An LDAP record, often referred to as an entry, is a fundamental unit of information within a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory. Think of it as a single row in a database table, representing a specific object or entity.
Key Components of an LDAP Record
An LDAP record consists of the following:
-
Distinguished Name (DN): This is the unique identifier for the record within the directory. It's like a primary key in a database. The DN specifies the full path to the entry, including all its parent entries. For example:
cn=John Doe,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
-
Attributes: These are the properties or characteristics associated with the object the record represents. Each attribute has a type (e.g.,
cn
for common name,sn
for surname,mail
for email address) and one or more values.
Example LDAP Record
Here's an example of what an LDAP record might look like in a text-based format (LDIF - LDAP Data Interchange Format):
dn: cn=John Doe,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: inetOrgPerson
objectClass: organizationalPerson
objectClass: person
objectClass: top
cn: John Doe
sn: Doe
givenName: John
mail: [email protected]
telephoneNumber: +1-555-123-4567
In this example:
dn: cn=John Doe,ou=People,dc=example,dc=com
is the Distinguished Name.objectClass
specifies the type of object (in this case, a person within an organization). Object classes define the required and allowed attributes.cn
,sn
,givenName
,mail
, andtelephoneNumber
are attributes with their respective values.
Purpose of LDAP Records
LDAP records are used to store and manage information about various entities, such as:
- Users: User accounts, passwords, contact information.
- Groups: Collections of users, permissions.
- Computers: Information about servers, workstations.
- Organizational Units (OUs): Hierarchical containers for organizing objects within the directory.
- Resources: Printers, applications, etc.
How LDAP Records are Used
Applications use LDAP to:
- Authenticate users: Verify user credentials against the information stored in the directory.
- Authorize access: Determine what resources a user is allowed to access based on group memberships and other attributes.
- Search for information: Look up user details, group memberships, or other information stored in the directory.
- Manage user accounts: Create, modify, and delete user accounts and other directory objects.
LDAP and Laravel (Referencing the Given Context)
The provided context mentions "LdapRecord-Laravel." This package helps Laravel applications interact with LDAP directories. Using this package, you can easily retrieve and manipulate LDAP records within your Laravel application for authentication, authorization, and user management purposes. The package simplifies the process of searching, modifying, and creating LDAP entries directly from your Laravel code.