---
title: LDAP user authentication
description: You can configure the Elastic Stack security features to communicate with a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server to authenticate users...
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/ldap
products:
  - Elastic Cloud Enterprise
  - Elasticsearch
---

# LDAP user authentication
<warning>
  This type of user authentication cannot be configured on Elastic Cloud Hosted deployments.
</warning>

You can configure the Elastic Stack security features to communicate with a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server to authenticate users. See [Configuring an LDAP realm](#ldap-realm-configuration).
To integrate with LDAP, you configure an `ldap` realm and map LDAP groups to user roles.
<tip>
  This topic describes implementing LDAP at the cluster or deployment level, for the purposes of authenticating with Elasticsearch and Kibana.You can also configure an Elastic Cloud Enterprise installation to use an LDAP server to authenticate users. [Learn more](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cloud-enterprise-orchestrator/ldap).
</tip>


## How it works

LDAP stores users and groups hierarchically, similar to the way folders are grouped in a file system. An LDAP directory’s hierarchy is built from containers such as the *organizational unit* (`ou`), *organization* (`o`), and *domain component* (`dc`).
The path to an entry is a *Distinguished Name* (DN) that uniquely identifies a user or group. User and group names typically have attributes such as a *common name* (`cn`) or *unique ID* (`uid`). A DN is specified as a string, for example  `"cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com"` (white spaces are ignored).
The `ldap` realm supports two modes of operation, a user search mode and a mode with specific templates for user DNs.
<important>
  When you configure realms in [`elasticsearch.yml`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/stack-settings), only the realms you specify are used for authentication. If you also want to use the `native` or `file` realms, you must include them in the realm chain.
</important>


## Step 1: Add a new realm configuration

The `ldap` realm supports two modes of operation, a user search mode and a mode with specific templates for user DNs:
- **LDAP user search**: The most common mode of operation. In this mode, a specific user with permission to search the LDAP directory is used to search for the DN of the authenticating user based on the provided username and an LDAP attribute. Once found, the user is authenticated by attempting to bind to the LDAP server using the found DN and the provided password.
- **DN templates**:  If your LDAP environment uses a few specific standard naming conditions for users, you can use user DN templates to configure the realm. The advantage of this method is that a search does not have to be performed to find the user DN. However, multiple bind operations might be needed to find the correct user DN.


### Set up LDAP user search mode

To configure an `ldap` realm with user search:
1. Add a realm configuration to [`elasticsearch.yml`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/stack-settings) under the `xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap` namespace.
   At a minimum, you must specify the `url` and `order` of the LDAP server, and set `user_search.base_dn` to the container DN where the users are searched for. See [LDAP realm settings](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#ref-ldap-settings) for all of the options you can set for an `ldap` realm.
   For example, the following snippet shows an LDAP realm configured with a user search:
   ```yaml
   xpack:
     security:
       authc:
         realms:
           ldap:
             ldap1:
               order: 2 
               url: "ldap://ldap.example.com:389" 
               bind_dn: "cn=ldapuser, ou=users, o=services, dc=example, dc=com" 
               user_search:
                 base_dn: "ou=users, o=services, dc=example, dc=com" 
                 filter: "(cn=\{0})" 
               group_search:
                 base_dn: "ou=groups, o=services, dc=example, dc=com" 
   ```
   <warning>
   In Elastic Cloud Enterprise, you must apply the user settings to each [deployment template](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/configure-deployment-templates).
   </warning>
2. Configure the password for the `bind_dn` user by adding the `xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap.<ldap1>.secure_bind_password` setting [to the Elasticsearch keystore](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/security/secure-settings).

<warning>
  In Elastic Cloud Hosted and Elastic Cloud Enterprise, after you configure `secure_bind_password`, any attempt to restart the deployment will fail until you complete the rest of the configuration steps. If you want to rollback the Active Directory realm configurations, you need to remove the `xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap.<ldap1>.secure_bind_password` that was just added.
</warning>

1. (Optional) Configure how the security features interact with multiple LDAP servers.
   The `load_balance.type` setting can be used at the realm level. The Elasticsearch security features support both failover and load balancing modes of operation. See [LDAP realm settings](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#ref-ldap-settings).
2. (Optional) To protect passwords, [encrypt communications between Elasticsearch and the LDAP server](#tls-ldap).
   - **For self-managed clusters and Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes deployments**, clients and nodes that connect using SSL/TLS to the Active Directory server need to have the Active Directory server’s certificate or the server’s root CA certificate installed in their keystore or trust store.
- **For Elastic Cloud Enterprise and Elastic Cloud Hosted deployments**, if your Domain Controller is configured to use LDAP over TLS and it uses a self-signed certificate or a certificate that is signed by your organization’s CA, you need to enable the deployment to trust this certificate.
3. Restart Elasticsearch.


