The following is a list of software programs that can communicate with and/or host directory services via the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP).
Server software
| Product | Vendor | Software licensea | Initial Release | Last Release | Last Version | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 389 Directory Server | Red Hat | GPL linking exception1 with exception to allow linking to non-GPL2 | 2005, Dec, | 2024, May 15 | 3.1.0 | Formerly Fedora Directory Server |
| Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft | Proprietary | 2008, Oct 27 | 2025 | ? | Known as Azure Active Directory (AAD) as well |
| Red Hat Identity Manager (IdM) | Red Hat | Proprietary | 2008, Apr 1 | 2024 | 4.12 | Fork of FreeIPA. Based on (RHEL 9.10 |
| Active Directory | Microsoft | Proprietary | 2000 | 2024, Nov 1 | 91 (WS 2025) | Integrated on Windows Server |
| Authorized Entities Directory (Æ-DIR) | Michael Ströder | Apache 2.0 | Based on OpenLDAP with additional tools | |||
| Apache Directory Server | Apache Software Foundation | Apache 2.0 | 2006, Oct | 2023, Oct 23 | 2.0.0-AM27 | |
| Apple Open Directory - | Apple Inc. | Proprietary3 | A fork of the OpenLDAP project | |||
| CA Directory | CA Technologies | Proprietary | 2024, Dec 2 | 14.1 | CA Tech was acquired by Broadcom Inc in 2018 | |
| Directory services - | ForgeRock | Proprietary | A fork of the OpenDJ project | |||
| DirX Directory | Atos (ex-Siemens) | |||||
| FreeIPA | GNU | GPL | 2008, Apr 1 | 2024, June 10 | 4.12.1 | Using 389 Directory Server |
| IBM Tivoli Directory Server | IBM | Proprietary | 2024, Oct 7 | 7.5 | ||
| Mandriva Directory Server | Mandriva development team | GPL | 2011 | 2021, Nov 23 | Now part of Mandriva Management Console | |
| Meerkat DSA | Wildboar Software | MIT | Also supports the full X.500 directory protocols: DAP, DSP, and DOP | |||
| Nexor Directory | ||||||
| NetIQ eDirectory | NetIQ | Proprietary | 1993 | 2023, May 31 | 9.2.8 | Successor. Originally known as Novell Directory Services (NDS). Successr of eDirectory and NDS. |
| OpenDJ | Open Identity Platform Community | CDDL | 2010, Dec 21 | 2024, May 7 | 4.6.3 | A fork of the OpenDS project developed by ForgeRock, until 2016,4 now maintained by OpenDJ Community |
| OpenDS | Sun Microsystems | CDDL | 2024, May 7 | 4.6.3 | CDDL-licensed product no longer maintained, now Oracle Unified Directory. | |
| OpenLDAP | Kurt Zeilenga and others (based on Slapd) | OpenLDAP Public License | 1998, Aug 26 | 2024, Nov 26 | 2.6.9 | LDAP clone from University of Michigan |
| Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition5 | Oracle, based on Sun DSEE | Proprietary | 11g | |||
| Oracle Internet Directory | Oracle | Proprietary | 2023, Jan | 12.2.1.4 | ||
| Oracle Unified Directory (OUD) | Oracle, based on OpenDS | Proprietary | 2024, Apr | 12.2.1.4 | Based on OpenDJ | |
| Red Hat Directory Server | Red Hat | GPL plus exception | 2024, May 15 | 3.1.0 | Commercial version of 389 Directory Server | |
| Samba4 | Samba Team | GPLv3 | 1992, Jan | 2025, Jan 6 | 4.21.3 | Active Directory compatible Domain Controller |
| Slapd | University of Michigan | Free | 1993 | 1996 | Standalone LDAP Daemon. Superseded by OpenLDAP6 | |
| Sun Java System Directory Server | Sun Microsystems | 2011 | 2011 | No longer maintained |
Server software (Env + Auth + Access)
| Name | Environment | Interface | Authentication | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heterogenous | Agnostic | AD | GUI | CLI | IAM | SSO | MFA | NTLM | KDC | SA[S,M]L | OAuth | OIDC | FS | |
| Active Directory | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apache Directory Server | ? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Red Hat Directory Server | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FreeIPA | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OpenLDAP | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Microsoft Entra ID | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- FS: Federation Services
Server software (Features)
| Name | Features | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replication | GPO | LDIF | PKI | LDAP | NTP | DNS | DHCP | POP3 | IMAP | SMB | CIFS | BRS | DRS | |
| Active Directory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apache Directory Server | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Red Hat Directory Server | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| FreeIPA | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Red Hat IdM | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OpenLDAP | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Azure Active Directory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- BRS: Backup Recovery System Backup and Restore
- DRP: Disaster Recovery Plan IT disaster recovery
Client software
Cross-platform
- Apache Directory Server/Studio - an LDAP browser and directory client for Linux, OS X, and Microsoft Windows, and as a plug-in for the Eclipse development environment.
- JXplorer - a Java-based browser that runs in any operating environment.
- LDAP Account Manager - a PHP based webfrontend for managing various account types in an LDAP directory.
- phpLDAPadmin - a web-based LDAP administration tool for creating and editing LDAP entries in any LDAP server.
- RoundCube - an open source and free PHP IMAP client with support with LDAP based address books.
- OpenDJ - a Java-based LDAP server and directory client that runs in any operating environment, under license CDDL
Linux/UNIX
- Evolution - the contacts part of GNOME's PIM can query LDAP servers.
- KAddressBook - the address book application for KDE, capable of querying LDAP servers.
- OpenLDAP - a free, open source implementation.
- System Security Services Daemon (SSSD) - a system service to access remote directories and authentication mechanisms 7
Mac OS X
- Contacts - an LDAP-aware address book application built into Mac OS X.
- Directory Utility - a utility for configuring access to several types of directory servers, including LDAP; built into Mac OS X.
- Workgroup Manager - a utility for configuring access to several types of directory servers, including LDAP; built into Mac OS X Server and one of Apple's Server Admin Tools.
- Slapd - from the Univ of Michigan
Microsoft Windows
- Active Directory Explorer - a freeware LDAP client tool from Microsoft8
- LDAP Admin - a free, open source LDAP directory browser and editor
Middleware
Notes
Notes
- Licenses here are a summary, and are not to be a full list of terms. Some packages may use libraries under different licenses.
References
References
- "389 Directory Server - Licensing".
- "389 Directory Server - GPL Exception License Text".
- "Mac OS X Server Software License Agreement". Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- "ForgeRock has shuttered the open-source community, and no longer allows new development on their platform under a permissive license". timeforafork. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "Oracle Directory Server Enterprise Edition". www.oracle.com. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
- UMich DirSvcs
- "Chapter 2. Using Active Directory as an Identity Provider for SSSD Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7".
- Russinovich, Mark (2012-11-15). "AD Explorer". technet.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)