# Bitnami package for OpenLDAP ## What is OpenLDAP? > OpenLDAP is the open-source solution for LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). It is a protocol used to store and retrieve data from a hierarchical directory structure such as in databases. [Overview of OpenLDAP](https://openldap.org/) Trademarks: This software listing is packaged by Bitnami. The respective trademarks mentioned in the offering are owned by the respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation or endorsement. ## TL;DR ```console docker run --name openldap bitnami/openldap:latest ``` ## ⚠️ Important Notice: Upcoming changes to the Bitnami Catalog Beginning August 28th, 2025, Bitnami will evolve its public catalog to offer a curated set of hardened, security-focused images under the new [Bitnami Secure Images initiative](https://news.broadcom.com/app-dev/broadcom-introduces-bitnami-secure-images-for-production-ready-containerized-applications). As part of this transition: - Granting community users access for the first time to security-optimized versions of popular container images. - Bitnami will begin deprecating support for non-hardened, Debian-based software images in its free tier and will gradually remove non-latest tags from the public catalog. As a result, community users will have access to a reduced number of hardened images. These images are published only under the “latest” tag and are intended for development purposes - Starting August 28th, over two weeks, all existing container images, including older or versioned tags (e.g., 2.50.0, 10.6), will be migrated from the public catalog (docker.io/bitnami) to the “Bitnami Legacy” repository (docker.io/bitnamilegacy), where they will no longer receive updates. - For production workloads and long-term support, users are encouraged to adopt Bitnami Secure Images, which include hardened containers, smaller attack surfaces, CVE transparency (via VEX/KEV), SBOMs, and enterprise support. These changes aim to improve the security posture of all Bitnami users by promoting best practices for software supply chain integrity and up-to-date deployments. For more details, visit the [Bitnami Secure Images announcement](https://github.com/bitnami/containers/issues/83267). ## Why use Bitnami Secure Images? - Bitnami Secure Images and Helm charts are built to make open source more secure and enterprise ready. - Triage security vulnerabilities faster, with transparency into CVE risks using industry standard Vulnerability Exploitability Exchange (VEX), KEV, and EPSS scores. - Our hardened images use a minimal OS (Photon Linux), which reduces the attack surface while maintaining extensibility through the use of an industry standard package format. - Stay more secure and compliant with continuously built images updated within hours of upstream patches. - Bitnami containers, virtual machines and cloud images use the same components and configuration approach - making it easy to switch between formats based on your project needs. - Hardened images come with attestation signatures (Notation), SBOMs, virus scan reports and other metadata produced in an SLSA-3 compliant software factory. Only a subset of BSI applications are available for free. Looking to access the entire catalog of applications as well as enterprise support? Try the [commercial edition of Bitnami Secure Images today](https://www.arrow.com/globalecs/uk/products/bitnami-secure-images/). ## Why use a non-root container? Non-root container images add an extra layer of security and are generally recommended for production environments. However, because they run as a non-root user, privileged tasks are typically off-limits. Learn more about non-root containers [in our docs](https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-tanzu/application-catalog/tanzu-application-catalog/services/tac-doc/apps-tutorials-work-with-non-root-containers-index.html). ## Supported tags and respective `Dockerfile` links Learn more about the Bitnami tagging policy and the difference between rolling tags and immutable tags [in our documentation page](https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-tanzu/application-catalog/tanzu-application-catalog/services/tac-doc/apps-tutorials-understand-rolling-tags-containers-index.html). You