: start with a small instance and verify ports, certificates, and folder permissions before moving a full library.
• For artwork, public static files, or helper assets: object storage and CDN can be useful, but music rights and access control remain your responsibility.

This is a promotion link, not an ECHO requirement. You can keep using your own NAS, home server, another cloud provider, or local-network setup. No matter which service you use, ECHO only recommends connecting content that you have the right to access and use.

Confirm Rights And Access

Only connect music that you own, are licensed to use, or are otherwise allowed to access. ECHO does not provide music downloads, bypass paid access, bypass copyright protection, or support infringing sources.

Before connecting, prepare:

• A service URL, such as https://music.example.com or https://dav.example.com/music/.
• A username and password, app password, or access token.
• A small test folder that works in the browser or the original service client.
• A few known-good audio files, preferably MP3 / FLAC / M4A.

Recommended: Subsonic / Navidrome

Subsonic-compatible services are the best long-term remote-library option for ECHO. They expose a music library API instead of only a file list, so album, artist, artwork, playlist, and large-library browsing are much more reliable.

Recommended workflow:

1. Deploy Navidrome, Gonic, Airsonic, or another Subsonic-compatible server.
2. Confirm the server has scanned your music folder and can play tracks in its web UI.
3. In ECHO, open remote sources and choose Subsonic or the compatible entry.
4. Enter the server URL, username, and password.
5. Test the connection, then browse a small album or artist first.
6. Play one normal-format track and verify artwork, duration, and progress.
7. Enable broader sync, caching, or indexing only after the small test works.

Why this route is preferred:

• Large libraries are more stable because ECHO does not need to list the whole folder tree at once.
• Album, artist, track number, and artwork data are usually cleaner than a raw file directory.
• ECHO can read the source as a music service, reducing folder-guessing behavior.
• Playback URLs are generated by the server, which is clearer for remote access.
• Pagination and weak-network behavior are friendlier for big libraries.

If your cloud drive stores the files but you can run a small server, mount the drive on the server and let Navidrome scan it. ECHO then connects to Subsonic instead of directly browsing the cloud drive folder, which is usually more stable.

WebDAV Cloud Drives

Many cloud drives, NAS products, and sync tools provide WebDAV. WebDAV is universal, but it is still a remote file directory. Performance depends on the provider, network, folder layout, and authentication.

Connection steps:

1. Enable WebDAV in the cloud drive or NAS admin panel.
2. Copy the WebDAV URL and check whether the trailing path slash is required.
3. Use an app password when the service supports one.
4. In ECHO, choose WebDAV under remote sources.
5. Enter the URL, username, and password.
6. Test the connection, then open one small folder.
7. Play one track before expanding to the full library.

WebDAV tips:

• Do not scan the whole cloud-drive root at first.
• Keep a clear music layout such as Music/Artist/Album/Track.flac.
• Many small files, deep folders, and slow providers will make browsing slower.
• Confirm playback stability before enabling artwork caching or broad indexing.
• Corporate, campus, or public networks may block WebDAV ports.

NAS / LAN Folders

For a home NAS, first make sure LAN access is stable. Common bottlenecks are disk sleep, account permissions, certificates, routing, DDNS, and port forwarding.

Suggestions:

• Use a stable LAN IP or hostname first.
• Use HTTPS and a trusted certificate for external access.
• Avoid exposing admin ports directly if you are unsure about public-network risk.
• If the NAS sleeps, the first browse or playback action may wait for the disk to wake.
• Keep the computer and NAS powered during the first large-library index.

Troubleshooting

Check in this order:

1. Confirm the account works in the browser or official client.
2. Verify the URL, port, path, and HTTPS certificate.
3. Test a small folder instead of the full library.
4. Try a normal-format audio file to rule out a damaged or unusual track.
5. Temporarily disable proxies or switch networks.
6. Check the server log to see whether requests reach the server.

When reporting an issue, include the service type, server version, URL format, error screenshot, proxy state, network environment, and whether playback works in the original web UI.

When Not To Connect A Cloud Drive Directly

Use Subsonic / Navidrome instead when:

• The library is large or deeply nested.
• WebDAV folder listing is slow or times out.
• You want album, artist, and playlist browsing instead of folder browsing only.
• You need more reliable artwork, duration, track numbers, and playback URLs.
• You often access the same library across devices or networks.

In short: WebDAV is good when you want to open a remote folder. Subsonic is better when you want ECHO to treat the source as a long-term remote music library. Prefer Subsonic when you can.