# `ldap` LDAP library interface module

This module provides access to the LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) C API implemented in OpenLDAP. It is similar to the C API, with the notable differences that lists are manipulated via Python list operations and errors appear as exceptions.

> See also

> For more detailed information on the C interface, please see the (expired) draft-ietf-ldapext-ldap-c-api

This documentation is current for the Python LDAP module, version 3.4.5. Source and binaries are available from https://www.python-ldap.org/.

## Functions

This module defines the following functions:

ldap.initialize(uri[, trace_level=0[, trace_file=sys.stdout[, trace_stack_limit=None[, fileno=None]]]]) → LDAPObject object

  Initializes a new connection object for accessing the given LDAP server, and return an `LDAPObject` used to perform operations on that server.

  The uri parameter may be a comma- or whitespace-separated list of URIs containing only the schema, the host, and the port fields. Note that when using multiple URIs you cannot determine to which URI your client gets connected.

  If fileno parameter is given then the file descriptor will be used to connect to an LDAP server. The fileno must either be a socket file descriptor as `int` or a file-like object with a fileno() method that returns a socket file descriptor. The socket file descriptor must already be connected. `LDAPObject` does not take ownership of the file descriptor. It must be kept open during operations and explicitly closed after the `LDAPObject` is unbound. The internal connection type is determined from the URI, `TCP` for `ldap://` / `ldaps://`, `IPC` (`AF_UNIX`) for `ldapi://`. The parameter is not available on macOS when python-ldap is compiled with system libldap, see `INIT_FD_AVAIL`.

  Note that internally the OpenLDAP function ldap_initialize(3) is called which just initializes the LDAP connection struct in the C API - nothing else. Therefore the first call to an operation method (bind, search etc.) then really opens the connection (lazy connect). Before that nothing is sent on the wire. The error handling in the calling application has to correctly handle this behaviour.

  Three optional arguments are for generating debug log information: trace_level specifies the amount of information being logged, trace_file specifies a file-like object as target of the debug log and trace_stack_limit specifies the stack limit of tracebacks in debug log.

  Possible values for trace_level are `0` for no logging, `1` for only logging the method calls with arguments, `2` for logging the method calls with arguments and the complete results and `9` for also logging the traceback of method calls.

  This function is a thin wrapper around instantiating `LDAPObject`. Any additional keyword arguments are passed to `LDAPObject`. It is also fine to instantiate a `LDAPObject` (or a subclass) directly.

  The function additionally takes bytes_mode and bytes_strictness keyword arguments, which are deprecated and ignored. See Bytes/text management for details.

  See also

  RFC 4516 - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): Uniform Resource Locator

  Added in version 3.3: The fileno argument was added.

  Deprecated since version 3.4: bytes_mode and bytes_strictness arguments are deprecated.

ldap.get_option(option) → int | string

  This function returns the value of the global option specified by option.

ldap.set_option(option, invalue) → None

  This function sets the value of the global option specified by option to invalue.

  Note

  Most global settings do not affect existing `LDAPObject` connections. Applications should call `set_option()` before they establish connections with `initialize()`.

Changed in version 3.1: The deprecated functions `ldap.init()` and `ldap.open()` were removed.

## Constants

The module defines various constants. Note that some constants depend on the build options and which underlying libs were used or even on the version of the libs. So before using those constants the application has to explicitly check whether they are available.

### General

ldap.PORT

  The assigned TCP port number (389) that LDAP servers listen on.

ldap.SASL_AVAIL

  Integer where a non-zero value indicates that python-ldap was built with support for SASL (Cyrus-SASL).

ldap.TLS_AVAIL

  Integer where a non-zero value indicates that python-ldap was built with support for SSL/TLS (OpenSSL or similar libs).

ldap.INIT_FD_AVAIL

  Integer where a non-zero value indicates that python-ldap supports `initialize()` from a file descriptor. The feature is generally available except on macOS when python-ldap is compiled with system libldap.