can see the equivalence between the different tags by taking a look at the `tags-info.yaml` file present in the branch folder, i.e `bitnami/ASSET/BRANCH/DISTRO/tags-info.yaml`. Subscribe to project updates by watching the [bitnami/containers GitHub repo](https://github.com/bitnami/containers). ## Get this image The recommended way to get the Bitnami OpenLDAP Docker Image is to pull the prebuilt image from the [Docker Hub Registry](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/openldap). ```console docker pull bitnami/openldap:latest ``` To use a specific version, you can pull a versioned tag. You can view the [list of available versions](https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/openldap/tags/) in the Docker Hub Registry. ```console docker pull bitnami/openldap:[TAG] ``` If you wish, you can also build the image yourself by cloning the repository, changing to the directory containing the Dockerfile and executing the `docker build` command. Remember to replace the `APP`, `VERSION` and `OPERATING-SYSTEM` path placeholders in the example command below with the correct values. ```console git clone https://github.com/bitnami/containers.git cd bitnami/APP/VERSION/OPERATING-SYSTEM docker build -t bitnami/APP:latest . ``` ## Connecting to other containers Using [Docker container networking](https://docs.docker.com/engine/userguide/networking/), a different server running inside a container can easily be accessed by your application containers and vice-versa. Containers attached to the same network can communicate with each other using the container name as the hostname. ### Using the Command Line In this example, we will use a MariaDB Galera instance that will use a OpenLDAP instance that is running on the same docker network to manage authentication. #### Step 1: Create a network ```console docker network create my-network --driver bridge ``` #### Step 2: Launch the OpenLDAP server instance Use the `--network ` argument to the `docker run` command to attach the container to the `my-network` network. ```console docker run --detach --rm --name openldap \ --network my-network \ --env LDAP_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin \ --env LDAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD=adminpassword \ --env LDAP_USERS=customuser \ --env LDAP_PASSWORDS=custompassword \ --env LDAP_ROOT=dc=example,dc=org \ --env LDAP_ADMIN_DN=cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org \ bitnami/openldap:latest ``` #### Step 3: Launch the MariaDB Galera server instance Use the `--network ` argument to the `docker run` command to attach the container to the `my-network` network. ```console docker run --detach --rm --name mariadb-galera \ --network my-network \ --env MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=root-password \ --env MARIADB_GALERA_MARIABACKUP_PASSWORD=backup-password \ --env MARIADB_USER=customuser \ --env MARIADB_DATABASE=customdatabase \ --env MARIADB_ENABLE_LDAP=yes \ --env LDAP_URI=ldap://openldap:1389 \ --env LDAP_BASE=dc=example,dc=org \ --env LDAP_BIND_DN=cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org \ --env LDAP_BIND_PASSWORD=adminpassword \ bitnami/mariadb-galera:latest ``` #### Step 4: Launch the MariaDB client and test you can authenticate using LDAP credentials Finally we create a new container instance to launch the MariaDB client and connect to the server created in the previous step: ```console docker run -it --rm --name mariadb-client \ --network my-network \ bitnami/mariadb-galera:latest mysql -h mariadb-galera -u customuser -D customdatabase -pcustompassword ``` ### Using a Docker Compose file When not specified, Docker Compose automatically sets up a new network and attaches all deployed services to that network. However, we will explicitly define a new `bridge` network named `my-network`. In this example we assume that you want to connect to the OpenLDAP server from your own custom application image which is identified in the following snippet by the service name `myapp`. ```yaml version: '2' networks: my-network: driver: bridge services: openldap: image: bitnami/openldap:latest ports: - 1389:1389 - 1636:1636 environment: - LDAP_ADMIN_USERNAME=admin - LDAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD=adminpassword - LDAP_USERS=user01,user02 - LDAP_PASSWORDS=password1,password2 networks: - my-network volumes: - openldap_data:/bitnami/openldap myapp: image: YOUR_APPLICATION_IMAGE networks: - my-network volumes: openldap_data: driver: local ``` > **IMPORTANT**: > > 1. Please update the **YOUR_APPLICATION_IMAGE_** placeholder in the above snippet with your application image > 2. In your application container, use the hostname `openldap` to connect to the OpenLDAP server Launch the containers using: ```console docker-compose up -d ``` ## Configuration The Bitnami Docker OpenLDAP can be easily setup with the following environment variables: - `LDAP_PORT_NUMBER`: The port OpenLDAP is listening for requests. Priviledged port is supported (e.g. `389`). Default: **1389** (non privileged port). - `LDAP_ROOT`: LDAP baseDN (or suffix) of the LDAP tree. Default: **dc=example,dc=org** - `LDAP_ADMIN_USERNAME`: LDAP database admin user. Default: **admin** - `LDAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD`: LDAP database admin password. Default: **adminpassword** - `LDAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD_FILE`: Path to a file that contains the LDAP database admin user password. This will override the value specified in `LDAP_ADMIN_PASSWORD`. No defaults. - `LDAP_CONFIG_ADMIN_ENABLED`: Whether to create a configuration admin user. Default: **no**. - `LDAP_CONFIG_ADMIN_USERNAME`: LDAP configuration admin user. This is separate from `LDAP_ADMIN_USERNAME`. Default: **admin**. - `LDAP_CONFIG_ADMIN_PASSWORD`: LDAP configuration admin password. Default: **configpassword**. - `LDAP_CONFIG_ADMIN_PASSWORD_FILE`: Path to a file that contains the LDAP configuration admin user password. This will override the value specified in `LDAP_CONFIG_ADMIN_PASSWORD`. No defaults. - `LDAP_USERS`: Comma separated list of LDAP users to create in the default LDAP tree. Default: **user01,user02** - `LDAP_PASSWORDS`: Comma separated list of passwords to use for LDAP users. Default: **bitnami1,bitnami2** - `LDAP_USER_OU`: Name for the user's organizational unit. Default: **users** - `LDAP_GROUP_OU`: Name for the group's organizational unit. Default: **groups** - `LDAP_USER_DC`: DC for the users' organizational unit. **DEPRECATED** Please use `LDAP_USER_OU` and `LDAP_GROUP_OU` instead. - `LDAP_GROUP`: Group used to group created users. Default: **readers** - `LDAP_ADD_SCHEMAS`: Whether to add the schemas specified in `LDAP_EXTRA_SCHEMAS`. Default: **yes** - `LDAP_EXTRA_SCHEMAS`: Extra schemas to add, among OpenLDAP's distributed schemas. Default: **cosine, inetorgperson, nis** - `LDAP_SKIP_DEFAULT_TREE`: Whether to skip creating the default LDAP tree based on `LDAP_USERS`, `LDAP_PASSWORDS`, `LDAP_USER_OU`, `LDAP_GROUP_OU` and `LDAP_GROUP`. Please note that this will **not** skip the addition of schemas or importing of LDIF files. Default: **no** - `LDAP_CUSTOM_LDIF_DIR`: Location of a directory that contains LDIF files that should be used to bootstrap the database. Only files ending in `.ldif` will be used. Default LDAP tree based on the `LDAP_USERS`, `LDAP_PASSWORDS`, `LDAP_USER_OU`, `LDAP_GROUP_OU` and `LDAP_GROUP` will be skipped when `LDAP_CUSTOM_LDIF_DIR` is used. When using this it will override the usage of `LDAP_USERS`, `LDAP_PASSWORDS`, `LDAP_USER_OU`, `LDAP_GROUP_OU` and `LDAP_GROUP`. You should set `LDAP_ROOT` to your base to make sure the `olcSuffix` configured on the database matches the contents imported from the LDIF files. Default: **/ldifs** - `LDAP_CUSTOM_SCHEMA_FILE`: Location of a custom internal schema file that could not be added as custom ldif file (i.e. containing some `structuralObjectClass`). Default is **/schema/custom.ldif**" - `LDAP_CUSTOM_SCHEMA_DIR`: Location of a directory containing custom internal schema files that could not be added as custom ldif files (i.e. containing some `structuralObjectClass`). This can be used in addition to or instead of `LDAP_CUSTOM_SCHEMA_FILE` (above) to add multiple schema files. Default: **/schemas** - `LDAP_ULIMIT_NOFILES`: Maximum number of open file descriptors. Default: **1024**. - `LDAP_ALLOW_ANON_BINDING`: Allow anonymous bindings to the LDAP