--- title: "LDAP" description: "Configuring LDAP" lead: "Authelia supports an LDAP server based first factor user provider. This section describes configuring this." date: 2022-06-15T17:51:47+10:00 draft: false images: [] menu: configuration: parent: "first-factor" weight: 102200 toc: true aliases: - /c/ldap - /docs/configuration/authentication/ldap.html --- ## Configuration {{< config-alert-example >}} ```yaml authentication_backend: ldap: implementation: custom url: ldap://127.0.0.1 timeout: 5s start_tls: false tls: server_name: ldap.example.com skip_verify: false minimum_version: TLS1.2 maximum_version: TLS1.3 certificate_chain: | -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIC5jCCAc6gAwIBAgIRAK4Sj7FiN6PXo/urPfO4E7owDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQAw EzERMA8GA1UEChMIQXV0aGVsaWEwHhcNNzAwMTAxMDAwMDAwWhcNNzEwMTAxMDAw MDAwWjATMREwDwYDVQQKEwhBdXRoZWxpYTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEP ADCCAQoCggEBAPKv3pSyP4ozGEiVLJ14dIWFCEGEgq7WUMI0SZZqQA2ID0L59U/Q /Usyy7uC9gfMUzODTpANtkOjFQcQAsxlR1FOjVBrX5QgjSvXwbQn3DtwMA7XWSl6 LuYx2rBYSlMSN5UZQm/RxMtXfLK2b51WgEEYDFi+nECSqKzR4R54eOPkBEWRfvuY 91AMjlhpivg8e4JWkq4LVQUKbmiFYwIdK8XQiN4blY9WwXwJFYs5sQ/UYMwBFi0H kWOh7GEjfxgoUOPauIueZSMSlQp7zqAH39N0ZSYb6cS0Npj57QoWZSY3ak87ebcR Nf4rCvZLby7LoN7qYCKxmCaDD3x2+NYpWH8CAwEAAaM1MDMwDgYDVR0PAQH/BAQD AgWgMBMGA1UdJQQMMAoGCCsGAQUFBwMBMAwGA1UdEwEB/wQCMAAwDQYJKoZIhvcN AQELBQADggEBAHSITqIQSNzonFl3DzxHPEzr2hp6peo45buAAtu8FZHoA+U7Icfh /ZXjPg7Xz+hgFwM/DTNGXkMWacQA/PaNWvZspgRJf2AXvNbMSs2UQODr7Tbv+Fb4 lyblmMUNYFMCFVAMU0eIxXAFq2qcwv8UMcQFT0Z/35s6PVOakYnAGGQjTfp5Ljuq wsdc/xWmM0cHWube6sdRRUD7SY20KU/kWzl8iFO0VbSSrDf1AlEhnLEkp1SPaxXg OdBnl98MeoramNiJ7NT6Jnyb3zZ578fjaWfThiBpagItI8GZmG4s4Ovh2JbheN8i ZsjNr9jqHTjhyLVbDRlmJzcqoj4JhbKs6/I^invalid DO NOT USE= -----END CERTIFICATE----- -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- MIIDBDCCAeygAwIBAgIRALJsPg21kA0zY4F1wUCIuoMwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQAw EzERMA8GA1UEChMIQXV0aGVsaWEwHhcNNzAwMTAxMDAwMDAwWhcNNzEwMTAxMDAw MDAwWjATMREwDwYDVQQKEwhBdXRoZWxpYTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEP ADCCAQoCggEBAMXHBvVxUzYk0u34/DINMSF+uiOekKOAjOrC6Mi9Ww8ytPVO7t2S zfTvM+XnEJqkFQFgimERfG/eGhjF9XIEY6LtnXe8ATvOK4nTwdufzBaoeQu3Gd50 5VXr6OHRo//ErrGvFXwP3g8xLePABsi/fkH3oDN+ztewOBMDzpd+KgTrk8ysv2ou kNRMKFZZqASvCgv0LD5KWvUCnL6wgf1oTXG7aztduA4oSkUP321GpOmBC5+5ElU7 ysoRzvD12o9QJ/IfEaulIX06w9yVMo60C/h6A3U6GdkT1SiyTIqR7v7KU/IWd/Qi Lfftcj91VhCmJ73Meff2e2S2PrpjdXbG5FMCAwEAAaNTMFEwDgYDVR0PAQH/BAQD AgKkMA8GA1UdJQQIMAYGBFUdJQAwDwYDVR0TAQH/BAUwAwEB/zAdBgNVHQ4EFgQU Z7AtA3mzFc0InSBA5fiMfeLXA3owDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQADggEBAEE5hm1mtlk/ kviCoHH4evbpw7rxPxDftIQlqYTtvMM4eWY/6icFoSZ4fUHEWYyps8SsPu/8f2tf 71LGgZn0FdHi1QU2H8m0HHK7TFw+5Q6RLrLdSyk0PItJ71s9en7r8pX820nAFEHZ HkOSfJZ7B5hFgUDkMtVM6bardXAhoqcMk4YCU96e9d4PB4eI+xGc+mNuYvov3RbB D0s8ICyojeyPVLerz4wHjZu68Z5frAzhZ68YbzNs8j2fIBKKHkHyLG1iQyF+LJVj 2PjCP+auJsj6fQQpMGoyGtpLcSDh+ptcTngUD8JsWipzTCjmaNqdPHAOYmcgtf4b qocikt3WAdU^invalid DO NOT USE= -----END CERTIFICATE----- private_key: | -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- MIIEpAIBAAKCAQEA8q/elLI/ijMYSJUsnXh0hYUIQYSCrtZQwjRJlmpADYgPQvn1 T9D9SzLLu4L2B8xTM4NOkA22Q6MVBxACzGVHUU6NUGtflCCNK9fBtCfcO3AwDtdZ KXou5jHasFhKUxI3lRlCb9HEy1d8srZvnVaAQRgMWL6cQJKorNHhHnh44+QERZF+ +5j3UAyOWGmK+Dx7glaSrgtVBQpuaIVjAh0rxdCI3huVj1bBfAkVizmxD9RgzAEW LQeRY6HsYSN/GChQ49q4i55lIxKVCnvOoAff03RlJhvpxLQ2mPntChZlJjdqTzt5 txE1/isK9ktvLsug3upgIrGYJoMPfHb41ilYfwIDAQABAoIBAQDTOdFf2JjHH1um aPgRAvNf9v7Nj5jytaRKs5nM6iNf46ls4QPreXnMhqSeSwj6lpNgBYxOgzC9Q+cc Y4ob/paJJPaIJTxmP8K/gyWcOQlNToL1l+eJ20eQoZm23NGr5fIsunSBwLEpTrdB ENqqtcwhW937K8Pxy/Q1nuLyU2bc6Tn/ivLozc8n27dpQWWKh8537VY7ancIaACr LJJLYxKqhQpjtBWAyCDvZQirnAOm9KnvIHaGXIswCZ4Xbsu0Y9NL+woARPyRVQvG jfxy4EmO9s1s6y7OObSukwKDSNihAKHx/VIbvVWx8g2Lv5fGOa+J2Y7o9Qurs8t5 BQwMTt0BAoGBAPUw5Z32EszNepAeV3E2mPFUc5CLiqAxagZJuNDO2pKtyN29ETTR Ma4O1cWtGb6RqcNNN/Iukfkdk27Q5nC9VJSUUPYelOLc1WYOoUf6oKRzE72dkMQV R4bf6TkjD+OVR17fAfkswkGahZ5XA7j48KIQ+YC4jbnYKSxZTYyKPjH/AoGBAP1i tqXt36OVlP+y84wWqZSjMelBIVa9phDVGJmmhz3i1cMni8eLpJzWecA3pfnG6Tm9 ze5M4whASleEt+M00gEvNaU9ND+z0wBfi+/DwJYIbv8PQdGrBiZFrPhTPjGQUldR lXccV2meeLZv7TagVxSi3DO6dSJfSEHyemd5j9mBAoGAX8Hv+0gOQZQCSOTAq8Nx 6dZcp9gHlNaXnMsP9eTDckOSzh636JPGvj6m+GPJSSbkURUIQ3oyokMNwFqvlNos fTaLhAOfjBZI9WnDTTQxpugWjphJ4HqbC67JC/qIiw5S6FdaEvGLEEoD4zoChywZ 9oGAn+fz2d/0/JAH/FpFPgsCgYEAp/ipZgPzziiZ9ov1wbdAQcWRj7RaWnssPFpX jXwEiXT3CgEMO4MJ4+KWIWOChrti3qFBg6i6lDyyS6Qyls7sLFbUdC7HlTcrOEMe rBoTcCI1GqZNlqWOVQ65ZIEiaI7o1vPBZo2GMQEZuq8mDKFsOMThvvTrM5cAep84 n6HJR4ECgYABWcbsSnr0MKvVth/inxjbKapbZnp2HUCuw87Ie5zK2Of/tbC20wwk yKw3vrGoE3O1t1g2m2tn8UGGASeZ842jZWjIODdSi5+icysQGuULKt86h/woz2SQ 27GoE2i5mh6Yez6VAYbUuns3FcwIsMyWLq043Tu2DNkx9ijOOAuQzw^invalid.. DO NOT USE== -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- base_dn: DC=example,DC=com additional_users_dn: OU=users users_filter: (&({username_attribute}={input})(objectClass=person)) username_attribute: uid mail_attribute: mail display_name_attribute: displayName additional_groups_dn: OU=groups groups_filter: (&(member={dn})(objectClass=groupOfNames)) group_name_attribute: cn permit_referrals: false permit_unauthenticated_bind: false user: CN=admin,DC=example,DC=com password: password ``` ## Options This section describes the individual configuration options. ### implementation {{< confkey type="string" default="custom" required="no" >}} Configures the LDAP implementation used by Authelia. See the [Implementation Guide](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#implementation-guide) for information. ### url {{< confkey type="string" required="yes" >}} The LDAP URL which consists of a scheme, address, and port. Format is `://
:` or `://
` where scheme is either `ldap` or `ldaps`. ```yaml authentication_backend: ldap: url: ldaps://dc1.example.com ``` If utilising an IPv6 literal address it must be enclosed by square brackets: ```yaml authentication_backend: ldap: url: ldap://[fd00:1111:2222:3333::1] ``` ### timeout {{< confkey type="duration" default="5s" required="no" >}} *__Reference Note:__ This configuration option uses the [duration common syntax](../prologue/common.md#duration). Please see the [documentation](../prologue/common.md#duration) on this format for more information.