### Options

See also

ldap.conf(5) and ldap_get_option(3)

For use with functions `set_option()` and `get_option()` and methods `LDAPObject.set_option()` and `LDAPObject.get_option()` the following option identifiers are defined as constants:

ldap.OPT_API_FEATURE_INFO

ldap.OPT_API_INFO

ldap.OPT_CLIENT_CONTROLS

ldap.OPT_DEBUG_LEVEL

  Sets the debug level within the underlying OpenLDAP C lib (libldap). libldap sends the log messages to stderr.

ldap.OPT_DEFBASE

ldap.OPT_DEREF

  Specifies how alias dereferencing is done within the underlying LDAP C lib.

ldap.OPT_ERROR_STRING

ldap.OPT_DIAGNOSTIC_MESSAGE

ldap.OPT_HOST_NAME

ldap.OPT_MATCHED_DN

ldap.OPT_NETWORK_TIMEOUT

  Changed in version 3.0: A timeout of `-1` or `None` resets timeout to infinity.

ldap.OPT_PROTOCOL_VERSION

  Sets the LDAP protocol version used for a connection. This is mapped to object attribute ldap.LDAPObject.protocol_version

ldap.OPT_REFERRALS

  int specifying whether referrals should be automatically chased within the underlying LDAP C lib.

ldap.OPT_REFHOPLIMIT

ldap.OPT_RESTART

ldap.OPT_SERVER_CONTROLS

ldap.OPT_SIZELIMIT

ldap.OPT_SUCCESS

ldap.OPT_TIMELIMIT

ldap.OPT_TIMEOUT

  Changed in version 3.0: A timeout of `-1` or `None` resets timeout to infinity.

ldap.OPT_URI

#### SASL options

Unlike most other options, SASL options must be set on an `LDAPObject` instance.

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_AUTHCID

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_AUTHZID

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_MECH

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_NOCANON

  If set to zero, SASL host name canonicalization is disabled.

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_REALM

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_SECPROPS

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_SSF

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_SSF_EXTERNAL

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_SSF_MAX

ldap.OPT_X_SASL_SSF_MIN

#### TLS options

Warning

libldap does not materialize all TLS settings immediately. You must use `OPT_X_TLS_NEWCTX` with value `0` to instruct libldap to apply pending TLS settings and create a new internal TLS context:

    conn = ldap.initialize("ldap://ldap.example")
    conn.set_option(ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CACERTFILE, '/path/to/ca.pem')
    conn.set_option(ldap.OPT_X_TLS_NEWCTX, 0)
    conn.start_tls_s()
    conn.simple_bind_s(dn, password)

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_NEWCTX

  set and apply TLS settings to internal TLS context. Value `0` creates a new client-side context.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PACKAGE

  Get TLS implementation, known values are

  - `GnuTLS`

  - `MozNSS` (Mozilla NSS)

  - `OpenSSL`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CACERTDIR

  get/set path to directory with CA certs

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CACERTFILE

  get/set path to PEM file with CA certs

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CERTFILE

  get/set path to file with PEM encoded cert for client cert authentication, requires `OPT_X_TLS_KEYFILE`.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_KEYFILE

  get/set path to file with PEM encoded key for client cert authentication, requires `OPT_X_TLS_CERTFILE`.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CRLCHECK

  get/set certificate revocation list (CRL) check mode. CRL validation requires `OPT_X_TLS_CRLFILE`.

  `OPT_X_TLS_CRL_NONE`

    Don’t perform CRL checks

  `OPT_X_TLS_CRL_PEER`

    Perform CRL check for peer’s end entity cert.

  `OPT_X_TLS_CRL_ALL`

    Perform CRL checks for the whole cert chain

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CRLFILE

  get/set path to CRL file

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CRL_ALL

  value for `OPT_X_TLS_CRLCHECK`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CRL_NONE

  value for `OPT_X_TLS_CRLCHECK`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CRL_PEER

  value for `OPT_X_TLS_CRLCHECK`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT

  get/set validation strategy for server cert.

  `OPT_X_TLS_NEVER`

    Don’t check server cert and host name

  `OPT_X_TLS_ALLOW`

    Used internally by slapd server.