server. Default: **yes**. - `LDAP_LOGLEVEL`: Set the loglevel for the OpenLDAP server (see for possible values). Default: **256**. - `LDAP_PASSWORD_HASH`: Hash to be used in generation of user passwords. Must be one of {SSHA}, {SHA}, {SMD5}, {MD5}, {CRYPT}, and {CLEARTEXT}. Default: **{SSHA}**. - `LDAP_CONFIGURE_PPOLICY`: Enables the ppolicy module and creates an empty configuration. Default: **no**. - `LDAP_PPOLICY_USE_LOCKOUT`: Whether bind attempts to locked accounts will always return an error. Will only be applied with `LDAP_CONFIGURE_PPOLICY` active. Default: **no**. - `LDAP_PPOLICY_HASH_CLEARTEXT`: Whether plaintext passwords should be hashed automatically. Will only be applied with `LDAP_CONFIGURE_PPOLICY` active. Default: **no**. ### Bootstrapping User side bootstrapping happens in two primary phases: Note: Image level modifications, like modules and tools might require a custom Dockerfile that uses the bitnami-openldap as it's base if you need to modify image paths as root, some stuff might be doable in /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/ 1. /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/ - Targets: Place ldifs or executable .sh scripts here to be run prior to slap.d (To be used with slapadd not ldapadd). Good place to load and configure overlays. 2. /ldifs - Place ldifs here that target the base dn of your root db that would be loaded after cn=config. Good place to load org units and groups etc. Check the official [OpenLDAP Configuration Reference](https://www.openldap.org/doc/admin26/guide.html) for more information about how to configure OpenLDAP. #### 1. /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/ Some key concepts: - slapd is not running during this phase of the bootstrapping - you should expect to use slapadd and slapcat against `-F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config` - ldapadd won't work here `ldapadd -Q -Y EXTERNAL -H "ldapi:///" -f /ldifs/01-enable-memberof-overlay.ldif`. Many doc sources suggest using ldapadd but slapd isn't running yet. - slapadd ldifs are different then ldapadd specifically the `changetype: modify` directives required by ldapadd. - scripts are executed in alpha-numeric order so to control order use 01-myscript.sh 02-otherscript.sh is recommended. ##### Example: Enable the MemberOf Overlay in Bitnami OpenLDAP Note: bitnami has some custom module pathing. Specifically the slapd module load path is set to `/opt/bitnami/openldap/libexec/openldap/` but some of the base openldap modules are installed at `/opt/bitnami/openldap/lib/openldap/`. If you need to load the memberof.so overlay you will need to symlink, or cp it. exapmle `cp /opt/bitnami/openldap/lib/openldap/memberof.so /opt/bitnami/openldap/lib/openldap/memberof.so`. This could be done in a Dockerfile, a mount overlay or if running as root in a script in /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/. The Dockerfile is likely the best and safest solution to ensure your module is **always** avialable at run time. Here is an example of loading the memberof overlay with an /entrypoint-initdb.d/ script The **memberOf** overlay is widely used in OpenLDAP to automatically populate the `memberOf` attribute on user entries based on group membership. This short example demonstrates how to add the overlay during Bitnami OpenLDAP container bootstrap using `slapadd`, with correct LDIF formatting and troubleshooting tips. 1. **Determine the next available module DN:** - Run: ```sh slapcat -F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config | grep "^dn: cn=module" ``` - If you see `cn=module{0},cn=config`, use `cn=module{1},cn=config` for your new module. {2} if you see existing {1} etc. 2. **Create the LDIF file:** In the default container image has 1 existing loaded module at cn=module{0} so we will use cn=module{1}. Be sure to also bump the index on `cn: module{1}` to match cn=module{1} ```ldif dn: cn=module{1},cn=config objectClass: olcModuleList cn: module{1} olcModulePath: /opt/bitnami/openldap/libexec/openldap olcModuleLoad: memberof.so dn: olcOverlay=memberof,olcDatabase={2}mdb,cn=config objectClass: olcOverlayConfig objectClass: olcMemberOf olcOverlay: memberof olcMemberOfDangling: ignore olcMemberOfRefInt: TRUE olcMemberOfGroupOC: groupOfNames olcMemberOfMemberAD: member olcMemberOfMemberOfAD: memberOf ``` Finally a script should be placed or mounted to /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/. Note: we are using slapadd, not ldapadd here as mentioned above. ```bash #!