ldapjs vs activedirectory vs activedirectory2
Active Directory and LDAP Libraries for Node.js Comparison
1 Year
ldapjsactivedirectoryactivedirectory2
What's Active Directory and LDAP Libraries for Node.js?

These libraries provide functionalities to interact with Active Directory and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) services, enabling authentication, user management, and directory queries in Node.js applications. They are essential for applications that require integration with enterprise identity management systems, allowing developers to authenticate users, manage user attributes, and perform directory searches efficiently. Each library has its unique features and design philosophies, catering to different needs in terms of Active Directory and LDAP interactions.

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ldapjs245,6401,614334 kB32a year agoMIT
activedirectory17,396536-1049 years agoMIT
activedirectory213,73957268 kB312 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: ldapjs vs activedirectory vs activedirectory2

Ease of Use

  • ldapjs:

    As a low-level library, 'ldapjs' requires a deeper understanding of LDAP concepts and operations. It provides granular control over LDAP interactions, which can be more complex and may necessitate additional coding effort to implement basic functionalities.

  • activedirectory:

    This library is designed for simplicity, providing a straightforward API that allows developers to authenticate users with minimal setup and configuration. It abstracts many complexities of LDAP, making it accessible for those who may not be familiar with LDAP intricacies.

  • activedirectory2:

    While still user-friendly, 'activedirectory2' offers more configuration options and flexibility, which may require a slightly steeper learning curve but provides better handling of various authentication scenarios and error management.

Feature Set

  • ldapjs:

    Provides a comprehensive set of features for interacting with LDAP directories, including support for all standard LDAP operations such as search, add, modify, and delete. It is highly extensible and can be adapted for complex LDAP scenarios.

  • activedirectory:

    Focuses primarily on Active Directory authentication and basic LDAP queries. It supports user authentication, group membership checks, and simple user attribute retrieval, making it suitable for many common use cases.

  • activedirectory2:

    Offers a broader feature set compared to 'activedirectory', including support for both Active Directory and generic LDAP servers, advanced error handling, and additional authentication methods, making it more versatile for various environments.

Performance

  • ldapjs:

    Performance can vary depending on the complexity of the LDAP operations being performed. It is designed to handle a wide range of LDAP interactions efficiently, but developers need to manage connections and queries carefully to optimize performance.

  • activedirectory:

    Generally performs well for basic authentication and user queries, but may not be optimized for high-load scenarios or complex queries due to its simplicity.

  • activedirectory2:

    Improved performance over 'activedirectory', particularly in handling multiple authentication requests and providing better error responses, making it suitable for larger applications.

Community and Support

  • ldapjs:

    Has a strong community and extensive documentation, making it a well-supported choice for developers needing in-depth LDAP functionality.

  • activedirectory:

    Has a moderate level of community support, with documentation available for common use cases. However, it may not have as extensive a community as some other libraries.

  • activedirectory2:

    Benefits from a growing community and active maintenance, with more frequent updates and improvements, providing better support for developers.

Extensibility

  • ldapjs:

    Highly extensible, allowing developers to build custom LDAP operations and integrate with various LDAP servers, making it suitable for complex and tailored directory service solutions.

  • activedirectory:

    Limited extensibility options, primarily focused on Active Directory functionalities without much room for customization.

  • activedirectory2:

    Offers some extensibility features, allowing developers to customize certain behaviors and integrate additional authentication methods if needed.

How to Choose: ldapjs vs activedirectory vs activedirectory2
  • ldapjs:

    Select 'ldapjs' if you need a comprehensive and low-level library that allows for detailed control over LDAP operations, including creating, modifying, and deleting entries, as well as performing complex queries, making it suitable for advanced LDAP integrations.

  • activedirectory:

    Choose 'activedirectory' if you need a straightforward and easy-to-use library for authenticating users against an Active Directory server, especially for applications that require basic LDAP functionalities without extensive customization.

  • activedirectory2:

    Opt for 'activedirectory2' if you are looking for a more robust and flexible solution that supports both Active Directory and LDAP, with additional features such as improved error handling and support for modern authentication methods.

README for ldapjs

LDAPjs

Build Status Coverage Status

LDAPjs makes the LDAP protocol a first class citizen in Node.js.

Usage

For full docs, head on over to http://ldapjs.org.

var ldap = require('ldapjs');

var server = ldap.createServer();

server.search('dc=example', function(req, res, next) {
  var obj = {
    dn: req.dn.toString(),
    attributes: {
      objectclass: ['organization', 'top'],
      o: 'example'
    }
  };

  if (req.filter.matches(obj.attributes))
  res.send(obj);

  res.end();
});

server.listen(1389, function() {
  console.log('ldapjs listening at ' + server.url);
});

To run that, assuming you've got the OpenLDAP client on your system:

ldapsearch -H ldap://localhost:1389 -x -b dc=example objectclass=*

Installation

npm install ldapjs

Node.js Version Support

As of ldapjs@3 we only support the active Node.js LTS releases. See https://github.com/nodejs/release#release-schedule for the LTS release schedule.

For a definitive list of Node.js version we support, see the version matrix we test against in our CI configuration.

Note: given the release date of ldapjs@3, and the short window of time that Node.js v14 had remaining on its LTS window, we opted to not support Node.js v14 with ldapjs@3 (we released late February 2023 and v14 goes into maintenance in late April 2023). Also, Node.js v14 will be end-of-life (EOL) on September 11, 2023; this is a very shortened EOL timeline and makes it even more reasonable to not support it at this point.

License

MIT.

Bugs

See https://github.com/ldapjs/node-ldapjs/issues.