* The timeout for dialing an LDAP connection. ### start_tls {{< confkey type="boolean" default="false" required="no" >}} Enables use of the LDAP StartTLS process which is not commonly used. You should only configure this if you know you need it. The initial connection will be over plain text, and *Authelia* will try to upgrade it with the LDAP server. LDAPS URL's are slightly more secure. ### tls Controls the TLS connection validation process. You can see how to configure the tls section [here](../prologue/common.md#tls-configuration). ### base_dn {{< confkey type="string" required="yes" >}} Sets the base distinguished name container for all LDAP queries. If your LDAP domain is example.com this is usually `DC=example,DC=com`, however you can fine tune this to be more specific for example to only include objects inside the authelia OU: `OU=authelia,DC=example,DC=com`. This is prefixed with the [additional_users_dn](#additionalusersdn) for user searches and [additional_groups_dn](#additionalgroupsdn) for groups searches. ### additional_users_dn {{< confkey type="string" required="no" >}} Additional LDAP path to append to the [base_dn](#basedn) when searching for users. Useful if you want to restrict exactly which OU to get users from for either security or performance reasons. For example setting it to `OU=users,OU=people` with a base_dn set to `DC=example,DC=com` will mean user searches will occur in `OU=users,OU=people,DC=example,DC=com`. ### users_filter {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [filter defaults](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#filter-defaults) for more information.* The LDAP filter to narrow down which users are valid. This is important to set correctly as to exclude disabled users. The default value is dependent on the [implementation](#implementation), refer to the [attribute defaults](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#attribute-defaults) for more information. ### username_attribute {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [attribute defaults](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#attribute-defaults) for more information.* The LDAP attribute that maps to the username in *Authelia*. This must contain the `{username_attribute}` [placeholder](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#users-filter-replacements). ### mail_attribute {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [attribute defaults](../../reference/guides/ldap.md#attribute-defaults) for more information.* The attribute to retrieve which contains the users email addresses. This is important for the device registration and password reset processes. The user must have an email address in order for Authelia to perform identity verification when a user attempts to reset their password or register a second factor device. ### display_name_attribute {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [attribute defaults](#attribute-defaults) for more information.* The attribute to retrieve which is shown on the Web UI to the user when they log in. ### additional_groups_dn {{< confkey type="string" required="no" >}} Similar to [additional_users_dn](#additional_users_dn) but it applies to group searches. ### groups_filter {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [filter defaults](#filter-defaults) for more information.