  `OPT_X_TLS_DEMAND`

    Validate peer cert chain and host name

  `OPT_X_TLS_HARD`

    Same as `OPT_X_TLS_DEMAND`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_SAN

  get/set how OpenLDAP validates subject alternative name extension, available in OpenLDAP 2.4.52 and newer.

  `OPT_X_TLS_NEVER`

    Don’t check SAN

  `OPT_X_TLS_ALLOW`

    Check SAN first, always fall back to subject common name (default)

  `OPT_X_TLS_TRY`

    Check SAN first, only fall back to subject common name, when no SAN extension is present (RFC 6125 conform validation)

  `OPT_X_TLS_DEMAND`

    Validate peer cert chain and host name

  `OPT_X_TLS_HARD`

    Require SAN, don’t fall back to subject common name

  Added in version 3.4.0.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_ALLOW

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT` and `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_SAN`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_DEMAND

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT` and `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_SAN`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_HARD

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT` and `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_SAN`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_NEVER

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT` and `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_SAN`

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_TRY

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_REQUIRE_CERT`

  Deprecated since version 3.3.0: This value is only used by slapd server internally. It will be removed in the future.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CIPHER

  get cipher suite name from TLS session

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CIPHER_SUITE

  get/set allowed cipher suites

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_CTX

  get address of internal memory address of TLS context (DO NOT USE)

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PEERCERT

  Get peer’s certificate as binary ASN.1 data structure (DER)

  Added in version 3.4.1.

  Note

  The option leaks memory with OpenLDAP < 2.5.8.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN

  get/set minimum protocol version (wire protocol version as int)

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX

  get/set maximum protocol version (wire protocol version as int), available in OpenLDAP 2.5 and newer.

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_SSL3

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN` and `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX`, represents SSL 3

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_TLS1_0

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN` and `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX`, represents TLS 1.0

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_TLS1_1

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN` and `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX`, represents TLS 1.1

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_TLS1_2

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN` and `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX`, represents TLS 1.2

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_TLS1_3

  Value for `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MIN` and `OPT_X_TLS_PROTOCOL_MAX`, represents TLS 1.3

  Added in version 3.4.1.

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_VERSION

  Get negotiated TLS protocol version as string

ldap.OPT_X_TLS_RANDOM_FILE

  get/set path to /dev/urandom (DO NOT USE)

ldap.OPT_X_TLS

  Deprecated since version 3.3.0: The option is deprecated in OpenLDAP and should no longer be used. It will be removed in the future.

Note

OpenLDAP supports several TLS/SSL libraries. OpenSSL is the most common backend. Some options may not be available when libldap uses NSS, GnuTLS, or Apple’s Secure Transport backend.

#### Keepalive options

ldap.OPT_X_KEEPALIVE_IDLE

ldap.OPT_X_KEEPALIVE_PROBES

ldap.OPT_X_KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL

### DN format flags

This constants are used for DN-parsing functions found in sub-module `ldap.dn`.

See also

ldap_str2dn(3)

ldap.DN_FORMAT_LDAP

ldap.DN_FORMAT_LDAPV3

ldap.DN_FORMAT_LDAPV2

ldap.DN_FORMAT_DCE

ldap.DN_FORMAT_UFN

ldap.DN_FORMAT_AD_CANONICAL

ldap.DN_FORMAT_MASK

ldap.DN_PRETTY

ldap.DN_SKIP

ldap.DN_P_NOLEADTRAILSPACES

ldap.DN_P_NOSPACEAFTERRDN

ldap.DN_PEDANTIC

## Exceptions

The module defines the following exceptions:

exception ldap.LDAPError

  This is the base class of all exceptions raised by the module `ldap`. Unlike the C interface, errors are not returned as result codes, but are instead turned into exceptions, raised as soon an the error condition is detected.

  The exceptions are accompanied by a dictionary with additional information. All fields are optional and more fields may be added in the future. Currently, `python-ldap` may set the following fields:

  - `'result'`: a numeric code of the error class.

  - `'desc'`: string giving a description of the error class, as provided by calling OpenLDAP’s `ldap_err2string` on the `result`.

