{"id":8580,"date":"2026-05-28T09:58:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T07:58:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=8580"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:17:44","slug":"what-is-carddav","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is CardDAV?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV is an open protocol used to store, access, and synchronize contact information across multiple devices and applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It allows users to keep a single contact list on a server and automatically synchronize changes between smartphones, computers, tablets, email clients, and address book applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-4227705126\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV is commonly used alongside email and calendar services to provide centralized contact management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#How_CardDAV_Works\" >How CardDAV Works<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#What_Can_Be_Synchronized\" >What Can Be Synchronized?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Common_Uses_of_CardDAV\" >Common Uses of CardDAV<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#CardDAV_vs_CalDAV\" >CardDAV vs. CalDAV<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Benefits_of_Using_CardDAV\" >Benefits of Using CardDAV<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Centralized_Contact_Management\" >Centralized Contact Management<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Multi-Device_Support\" >Multi-Device Support<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Open_Standard\" >Open Standard<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Reduced_Manual_Updates\" >Reduced Manual Updates<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Practical_Implications\" >Practical Implications<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/what-is-carddav\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_CardDAV_Works\"><\/span>How CardDAV Works<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV uses a client-server model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A CardDAV-compatible application connects to a CardDAV server, authenticates using the user&#8217;s credentials, and synchronizes contact data stored on the server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a contact is added, edited, or deleted on one device, the changes can be synchronized to other connected devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact information is typically stored using the vCard format, a widely adopted standard for exchanging contact data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Can_Be_Synchronized\"><\/span>What Can Be Synchronized?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV can synchronize information such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Names<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Email addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phone numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Company information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Physical addresses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Notes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contact groups<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The exact data available depends on the client application and server implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_Uses_of_CardDAV\"><\/span>Common Uses of CardDAV<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV is frequently used to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Synchronize contacts between smartphones and computers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maintain a centralized address book<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share contacts across multiple devices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Integrate contacts with email and productivity applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many email platforms and groupware solutions support CardDAV alongside calendar synchronization protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CardDAV_vs_CalDAV\"><\/span>CardDAV vs. CalDAV<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CardDAV \u2260 CalDAV<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV is used to synchronize contact information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CalDAV is used to synchronize calendar events and schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although they are often used together, they serve different purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Protocol<\/th><th>Purpose<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>CardDAV<\/td><td>Contact synchronization<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>CalDAV<\/td><td>Calendar synchronization<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Using_CardDAV\"><\/span>Benefits of Using CardDAV<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Centralized_Contact_Management\"><\/span>Centralized Contact Management<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All contact information is stored in a single location and synchronized automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Multi-Device_Support\"><\/span>Multi-Device Support<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Users can access the same contact list from multiple devices and applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Open_Standard\"><\/span>Open Standard<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because CardDAV is an open protocol, it is supported by many email clients, mobile devices, and collaboration platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reduced_Manual_Updates\"><\/span>Reduced Manual Updates<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changes made on one device can automatically appear on other connected devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Practical_Implications\"><\/span>Practical Implications<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your email provider or collaboration platform supports CardDAV, you can configure compatible applications to synchronize contacts automatically instead of maintaining separate address books on each device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This helps prevent outdated contact information and reduces the need for manual updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CardDAV is an open protocol for storing and synchronizing contact information across devices and applications. By keeping contacts on a centralized server, CardDAV makes it easier to maintain a consistent and up-to-date address book on computers, smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25],"manual_kb_tag":[1827,2308,2334,7138,7139,7140,7141,7142,7143,7144],"class_list":["post-8580","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manual_kb_tag-client-server-model","manual_kb_tag-vcard-format","manual_kb_tag-contact-management","manual_kb_tag-card-protocol","manual_kb_tag-contact-synchronization","manual_kb_tag-centralized-address-book","manual_kb_tag-synchronize-contacts","manual_kb_tag-multi-device-support","manual_kb_tag-contact-server","manual_kb_tag-address-book-synchronization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8581,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/8580\/revisions\/8581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=8580"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=8580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}