* Similar to [users_filter](#users_filter) but it applies to group searches. In order to include groups the member is not a direct member of, but is a member of another group that is a member of those (i.e. recursive groups), you may try using the following filter which is currently only tested against Microsoft Active Directory: `(&(member:1.2.840.113556.1.4.1941:={dn})(objectClass=group)(objectCategory=group))` ### group_name_attribute {{< confkey type="string" required="situational" >}} *__Note:__ This option is technically required however the [implementation](#implementation) option can implicitly set a default negating this requirement. Refer to the [attribute defaults](#attribute-defaults) for more information.* The LDAP attribute that is used by Authelia to determine the group name. ### permit_referrals {{< confkey type="boolean" default="false" required="no" >}} Permits following referrals. This is useful if you have read-only servers in your architecture and thus require referrals to be followed when performing write operations. ### permit_unauthenticated_bind {{< confkey type="boolean" default="false" required="no" >}} *__WARNING:__ This option is strongly discouraged. Please consider disabling unauthenticated binding to your LDAP server and utilizing a service account.* Permits binding to the server without a password. For this option to be enabled both the [password](#password) configuration option must be blank and the [password_reset disable](introduction.md#disable) option must be `true`. ### permit_feature_detection_failure {{< confkey type="boolean" default="false" required="no" >}} Authelia searches for the RootDSE to discover supported controls and extensions. This option is a compatability option which *__should not__* be enabled unless the LDAP server returns an error when searching for the RootDSE. ### user {{< confkey type="string" required="yes" >}} The distinguished name of the user paired with the password to bind with for lookup and password change operations. ### password {{< confkey type="string" required="yes" >}} *__Important Note:__ This can also be defined using a [secret](../methods/secrets.md) which is __strongly recommended__ especially for containerized deployments.* The password paired with the [user](#user) used to bind to the LDAP server for lookup and password change operations. It's __strongly recommended__ this is a [Random Alphanumeric String](../../reference/guides/generating-secure-values.md#generating-a-random-alphanumeric-string) with 64 or more characters and the user password is changed to this value. ## Refresh Interval It's recommended you either use the default [refresh interval](introduction.md#refreshinterval) or configure this to a value low enough to refresh the user groups and status (deleted, disabled, etc) to adequately secure your environment. ## Important notes Users must be uniquely identified by an attribute, this attribute must obviously contain a single value and be guaranteed by the administrator to be unique. If multiple users have the same value, Authelia will simply fail authenticating the user and display an error message in the logs. In order to avoid such problems, we highly recommended you follow [RFC2307] by using `sAMAccountName` for Active Directory and `uid` for other implementations as the attribute holding the unique identifier for your users. ## See Also - [LDAP Reference Guide](../../reference/guides/ldap.md) [username attribute]: #usernameattribute [TechNet wiki]: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/5392.active-directory-ldap-syntax-filters.aspx [RFC2307]: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2307