  - `'info'`: string containing more information that the server may have sent. The value is server-specific: for example, the OpenLDAP server may send different info messages than Active Directory or 389-DS.

  - `'matched'`: truncated form of the name provided or alias. dereferenced for the lowest entry (object or alias) that was matched.

  - `'msgid'`: ID of the matching asynchronous request. This can be used in asynchronous code where `result()` raises the result of an operation as an exception. For example, this is the case for `compare()`, always raises the boolean result as an exception (`COMPARE_TRUE` or `COMPARE_FALSE`).

  - `'ctrls'`: list of `ldap.controls.LDAPControl` instances attached to the error.

  - `'errno'`: the C `errno`, usually set by system calls or `libc` rather than the LDAP libraries.

exception ldap.ADMINLIMIT_EXCEEDED

exception ldap.AFFECTS_MULTIPLE_DSAS

exception ldap.ALIAS_DEREF_PROBLEM

  A problem was encountered when dereferencing an alias. (Sets the `matched` field.)

exception ldap.ALIAS_PROBLEM

  An alias in the directory points to a nonexistent entry. (Sets the `matched` field.)

exception ldap.ALREADY_EXISTS

  The entry already exists. E.g. the dn specified with `add()` already exists in the DIT.

exception ldap.AUTH_UNKNOWN

  The authentication method specified to `bind()` is not known.

exception ldap.BUSY

  The DSA is busy.

exception ldap.CLIENT_LOOP

exception ldap.COMPARE_FALSE

  A compare operation returned false. (This exception should only be seen in asynchronous operations, because `compare_s()` returns a boolean result.)

exception ldap.COMPARE_TRUE

  A compare operation returned true. (This exception should only be seen in asynchronous operations, because `compare_s()` returns a boolean result.)

exception ldap.CONFIDENTIALITY_REQUIRED

  Indicates that the session is not protected by a protocol such as Transport Layer Security (TLS), which provides session confidentiality.

exception ldap.CONNECT_ERROR

exception ldap.CONSTRAINT_VIOLATION

  An attribute value specified or an operation started violates some server-side constraint (e.g., a postalAddress has too many lines or a line that is too long or a password is expired).

exception ldap.CONTROL_NOT_FOUND

exception ldap.DECODING_ERROR

  An error was encountered decoding a result from the LDAP server.

exception ldap.ENCODING_ERROR

  An error was encountered encoding parameters to send to the LDAP server.

exception ldap.FILTER_ERROR

  An invalid filter was supplied to `search()` (e.g. unbalanced parentheses).

exception ldap.INAPPROPRIATE_AUTH

  Inappropriate authentication was specified (e.g. `AUTH_SIMPLE` was specified and the entry does not have a userPassword attribute).

exception ldap.INAPPROPRIATE_MATCHING

  Filter type not supported for the specified attribute.

exception ldap.INSUFFICIENT_ACCESS

  The user has insufficient access to perform the operation.

exception ldap.INVALID_CREDENTIALS

  Invalid credentials were presented during `bind()` or `simple_bind()`. (e.g., the wrong password).

exception ldap.INVALID_DN_SYNTAX

  A syntactically invalid DN was specified. (Sets the `matched` field.)

exception ldap.INVALID_SYNTAX

  An attribute value specified by the client did not comply to the syntax defined in the server-side schema.

exception ldap.IS_LEAF

  The object specified is a leaf of the directory tree. Sets the `matched` field of the exception dictionary value.

exception ldap.LOCAL_ERROR

  Some local error occurred. This is usually due to failed memory allocation.

exception ldap.LOOP_DETECT

  A loop was detected.

exception ldap.MORE_RESULTS_TO_RETURN

exception ldap.NAMING_VIOLATION

  A naming violation occurred. This is raised e.g. if the LDAP server has constraints about the tree naming.

exception ldap.NO_OBJECT_CLASS_MODS

  Modifying the objectClass attribute as requested is not allowed (e.g. modifying structural object class of existing entry).