/bin/bash # Script to enable memberOf overlay in OpenLDAP set -e # Note: cn=module{1},cn=config assumes that the module will be loaded as the second module. cn=module{0} being the first. # Additionally, olcDatabase={2}mdb assumes that the database is the second one configured in OpenLDAP. Adjust as necessary. # Create a temporary LDIF file # ensure cn=module{N},cn=config and cn: module{N} match eachother and do not conflict with existing modules. Run `slapcat -F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config | grep 'cn=module'` to check existing modules. cat > /tmp/memberof-overlay.ldif << 'EOF' dn: cn=module{1},cn=config objectClass: olcModuleList cn: module{1} olcModuleLoad: memberof dn: olcOverlay=memberof,olcDatabase={2}mdb,cn=config objectClass: olcOverlayConfig objectClass: olcMemberOf olcOverlay: memberof olcMemberOfDangling: ignore olcMemberOfRefInt: TRUE olcMemberOfGroupOC: groupOfNames olcMemberOfMemberAD: member olcMemberOfMemberOfAD: memberOf EOF # Apply the LDIF to enable memberOf overlay echo "Enabling memberOf overlay in OpenLDAP configuration..." echo "Loading memberOf overlay with slapadd..." if slapcat -F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config | grep -q memberof then echo "MemberOf overlay is already configured." exit 0 else slapadd -F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config -l /tmp/memberof-overlay.ldif || { echo "NOTICE: slapadd failed to load memberOf overlay. Check the cn=module{N} with \"slapcat -F /opt/bitnami/openldap/etc/slapd.d -b cn=config |grep 'cn=module'\"" exit 1 } fi echo "MemberOf overlay has been configured." ``` #### 2. Bootstrap your ldap DB in /ldifs You can bootstrap the contents of **your** database by putting LDIF files in the directory `/ldifs` (or the one you define in `LDAP_CUSTOM_LDIF_DIR`). Those may only contain content underneath your base DN (set by `LDAP_ROOT`). You can **not** set configuration for e.g. `cn=config` in those files. Some key concepts: - you can **not** set configuration for e.g. `cn=config` here, use the /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/ method! - ldifs are loaded in alpha-numeric order so you can load things in 01-mygroups.ldif, 02-myusers.ldif etc. - this only runs on first init of the container. ##### Example: Loading base groups and org schemas in /ldifs/01-example-org.ldif (or equiv) Place or mount your ldif files in /ldifs... That's basically it! Verify with ldapsearch or in your healthchecks etc. once the container has loaded. ```ldif # Base domain entries - converting AD-style DN to OpenLDAP format dn: dc=your,dc=example,dc=com objectClass: top objectClass: dcObject objectClass: organization dc: your o: Your Organization # Organizational Units dn: ou=Users,dc=your,dc=example,dc=com objectClass: top objectClass: organizationalUnit ou: Users dn: ou=Groups,dc=your,dc=example,dc=com objectClass: top objectClass: organizationalUnit ou: Groups # Admin group dn: cn=some_admins,ou=Groups,dc=your,dc=example,dc=com objectClass: top objectClass: groupOfNames cn: some_admins description: An administrators group # Tester group dn: cn=testers,ou=Groups,dc=your,dc=example,dc=com objectClass: top objectClass: groupOfNames cn: testers description: Example group of testers ``` ### Data Persistence To ensure that the OpenLDAP state is retained across container restarts and updates, it is recommended to mount a volume at `/bitnami/openldap`. ### Overlays Overlays are dynamic modules that can be added to an OpenLDAP server to extend or modify its functionality. See section on Bootstrapping for an example on adding the memberOf or other overlays not directly provided as an overlay flag. #### Access Logging This overlay can record accesses to a given backend database on another database. - `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG`: Enables the accesslog module with the following configuration defaults unless specified otherwise. Default: **no**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_ADMIN_USERNAME`: Admin user for accesslog database. Default: **admin**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD`: Admin password for accesslog database. Default: **accesspassword**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_DB`: The DN (Distinguished Name) of the database where the access log entries will be stored. