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What Is LDAP? A Quick Guide + How SafeLine Supports LDAP Auth

#identity #authentication #websecurity #waf

What is LDAP?

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is an open, vendor-neutral protocol used to access and manage directory information services over an IP network.

Think of LDAP as a digital phone book—it stores and retrieves structured information like:

  • Usernames
  • Passwords
  • Emails
  • Group membership
  • Departmental hierarchy

LDAP is widely used for centralized authentication and authorization in enterprise IT environments. It powers systems like:

  • Microsoft Active Directory
  • OpenLDAP
  • Apache Directory

How LDAP Works

LDAP organizes data in a hierarchical structure, usually in the form of a tree:
dc=example,dc=com
├── ou=Users
│ ├── cn=Alice
│ └── cn=Bob
└── ou=Groups
├── cn=Admins
└── cn=Developers

Each entry is called a distinguished name (DN) and contains attributes like uid, mail, memberOf, etc.

Why Use LDAP?

LDAP provides:

  • Centralized user management
  • Scalability for large user bases
  • Security through access controls
  • Interoperability across platforms

It's a standard in enterprise environments for managing identity and access control.

SafeLine WAF: LDAP Integration Made Easy

SafeLine is a powerful, open-source Web Application Firewall (WAF) that includes robust authentication capabilities—including full support for LDAP-based login.

Key Features of SafeLine's LDAP Support

  • Centralized login: Manage user access through LDAP credentials
  • Audit-friendly: Log all access attempts and admin operations

Getting Started

To enable LDAP in SafeLine:

  1. Go to Auth in the left bar.
  2. Click on Settings in the right upper corner ➡️ Third-party Login
  3. Choose LDAP as the authentication mode.
  4. Fill in your LDAP server details:
    • Server URL
    • Base DN (e.g., dc=example,dc=com)
    • Bind DN and password
    • Filter (e.g., (uid={username}))
  5. Submit and test the connection.

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You’re now ready to log in to SafeLine using your enterprise LDAP accounts!

Why Choose SafeLine

SafeLine not only helps protect your web applications from attacks like SQL injection, XSS, and bot abuse—it also provide powerful identity authentication capability.

Join the SafeLine user community or check out the official documentation for step-by-step setup guides.

SafeLine Website: https://ly.safepoint.cloud/ShZAy9x
Github: https://github.com/chaitin/SafeLine
Discord: https://discord.gg/dy3JT7dkmY

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