### Set up LDAP with user DN templates

To configure an `ldap` realm with user DN templates:
1. Add a realm configuration to [`elasticsearch.yml`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/stack-settings) in the `xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap` namespace. At a minimum, you must specify the `url` and `order` of the LDAP server, and specify at least one template with the `user_dn_templates` option. See [LDAP realm settings](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#ref-ldap-settings) for all of the options you can set for an `ldap` realm.
   For example, the following snippet shows an LDAP realm configured with user DN templates:
   ```yaml
   xpack:
     security:
       authc:
         realms:
           ldap:
             ldap1:
               order: 2 
               url: "ldap://ldap.example.com:389" 
               user_dn_templates: 
                 - "uid={0}, ou=users, o=engineering, dc=example, dc=com"
                 - "uid={0}, ou=users, o=marketing, dc=example, dc=com"
               group_search:
                 base_dn: ou=groups, o=services, dc=example, dc=com" 
   ```
   The `bind_dn` setting is not used in template mode. All LDAP operations run as the authenticating user.
   <warning>
   In Elastic Cloud Enterprise, you must apply the user settings to each [deployment template](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/configure-deployment-templates).
   </warning>
2. (Optional) Configure how the security features interact with multiple LDAP servers.
   The `load_balance.type` setting can be used at the realm level. The Elasticsearch security features support both failover and load balancing modes of operation. See [LDAP realm settings](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#ref-ldap-settings).
3. (Optional) To protect passwords, [encrypt communications between Elasticsearch and the LDAP server](#tls-ldap).
   - **For self-managed clusters and Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes deployments**, clients and nodes that connect using SSL/TLS to the Active Directory server need to have the Active Directory server’s certificate or the server’s root CA certificate installed in their keystore or trust store.
- **For Elastic Cloud Enterprise and Elastic Cloud Hosted deployments**, if your Domain Controller is configured to use LDAP over TLS and it uses a self-signed certificate or a certificate that is signed by your organization’s CA, you need to enable the deployment to trust this certificate.
4. Restart Elasticsearch.


## Step 2: Map LDAP groups to roles

An integral part of a realm authentication process is to resolve the roles associated with the authenticated user. Roles define the privileges a user has in the cluster.
Because users are managed externally in the LDAP server, the expectation is that their roles are managed there as well. LDAP groups often represent user roles for different systems in the organization.
The `active_directory` realm enables you to map Active Directory users to roles using their Active Directory groups or other metadata.
You can map LDAP groups to roles in the following ways:
- Using the role mappings page in Kibana.
- Using the [role mapping API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-security-put-role-mapping).
- Using a role mapping file.

For more information, see [Mapping users and groups to roles](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/mapping-users-groups-to-roles).
<note>
  The LDAP realm supports [authorization realms](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/realm-chains#authorization_realms) as an alternative to role mapping.
</note>


### Example: using the role mapping API

```json

{
  "enabled": true,
  "roles": [ "superuser" ], <2>
  "rules": {
    "all" : [
      { "field": { "realm.name": "ldap1" } },<3>
      { "field": { "groups": "cn=administrators, ou=groups, o=services, dc=example, dc=com" } }<4>
    ]
  },
  "metadata": { "version": 1 }
}
```


### Example: Using a role mapping file

<tip>
  If you're using Elastic Cloud Enterprise or Elastic Cloud Hosted, then you must [upload this file as a custom bundle](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/upload-custom-plugins-bundles) before it can be referenced. If you're using Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes, then install the file as a [custom configuration file](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/custom-configuration-files-plugins#use-a-volume-and-volume-mount-together-with-a-configmap-or-secret). If you're using a self-managed cluster, then the file must be present on each node.
</tip>

```yaml
monitoring: 
  - "cn=admins,dc=example,dc=com" <2>S
user:
  - "cn=users,dc=example,dc=com" 
  - "cn=admins,dc=example,dc=com"
```

Referencing the file in [`elasticsearch.yml`](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/stack-settings):
```yaml
xpack:
  security:
    authc:
      realms:
        ldap:
          ldap1:
            order: 2
            url: "ldaps://ldap.example.com:636"
            bind_dn: "cn=ldapuser, ou=users, o=services, dc=example, dc=com"
            user_search:
              base_dn: "ou=users, o=services, dc=example, dc=com"
            group_search:
              base_dn: ou=groups, o=services, dc=example, dc=com"
            ssl:
              verification_mode: certificate
              certificate_authorities: ["/app/config/cacerts/ca.crt"]
            files:
              role_mapping: "/app/config/mappings/role-mappings.yml"
```


