[Bug]: External storage with Nextcloud webdav is slow to respond

⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️

• This is a bug, not a question or a configuration/webserver/proxy issue.
• This issue is not already reported on Github OR Nextcloud Community Forum (I've searched it).
• Nextcloud Server is up to date. See Maintenance and Release Schedule for supported versions.
• I agree to follow Nextcloud's Code of Conduct.

Bug description

Basically, title. When using an external storage between the US west coast and Germany the average time to load the initial page when opening up the external mount (nextcloud -> nextcloud) is several seconds. This is with a handful of files added. When browsing subsequent pages it is faster but still slow to respond.

The reason I am filing this as a bug report is because "check for changes" is set to never, so it should just be using the local database for the file listing, which should result in fast access times when loading the file list.

I can also confirm the transfer speed is fast, so it's likely just a latency issue between the servers. However, the above applies. As check for changes is disabled, it shouldn't need to query the remote server at all.

So my question is: Why is it querying the remote server with check for changes disabled and can nextcloud change this core behavior so it does not?

Steps to reproduce

.

Expected behavior

.

Nextcloud Server version

30

Operating system

Debian/Ubuntu

PHP engine version

PHP 8.2

Web server

Nginx

Database engine version

PostgreSQL

Is this bug present after an update or on a fresh install?

Fresh Nextcloud Server install

Are you using the Nextcloud Server Encryption module?

Encryption is Disabled

What user-backends are you using?

• Default user-backend (database)
• LDAP/ Active Directory
• SSO - SAML
• Other

Configuration report

{
    "system": {
        "instanceid": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "passwordsalt": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "secret": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "trusted_domains": [
            "BLANK"
        ],
        "trusted_proxies": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "overwritehost": "BLANK",
        "overwriteprotocol": "https",
        "datadirectory": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbtype": "pgsql",
        "version": "30.0.3.0",
        "overwrite.cli.url": "https:\/\/BLANK",
        "dbname": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbhost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbport": "",
        "dbtableprefix": "oc_",
        "dbuser": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "dbpassword": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "installed": true,
        "mail_smtpmode": "smtp",
        "mail_smtpsecure": "ssl",
        "mail_sendmailmode": "smtp",
        "mail_from_address": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_domain": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtphost": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtpport": "465",
        "mail_smtpauth": 1,
        "mail_smtpname": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "mail_smtppassword": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
        "enable_previews": true,
        "preview_format": "webp",
        "preview_max_scale_factor": 1,
        "preview_max_x": "1600",
        "preview_max_y": "1280",
        "maintenance_window_start": 100,
        "default_phone_region": "us",
        "default_language": "en",
        "default_timezone": "America\/Los_Angeles",
        "allow_user_to_change_display_name": "false",
        "auth.bruteforce.protection.enabled": true,
        "auth.bruteforce.protection.testing": false,
        "ratelimit.protection.enabled": true,
        "simpleSignUpLink.shown": false,
        "skeletondirectory": "\/opt\/nextcloud-skeleton\/",
        "memcache.local": "\\OC\\Memcache\\Redis",
        "memcache.distributed": "\\OC\\Memcache\\Redis",
        "memcache.locking": "\\OC\\Memcache\\Redis",
        "redis": {
            "host": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***",
            "port": 6379,
            "timeout": 0,
            "password": "***REMOVED SENSITIVE VALUE***"
        },
        "maintenance": false,
        "app_install_overwrite": [
            "talk_matterbridge"
        ],
        "theme": "",
        "loglevel": 2
    }
}

List of activated Apps

Enabled:
  - activity: 3.0.0
  - admin_audit: 1.20.0
  - assistant: 2.1.1
  - bruteforcesettings: 3.0.0
  - calendar: 5.0.6
  - circles: 30.0.0
  - cloud_federation_api: 1.13.0
  - collectives: 2.15.1
  - comments: 1.20.1
  - contacts: 6.1.1
  - contactsinteraction: 1.11.0
  - dashboard: 7.10.0
  - dav: 1.31.1
  - deck: 1.14.2
  - dicomviewer: 2.2.1
  - external: 5.5.2
  - federatedfilesharing: 1.20.0
  - federation: 1.20.0
  - files: 2.2.0
  - files_downloadlimit: 3.0.0
  - files_external: 1.22.0
  - files_pdfviewer: 3.0.0
  - files_reminders: 1.3.0
  - files_sharing: 1.22.0
  - files_trashbin: 1.20.1
  - files_versions: 1.23.0
  - firstrunwizard: 3.0.0
  - integration_openai: 3.2.0
  - logreader: 3.0.0
  - lookup_server_connector: 1.18.0
  - mail: 4.0.5
  - music: 2.0.1
  - news: 25.0.3
  - nextcloud_announcements: 2.0.0
  - notes: 4.11.0
  - notifications: 3.0.0
  - oauth2: 1.18.1
  - password_policy: 2.0.0
  - photos: 3.0.2
  - privacy: 2.0.0
  - provisioning_api: 1.20.0
  - recommendations: 3.0.0
  - related_resources: 1.5.0
  - richdocuments: 8.5.2
  - richdocumentscode: 24.4.902
  - serverinfo: 2.0.0
  - settings: 1.13.0
  - sharebymail: 1.20.0
  - spreed: 20.0.2
  - support: 2.0.0
  - survey_client: 2.0.0
  - suspicious_login: 8.0.0
  - systemtags: 1.20.0
  - tasks: 0.16.1
  - text: 4.1.0
  - theming: 2.5.0
  - twofactor_backupcodes: 1.19.0
  - twofactor_nextcloud_notification: 4.0.0
  - twofactor_totp: 12.0.0-dev
  - twofactor_webauthn: 2.0.0
  - updatenotification: 1.20.0
  - user_status: 1.10.0
  - viewer: 3.0.0
  - weather_status: 1.10.0
  - webhook_listeners: 1.1.0-dev
  - workflowengine: 2.12.0
Disabled:
  - app_api: 4.0.3 (installed 4.0.0)
  - context_chat: 3.1.0 (installed 3.1.0)
  - encryption: 2.18.0
  - user_ldap: 1.21.0

Nextcloud Signing status

Nextcloud Logs

Additional info

No response

No source file, test, or code entry point is named. Start by reproducing the delay while opening the external WebDAV mount with “check for changes” disabled, then trace which remote requests occur during file-list loading. Done means the cause of those requests is identified and the expected behavior is covered by a regression test.