Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is one of the most renowned and used client/server protocols used to access and manage directory information. It is a directory that contains different kinds of objects like users, groups, computers, printers and so on. The technology is designed to read and edit directories over IP networks and run directly using simple string formats for data transfer.
LDAP is quite common among the medium to large organizations where the business and concerned professionals can use this technology to look up contact info and the like. We all know that every email program has a personal address book, but how can you reach out to those who have never used an email?
This was the revolutionary question that led the global leading brands such as Microsoft, IBM, Lotus, and Netscape to support a standard called LDAP. This technology can look up entries in a wide variety of ways. It can easily index all the data in their entries and use filters to select just the person or group you want and fetch the most important information you want.
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The good thing about LDAP is that it is not just limited to searching for contacts, but it also useful to look up encryption certificates, pointers to printers and other services on a network. It is an ideal technology used for any kind of directory-like information.
Why Choose LDAP?
Open Standard Protocol
The best part about using LDAP is that it is a well-defined protocol. Unlike the NoSQL database or RDBMS, LDAP is explicitly specified how clients should encode requests. When using the alternative technologies like NoSQL database, you’re you are likely to lock yourself into that one type of database as this has its protocol. When using the NoSQL database, you have to change clients when you change the servers. Similarly, with RDBMS will find that SQL is much more standardized. On the other hand, LDAP is a well-defined protocol. LDAP offers a wide variety of directory servers, which means choosing one doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it forever.
Mature but Evolving
LDAP is one of the most used and renowned technologies used by global brands. This has been around for a while, with the most recent version of the specification officially released in December of 1997. Earlier to this, various versions and updates for LDAP have been launched, but not quite frequently. However, that’s not to say that it’s stagnant. Because LDAP is a critical component, there’s a lot of competition between vendors that keep driving performance.
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LDAP Is Lightweight
Many people may be wondering that LDAP is an advanced technology, which means it is going to be quite heavy and complex, but the best part about LDAP here is that it is quite lightweight. It is also more lightweight in comparison to most other “modern” protocols. The reason here is the messages in LDAP are encoded with ASN.1 BER, which is a compact binary format. Additionally, LDAP uses persistent connections for communicating with a directory server that makes a huge difference when it comes to performance and scalability.
LDAP Is Secure
Another important reason that global businesses prefer using LDAP for their organizations use is the security it offers. LDAP directory servers are used as an authentication repository and they carry most sensitive information like passwords and other account details. This makes it important that your confidential details are secure, which is only possible with the help of LDAP that comes with strong encoding mechanisms and constraints that can prevent any kind of security damage.
Conclusion
Options or alternatives to LDAP are endless, but using the LDAP for professional use is a smart choice, thanks to the technology and security offered, which ensure that the activities done over LDAP are 100% secure for sure.
