One of the common tasks during penetration tests that cannot be done manually is file and directory discovery hosted in web servers. There are several tools made for this task, but Nmap shines with its robust database that covers interesting files, such as: README's, database dumps, and forgotten configuration backups; common directories, such as administration panels or unprotected file uploaders; and even attack payloads to exploit directory traversals in common, vulnerable web applications. The NSE script http-enum also supports advanced pattern matching and can identify specific versions of web applications.
This recipe will show you how to use Nmap for web scanning to discover interesting files, directories, and even vulnerable web applications.