Quick Start: Build Your Ultimate Streaming Tool with Alist

Alistcloud storage managementNAS video playerWebDAV integrationAliyun Drive mount

Published·Apr 10, 2024Modified·Jul 8, 2025

Alist is a lightweight, cross-platform file browsing and sharing service that supports centralized management and access to various cloud and local storage resources, offering a concise and efficient way to organize and share files.

Alist supports mounting common domestic cloud drives, such as Aliyun Drive, Quark Drive, and Baidu Netdisk, making it ideal for NAS users or those with high bandwidth. By mounting cloud drives via Alist, users can indirectly enable WebDAV support for drives that do not natively support it, acting as a bridge to connect with various third-party software.

Given the diverse use cases of Alist, this article guides you from installation to mounting cloud drives, and finally pairing with third-party video players to build your own ultimate streaming tool.

Reminder: The open-source cloud drive application Alist is rumored to have been acquired by "Not Enough Tech (Guizhou)", and the original developer has stepped down. Proceed with caution regarding updates and monitor future developments.

Docker Installation of Alist

For easier maintenance and management, this guide uses Docker Compose for installation. The complete docker-compose.yaml content is as follows:

version: '3.3'
services:
    alist:
        image: 'xhofe/alist:v3.33.0'
        container_name: alist
        volumes:
            - './data:/opt/alist/data'
        ports:
            - '5244:5244'
        environment:
            - PUID=0
            - PGID=0
            - UMASK=022
        restart: unless-stopped

v3.33.0 is the Alist version; it may update over time, so adjust according to your needs.
./data is the mount path for data persistence; you can use an absolute or relative path.
The first 5244 is the external access port, which can be modified; the second 5244 should remain unchanged.

Start the container using:

docker-compose up -d

Set Administrator Password

The default username for Alist is admin. You must set the password via the command line:

# Replace 'passowrd' with your desired password
docker exec -it alist ./alist admin set password

Login

If successful, access the Alist web interface at http://IP:5244 and log in using the username admin and the password you just set.

Basic Settings

In the Web backend under Profile, you can modify the username and password, or enable more secure Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).

Under Settings - Site, you can modify the website title, announcements, and other information.

In Backend - Users, you can add, modify, delete users, and assign permissions.

These are the basic settings; other configurations can be adjusted based on your specific needs.

Mounting Cloud Drives

Alist supports a wide variety of cloud drives and storage types. Currently, this guide covers mounting Aliyun Drive and Quark Drive, but you can choose based on your situation.

Mounting Aliyun Drive

Go to Backend Settings - Storage - Add and fill in the following:

Driver: Aliyun Drive Open
Mount Path: Use English or Pinyin, starting with /. The path can be anything as long as it is unique, e.g., /alipan.
WebDAV Policy: Select 302 Redirect for the best performance as it connects directly to Aliyun.
Other Settings: Keep defaults.

Visit the Aliyun Drive official website. When entering a folder, click the string after the URL (e.g., https://www.alipan.com/drive/folder/5fe01e1830601baf774e4827a9fb8fb2b5bf7940). The file ID is 5fe01e1830601baf774e4827a9fb8fb2b5bf7940. Enter this into the Root Folder ID field.

Visit https://alist.nn.ci/tool/aliyundrive/request to obtain the refresh token. You can do this by scanning the QR code with the Aliyun Drive app or logging in online. Copy the token and paste it into the Refresh Token field.

Keep other options default and save. For more details, refer to the official documentation: https://alist.nn.ci/zh/guide/drivers/aliyundrive_open.html.

Mounting Quark Drive

Go to Backend Settings - Storage - Add and fill in the following:

Driver: Quark
Mount Path: Use English or Pinyin, starting with /. Ensure uniqueness, e.g., /quark.
WebDAV Policy: NAS users are recommended to use the local proxy for better performance.
Other Settings: Keep defaults.

To obtain the Cookie and Root Folder ID, log in to the Quark web version: https://pan.quark.cn/. Use the browser's F12 developer tools to find a request starting with "sort" and extract the information as shown below.

Fill in the Cookie and Root Folder ID fields and save.

The validity period of the Quark Drive Cookie is currently unclear. If it expires, you will need to re-obtain and fill it in using the method above. For more details, refer to the official documentation: https://alist.nn.ci/zh/guide/drivers/quark.html.

Access Test

After mounting the cloud drives, visit the Alist homepage. You should see the mounted Aliyun Drive and Quark Drive. You can perform copy, move, and delete operations on files directly through the Alist web interface.

For video files, you can play them directly online or call a local third-party player to improve decoding efficiency.

Using WebDAV

Alist converts mounted cloud drives into WebDAV interfaces by default, facilitating integration with third-party software. The Alist WebDAV configuration is as follows:

Support status for different storage types via Alist WebDAV:

For more details, refer to the Alist official documentation: https://alist.nn.ci/zh/guide/webdav.html.

Building Your Streaming Tool with Third-Party Software

With Alist WebDAV, you can connect to various third-party video players and file managers to read, manage, and play videos from your cloud drives. Recommended software includes:

Apple Ecosystem

Infuse: A powerful video management tool that supports direct Aliyun Drive connection and WebDAV. Note that this is a paid app.
VidHub: The best free alternative to Infuse, supporting direct Aliyun Drive connection and WebDAV.
Fileball: A file manager focused on WebDAV support, available in a free + subscription model.

Android Ecosystem

Nova Video Player: Similar to Infuse for video management, supports WebDAV. While not as powerful as Infuse, it is free.
File Manager+: A file manager that allows direct management of cloud drive files after adding WebDAV storage.

The difference between video management software and file management software is that video managers automatically fetch movie posters, descriptions, and actor information, categorizing them by genre for a better viewing experience, as shown below.

File managers are more general-purpose. While they can play videos, they are not as convenient as VidHub or Nova Video Player for managing and playing video libraries.

There are many other third-party software options supporting WebDAV. If you find any useful ones, feel free to leave a comment to recommend them.

Conclusion

This guide covered installing Alist, mounting Aliyun Drive and Baidu Netdisk, and integrating with third-party video and file management software via Alist WebDAV to achieve online viewing and cloud drive file management. Alist is best suited for NAS users or IT professionals and may not be very beginner-friendly.

Additionally, I have created a NAS user group. If you are interested, please scan the QR code below to join.

Alist Official Website: https://alist.nn.ci/zh/