{"id":52799,"date":"2021-08-19T14:58:12","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T18:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-jc-marketing-site.pantheonsite.io\/?p=52799"},"modified":"2024-08-14T17:03:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T21:03:10","slug":"difference-between-ldap-openldap-active-directory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/difference-between-ldap-openldap-active-directory","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between LDAP, OpenLDAP and Active Directory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)<\/a>, OpenLDAP, and Microsoft Active Directory (AD) are similar because they\u2019re are used to manage directories. That\u2019s where the similarities end: LDAP is a protocol, and OpenLDAP and AD are software that support the LDAP protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vendors have created software implementations of LDAP that include tooling, interfaces, and other added functionality. OpenLDAP, which is a free, open source implementation of LDAP, is one of the most popular. Similarly, Microsoft AD is a comprehensive directory service for Windows networks that includes a software implementation of LDAP, among other protocols. AD is a legacy offering that needs modernization and protection<\/a>, but remains in widespread use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This article outlines the differences between the three and whether they\u2019re the best options for modern IT infrastructures where requirements and risks have shifted. First, let\u2019s explore how LDAP is a standardized protocol and how that makes it different from directory service software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LDAP is a protocol; OpenLDAP and AD are software that make use of the LDAP protocol. To understand the differences between LDAP, OpenLDAP, and Active Directory, it helps to first understand the LDAP protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LDAP is the protocol that defines how users, devices, and clients can communicate with a directory server. It also provides a framework for how information can be organized and represented within a directory. It facilitates user authentication and authorization to IT resources, which can include servers, applications, networks, file servers, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These frameworks are flexible and customizable, so different directories can be formatted in various ways, but they tend to follow a hierarchical tree structure. (Learn more about LDAP directory structure in our full LDAP overview<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n With LDAP, users access IT resources by inputting credentials. The protocol searches and compares the credentials to what the LDAP server<\/a> has stored for the authenticating user \u2014 if the username and password match what\u2019s listed in the directory, LDAP authenticates the user. LDAP can centralize authentication services while providing users with quick access to many of their resources on the network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The LDAP protocol is not software, but software packages have emerged to streamline LDAP directory creation, implementation, and management. One of the first implementations of this was OpenLDAP.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s the Difference Between LDAP, OpenLDAP, and Active Directory?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n