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| title: 1.1 - Java and LDAP |
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| # 1.1 - Java and LDAP |
| Most developers will at some point need to learn how to communicate with an **LDAP** server. It should be a very simple technology to use but isn't because many aspects are not well known. |
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| Java is one of the most commonly used languages in the enterprise. Some call it the new **Cobol**! |
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| These facts mean it's necessary to communicate over **LDAP** using **Java**. This is why a convenient **API** is necessary, so we created this **API** to fill the necessary gaps. |
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| There are alternatives, like **JNDI**. But the alternatives aren't effective helping users cope with **LDAP**'s inherent complexities. **JNDI**'s semantics are very different from what's required for proper **LDAP** usage. For example: |
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| * **Bind** : used in **LDAP** to authenticate a user but creates an entry in **JNDI** |
| * **Unbind** : closes the **LDAP** session in **LDAP** but deletes an entry in **JNDI** |
| * **Compare** : is mapped to a search in **JNDI** while its proper usage is to compare to determine if a targeted attribute value matches a particular value inside an **LDAP** entry. |
| * Various properties have to be set in **JNDI** in order to connect or tweak the **Search** operation, which is not convenient |
| * **Attributes** are case sensitive by default in **JNDI** and not schema aware which is not compliant with LDAP standard. |
| * **Name** in **JNDI** can't do a valid comparison in **JNDI** |
| * **NamingEnumeration** must be explcitly closed in **JNDI**, and don't close automatically upon disconnect, which causes resource leakage to occur. |
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| Some of these same problems exist for the other **LDAP API**s. Other alternatives are no longer supported and/or lack a permissive license. |
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| All in all, writing applications to perform basic **LDAP** operations in **Java** is a painful task for most developers. |
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| Our target is to provide a better **API**, one that leads to correct and efficient usage of **LDAP** operation. |
