ldapjs vs activedirectory
Node.js LDAP Libraries Comparison
1 Year
ldapjsactivedirectory
What's Node.js LDAP Libraries?

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) libraries for Node.js facilitate communication with directory services, enabling authentication and user management within applications. These libraries provide developers with tools to interact with LDAP servers, allowing for user queries, updates, and authentication processes. ActiveDirectory is specifically tailored for Microsoft Active Directory environments, while ldapjs is a more general-purpose library for LDAP operations. Choosing the right library depends on the specific requirements of your application, such as the environment and the complexity of LDAP interactions needed.

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ldapjs239,0341,616334 kB32a year agoMIT
activedirectory16,418552-1049 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: ldapjs vs activedirectory

Target Environment

  • ldapjs:

    ldapjs is a versatile library that supports a wide range of LDAP servers, making it suitable for applications that interact with different directory services. It does not impose any specific environment constraints, allowing for broader use cases.

  • activedirectory:

    ActiveDirectory is designed specifically for Microsoft Active Directory environments, providing tailored methods and properties that align with AD's structure and functionalities. It simplifies tasks like user authentication and group management in a Windows-centric ecosystem.

Ease of Use

  • ldapjs:

    ldapjs provides a lower-level API that requires a more in-depth understanding of LDAP operations. While this allows for greater flexibility and customization, it may involve a steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with LDAP.

  • activedirectory:

    ActiveDirectory offers a higher-level API that abstracts many of the complexities involved in interacting with Active Directory. This makes it easier for developers to implement common tasks without needing deep knowledge of LDAP protocols.

Functionality

  • ldapjs:

    ldapjs allows for a wide range of LDAP operations, including searching, adding, modifying, and deleting entries. It provides the flexibility to implement custom LDAP interactions, which can be beneficial for applications with unique directory service requirements.

  • activedirectory:

    ActiveDirectory includes built-in methods for common Active Directory operations, such as user authentication, password management, and group membership queries. This functionality is specifically optimized for AD, making it a powerful choice for applications that rely heavily on AD features.

Performance

  • ldapjs:

    ldapjs performance can vary depending on the complexity of the LDAP queries and the server's capabilities. Since it operates at a lower level, developers have more control over performance optimizations, but they must also manage the efficiency of their queries.

  • activedirectory:

    ActiveDirectory is optimized for performance in Active Directory environments, leveraging the specific features of AD to ensure efficient operations. It handles common tasks in a way that minimizes overhead and maximizes speed when interacting with AD.

Community and Support

  • ldapjs:

    ldapjs has a broader community due to its general-purpose nature. This can provide a wealth of resources and examples for various LDAP implementations, but support may be less focused on specific use cases compared to ActiveDirectory.

  • activedirectory:

    ActiveDirectory has a strong community focus, particularly among developers working with Microsoft technologies. This can lead to better support and resources for common issues encountered in Active Directory implementations.

How to Choose: ldapjs vs activedirectory
  • ldapjs:

    Choose ldapjs if you require a more flexible and general-purpose LDAP library that can work with various LDAP servers, not limited to Active Directory. It allows for low-level LDAP operations and is suitable for applications that need to perform custom LDAP queries or manage directory entries across different LDAP implementations.

  • activedirectory:

    Choose ActiveDirectory if you are specifically working with Microsoft Active Directory and need features like user authentication, group management, and integration with Windows environments. It provides a higher-level abstraction for common Active Directory tasks, making it easier to implement AD-specific functionalities.

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.