exception ldap.NOT_ALLOWED_ON_NONLEAF

  The operation is not allowed on a non-leaf object.

exception ldap.NOT_ALLOWED_ON_RDN

  The operation is not allowed on an RDN.

exception ldap.NOT_SUPPORTED

exception ldap.NO_MEMORY

exception ldap.NO_RESULTS_RETURNED

exception ldap.NO_SUCH_ATTRIBUTE

  The attribute type specified does not exist in the entry.

exception ldap.NO_SUCH_OBJECT

  The specified object does not exist in the directory. Sets the `matched` field of the exception dictionary value.

exception ldap.OBJECT_CLASS_VIOLATION

  An object class violation occurred when the LDAP server checked the data sent by the client against the server-side schema (e.g. a “must” attribute was missing in the entry data).

exception ldap.OPERATIONS_ERROR

  An operations error occurred.

exception ldap.OTHER

  An unclassified error occurred.

exception ldap.PARAM_ERROR

  An ldap routine was called with a bad parameter.

exception ldap.PARTIAL_RESULTS

  Partial results only returned. This exception is raised if a referral is received when using LDAPv2. (This exception should never be seen with LDAPv3.)

exception ldap.PROTOCOL_ERROR

  A violation of the LDAP protocol was detected.

exception ldap.RESULTS_TOO_LARGE

  The result does not fit into a UDP packet. This happens only when using UDP-based CLDAP (connection-less LDAP) which is not supported anyway.

exception ldap.SASL_BIND_IN_PROGRESS

exception ldap.SERVER_DOWN

  The LDAP library can’t contact the LDAP server.

exception ldap.SIZELIMIT_EXCEEDED

  An LDAP size limit was exceeded. This could be due to a `sizelimit` configuration on the LDAP server.

exception ldap.STRONG_AUTH_NOT_SUPPORTED

  The LDAP server does not support strong authentication.

exception ldap.STRONG_AUTH_REQUIRED

  Strong authentication is required for the operation.

exception ldap.TIMELIMIT_EXCEEDED

  An LDAP time limit was exceeded.

exception ldap.TIMEOUT

  A timelimit was exceeded while waiting for a result from the server.

exception ldap.TYPE_OR_VALUE_EXISTS

  An attribute type or attribute value specified already exists in the entry.

exception ldap.UNAVAILABLE

  The DSA is unavailable.

exception ldap.UNAVAILABLE_CRITICAL_EXTENSION

  Indicates that the LDAP server was unable to satisfy a request because one or more critical extensions were not available. Either the server does not support the control or the control is not appropriate for the operation type.

exception ldap.UNDEFINED_TYPE

  An attribute type used is not defined in the server-side schema.

exception ldap.UNWILLING_TO_PERFORM

  The DSA is unwilling to perform the operation.

exception ldap.USER_CANCELLED

  The operation was cancelled via the `abandon()` method.

The above exceptions are raised when a result code from an underlying API call does not indicate success.

## Warnings

class ldap.LDAPBytesWarning

  This warning is deprecated. python-ldap no longer raises it.

  It used to be raised under Python 2 when bytes/text mismatch in non-strict bytes mode. See Bytes/text management for details.

  Added in version 3.0.0.

  Changed in version 3.4.0: Deprecated.

## LDAPObject classes

class ldap.ldapobject.LDAPObject

  Instances of `LDAPObject` are returned by `initialize()`. The connection is automatically unbound and closed when the LDAP object is deleted.

  `LDAPObject` is an alias of `SimpleLDAPObject`, the default connection class. If you wish to use a different class, instantiate it directly instead of calling `initialize()`.

  (It is also possible, but not recommended, to change the default by setting `ldap.ldapobject.LDAPObject` to a different class.)

class ldap.ldapobject.SimpleLDAPObject(uri, trace_level=0, trace_file=None, trace_stack_limit=5, bytes_mode=None, bytes_strictness=None, fileno=None)

  This basic class wraps all methods of the underlying C API object.

