LDAP is an open standard for organizing data, optimized for reading over writing, making it ideal for long-term archiving. It’s cross-platform and hierarchical, with a structure similar to folders on a computer. It’s popular for storing information over large networks and is built into many modern databases.
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a method of organizing data for use with databases that follow the LDAP standards. This is an open standard, so any organization is able to use the facilities without paying a license fee. An LDAP directory is optimized for reading over writing, making it a great choice for long-term archiving, but not for active databases. The free license and read-centric nature of the lightweight directory access protocol have made it a popular way of organizing information in data warehouses.
The most confusing aspect of LDAP is what exactly the protocol is. The lightweight directory access protocol is a method for organizing and storing data. An LDAP database is a database that stores information based on the protocol. This point gets very confusing as the terminologies merge.
The lightweight directory access protocol is both open standard and cross-platform. This means that any user on any system can easily use and manipulate LDAP databases. It also manages virtual database systems easily, allowing multiple databases to act as a single client-side entity. Finally, it incorporates Internet protocols directly into its specifications, making it nearly painless to access it over an Internet connection.
Since LDAP has so much to offer, the protocol has become very popular as a means of storing information over a large network. Many modern database designs have the ability to access LDAP databases, even if they don’t directly use the lightweight directory access protocol. This has extended the popularity of the protocols, as nearly every major database now has LDAP built-in or available through a plug-in.
How a lightweight directory access protocol database accesses and stores information has a large impact on how it is used. The protocol emphasizes reading data from the database over writing new information. This makes adding information much slower than removing it. Fast applications, such as banking records or online ordering, would find the methods too slow. Filing or recording systems, such as inventory or tax information, work very well.
LDAP specifies a hierarchical organization for data. This is a very familiar method to most people and makes sorting LDAP databases easier than with other systems. This method of organization is often merged with web addresses, making access to top-level database information available through a web browser.
It’s easy to think of these levels as folders on a computer. The top level is the core of the database, usually the name of a company or organization. Below are sections for departments or projects within the organization. Under each of these headings are subsections within that area. On a computer, it’s like a folder within a folder, each providing more specific information. Eventually, the folder, or database, will contain all the information related to that specific topic.
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