What is AD/LDAP?

AD/LDAP refers to Active Directory and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, respectively. Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is used for managing users, computers, and other resources on a network, providing authentication and authorization services. LDAP is an open, vendor-neutral, industry standard protocol for accessing and maintaining distributed directory information services. It's often used as the underlying protocol for accessing directory services like Active Directory, but also for other directory services such as OpenLDAP. Common uses include user authentication, managing user profiles, and storing configuration information. In many enterprise environments, LDAP is used to integrate various applications with a central directory service, enabling single sign-on (SSO) and consistent user management.