## User metadata in LDAP realms

When a user is authenticated via an LDAP realm, the following properties are populated in the user’s metadata:

| Field         | Description                                                                                                                                                                            |
|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `ldap_dn`     | The distinguished name of the user.                                                                                                                                                    |
| `ldap_groups` | The distinguished name of each of the groups that were                        resolved for the user (regardless of whether those                        groups were mapped to a role). |

This metadata is returned in the [authenticate API](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/operation/operation-security-authenticate), and can be used with [templated queries](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/controlling-access-at-document-field-level#templating-role-query) in roles.
Additional fields can be included in the user’s metadata by configuring the `metadata` setting on the LDAP realm. This metadata is available for use with the [role mapping API](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/mapping-users-groups-to-roles#mapping-roles-api) or in [templated role queries](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/controlling-access-at-document-field-level#templating-role-query).
The example below includes the user’s common name (`cn`) as an additional field in their metadata.
```yaml
xpack:
  security:
    authc:
      realms:
        ldap:
          ldap1:
            order: 0
            metadata: cn
```


## Load balancing and failover

The `load_balance.type` setting can be used at the realm level to configure how the security features should interact with multiple LDAP servers. The security features support both failover and load balancing modes of operation.
See [Load balancing and failover](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#load-balancing).

## Encrypting communications between Elasticsearch and LDAP

To protect the user credentials that are sent for authentication in an LDAP realm, it’s highly recommended to encrypt communications between Elasticsearch and your LDAP server. Connecting using SSL/TLS ensures that the identity of the LDAP server is authenticated before Elasticsearch transmits the user credentials and the contents of the connection are encrypted. Clients and nodes that connect using TLS to the LDAP server need to have the LDAP server’s certificate or the server’s root CA certificate installed in their keystore or trust store.
If you're using Elastic Cloud Hosted or Elastic Cloud Enterprise, then you must [upload your certificate as a custom bundle](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/elastic-cloud/upload-custom-plugins-bundles) before it can be referenced.
If you're using Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes, then install the certificate as a [custom configuration file](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/custom-configuration-files-plugins#use-a-volume-and-volume-mount-together-with-a-configmap-or-secret).
<tip>
  If you're using Elastic Cloud Enterprise or Elastic Cloud Hosted, then these steps are required only if TLS is enabled and the Active Directory controller is using self-signed certificates.
</tip>

<admonition title="Certificate formats">
  The following example uses a PEM encoded certificate. If your CA certificate is available as a `JKS` or `PKCS#12` keystore, you can reference it in the user settings. For example:
  ```yaml
  xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap.ldap1.ssl.truststore.path:
  "/app/config/truststore/ca.p12"
  ```
  If the keystore is also password protected (which isn’t typical for keystores that only contain CA certificates), you can also provide the password for the keystore by adding `xpack.security.authc.realms.active_directory.ldap.ldap1.truststore.password: password` in the user settings.
</admonition>

The following example demonstrates how to trust a CA certificate (`cacert.pem`), which is located within the configuration directory.
```shell
xpack:
  security:
    authc:
      realms:
        ldap:
          ldap1:
            order: 0
            url: "ldaps://ldap.example.com:636"
            ssl:
              certificate_authorities: [ "cacert.pem" ]
```

You can also specify the individual server certificates rather than the CA certificate, but this is only recommended if you have a single LDAP server or the certificates are self-signed
For more information about these settings, see [LDAP realm settings](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/elasticsearch/tree/main/reference/elasticsearch/configuration-reference/security-settings#ref-ldap-settings).
<note>
  By default, when you configure Elasticsearch to connect to an LDAP server using SSL/TLS, it attempts to verify the hostname or IP address specified with the `url` attribute in the realm configuration with the values in the certificate. If the values in the certificate and realm configuration do not match, Elasticsearch does not allow a connection to the LDAP server. This is done to protect against man-in-the-middle attacks. If necessary, you can disable this behavior by setting the `ssl.verification_mode` property to `certificate`.
</note>


### Using Kibana with LDAP

The LDAP security realm uses the Kibana-provided [basic authentication](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/kibana-authentication#basic-authentication) login form. Basic authentication is enabled by default.
You can also use LDAP with [token authentication](/elastic/docs-content/pull/4236/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/kibana-authentication#token-authentication) in Kibana.