SLAPD-LDIF(5)

📦
version 2.7.2 · 24 versions
, in arch rolling

✨ SLAPD-LDIF 💅 — the File Formats Manual glow-up ✨

okay bestie, so this is slapd-ldif, living in the <pink>File Formats Manual</pink> section, and it's genuinely one of the chillest little backend girlies in the OpenLDAP universe. let's get into it 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

slapd-ldif — the LDIF backend to slapd. no cap, that's literally it. 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

/etc/openldap/slapd.conf

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so the LDIF backend to slapd(8) is a basic storage backend that stores entries in text files in LDIF format, and it exploits the filesystem to create the tree structure of the database. the way it just... uses directories as tree nodes?? iconic behavior honestly 🌈

it is intended as a cheap, low performance, easy to use backend — and yes bestie, that is a quote, it's not out here pretending to be a high-performance queen — and it is exploited by higher-level internal structures to provide a permanent storage. so like, it's the chill reliable friend who chills in the background while the fancy internal structures do their thing. main character energy in the group project, lowkey. 🫶

🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

these slapd.conf options apply to the LDIF backend database. and the placement rules are STRICT bestie, do not play:

  • they must follow a "database ldif" line
  • and they must come before any subsequent "backend" or "database" lines
⚠️ order matters fr fr. put them in the wrong spot and it's giving chaos, not slay.

other database options are described in the slapd.conf(5) manual page. go read that one too, iykyk 📖✨

options, let's go 💅

  • directory <dir> — specify the directory where the database tree starts. the directory must exist and must grant appropriate permissions (rwx) to the identity slapd is running with. no rwx, no service, periodt. 🔥

🔒 ACCESS CONTROL 🔒

okay so here's the tea, and it's important:

the LDIF backend does not honor any of the access control semantics described in slapd.access(5). like, none of them. it said "not my problem" 💀

the only thing that is honored is read (=r) access to:

  • the entry pseudo-attribute
  • the other attribute values of the entries returned by the search operation

and that read check is performed by the frontend, not by this backend. so if you were expecting the full ACL situation here, bestie, adjust your expectations. 🙈

🗂 FILES 🗂

  • /etc/openldap/slapd.conf — default slapd configuration file 🧚

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

slapd.conf(5), slapd-config(5), slapd(8), ldif(5).

like, go read all of them. they're all part of the lore. ⭐

🫶 AUTHOR 🫶

Eric Stokes — thank you for your service, king 👑

that's the whole page bestie!! this was SLAPD-LDIF(5) from <purple>OpenLDAP 2.7.2</purple>, dated `2026/10/21. mwah 💋 go configure safely, and remember: check your permissions before you check your vibes. bye pookie 🎀✨🦋

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