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **cn=accesslog**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_LOGOPS`: Specify which types of operations to log. Valid aliases for common sets of operations are: writes, reads, session or all. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **writes**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_LOGSUCCESS`: Whether successful operations should be logged. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **TRUE**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_LOGPURGE`: When and how often old access log entries should be purged. Format `"dd+hh:mm"`. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **07+00:00 01+00:00**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_LOGOLD`: An LDAP filter that determines which entries should be logged. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **(objectClass=*)**. - `LDAP_ACCESSLOG_LOGOLDATTR`: Specifies an attribute that should be logged. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_ACCESSLOG` active. Default: **objectClass**. Check the official page [OpenLDAP, Overlays, Access Logging](https://www.openldap.org/doc/admin26/overlays.html#Access%20Logging) for detailed configuration information. #### Sync Provider - `LDAP_ENABLE_SYNCPROV`: Enables the syncrepl module with the following configuration defaults unless specified otherwise. Default: **no**. - `LDAP_SYNCPROV_CHECKPPOINT`: For every 100 operations or 10 minutes, which ever is sooner, the contextCSN will be checkpointed. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_SYNCPROV` active. Default: **100 10**. - `LDAP_SYNCPROV_SESSIONLOG`: The maximum number of session log entries the session log can record. Will only be applied with `LDAP_ENABLE_SYNCPROV` active. Default: **100**. Check the official page [OpenLDAP, Overlays, Sync Provider](https://www.openldap.org/doc/admin26/overlays.html#Sync%20Provider) for detailed configuration information. #### Dynamic List or Member Of The overlays `dynlist` and `memberof` both require the operational `memberOf` attribute to be present in the loaded schema. During initialization, a check is performed for the presence of this attribute; if it is absent, it is created programmatically. At the same time, the `msuser` schema declares the same attribute. If both the schema and at least one of the overlays are required, a conflict may arise depending on the load order, such as whether the schema is loaded before or after the overlays. If the overlays are loaded first, the process stops and raises a `Duplicate attribute` error. In a standard OpenLDAP installation (deb or rpm), its configuration is stored in the main file, which may include another one. In this case, the order is determined by the order of directives. For configuration flexibility, the container-based approach relies on a file tree structure rather than a master file with includes. To ensure the correct order, the file tree must be read deterministically. Fortunately, Linux sorts folder content using alphanumeric order. This allows overlay loading after the schema by using a keyword that is after `schema` in alphanumeric sorting (i.e. `cn=z-module{N}` will be loaded after `cn=schema` as they are both children of `cn=config`). Doing so, the configuration merging `msuser` schema and `dynlist` (or `memberof`) will load without errors. IMPORTANT: The `dynlist` requires the schema `dyngroup`. This can be done by adding it to the list of schemas to load through `LDAP_EXTRA_SCHEMAS`. The following example shows how to declare the module `dynlist` with the support of dynamic (groupOfUrls) and static (groupOfNames) groups. The `olcDatabase={N}mdb` has to be adjusted to the target configuration. ```bash ldapadd -D "cn=admin,cn=config" -w "configpassword" < Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.