  The arguments are same as for the `initialize()` function.

class ldap.ldapobject.ReconnectLDAPObject(uri, trace_level=0, trace_file=None, trace_stack_limit=5, bytes_mode=None, bytes_strictness=None, retry_max=1, retry_delay=60.0, fileno=None)

  `SimpleLDAPObject` subclass whose synchronous request methods automatically reconnect and re-try in case of server failure.

  The first arguments are same as for the `initialize()` function. For automatic reconnects it has additional arguments:

  - retry_max: specifies the number of reconnect attempts before re-raising the `ldap.SERVER_DOWN` exception.

  - retry_delay: specifies the time in seconds between reconnect attempts.

  This class also implements the pickle protocol.

  Added in version 3.4.5: The exceptions `ldap.SERVER_DOWN`, `ldap.UNAVAILABLE`, `ldap.CONNECT_ERROR` and `ldap.TIMEOUT` (configurable via `_reconnect_exceptions`) now trigger a reconnect.

### Arguments for LDAPv3 controls

The `ldap.controls` module can be used for constructing and decoding LDAPv3 controls. These arguments are available in the methods with names ending in `_ext` or `_ext_s`:

serverctrls

  is a list of `ldap.controls.LDAPControl` instances sent to the server along with the LDAP request (see module `ldap.controls`). These are controls which alter the behaviour of the server when processing the request if the control is supported by the server. The effect of controls might differ depending on the type of LDAP request or controls might not be applicable with certain LDAP requests at all.

clientctrls

  is a list of `ldap.controls.LDAPControl` instances passed to the client API and alter the behaviour of the client when processing the request.

### Sending LDAP requests

Most methods on LDAP objects initiate an asynchronous request to the LDAP server and return a message id that can be used later to retrieve the result with `result()`.

Methods with names ending in `_s` are the synchronous form and wait for and return with the server’s result, or with `None` if no data is expected.

`LDAPObject` instances have the following methods:

LDAPObject.abandon(msgid) → None

LDAPObject.abandon_ext(msgid[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → None

  Abandons an LDAP operation in progress without waiting for a LDAP response. The msgid argument should be the message ID of an outstanding LDAP operation as returned by the asynchronous methods `search()`, `modify()`, etc. The caller can expect that the result of an abandoned operation will not be returned from a future call to `result()`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

LDAPObject.add(dn, modlist) → int

LDAPObject.add_s(dn, modlist) → None

LDAPObject.add_ext(dn, modlist[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.add_ext_s(dn, modlist[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → tuple

  Performs an LDAP add operation. The dn argument is the distinguished name (DN) of the entry to add, and modlist is a list of attributes to be added. The modlist is similar the one passed to `modify()`, except that the operation integer is omitted from the tuples in modlist. You might want to look into sub-module refmodule{ldap.modlist} for generating the modlist.

  The asynchronous methods `add()` and `add_ext()` return the message ID of the initiated request.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The dn argument, and mod_type (second item) of modlist are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.bind(who, cred, method) → int

LDAPObject.bind_s(who, cred, method) → None

LDAPObject.cancel(cancelid[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → None

  Send cancels extended operation for an LDAP operation specified by cancelid. The cancelid should be the message id of an outstanding LDAP operation as returned by the asynchronous methods search(), modify() etc. The caller can expect that the result of an abandoned operation will not be returned from a future call to `result()`. In opposite to `abandon()` this extended operation gets an result from the server and thus should be preferred if the server supports it.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  RFC 3909 - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): Cancel Operation

LDAPObject.compare(dn, attr, value) → int

LDAPObject.compare_s(dn, attr, value) → bool

LDAPObject.compare_ext(dn, attr, value[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.compare_ext_s(dn, attr, value[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → bool

  Perform an LDAP comparison between the attribute named attr of entry dn, and the value value. The synchronous forms returns `True` or `False`. The asynchronous forms returns the message ID of the initiated request, and the result of the asynchronous compare can be obtained using `result()`. The operation can fail with an exception, e.g. `ldap.NO_SUCH_OBJECT` when dn does not exist or `ldap.UNDEFINED_TYPE` for an invalid attribute.

  Note that the asynchronous technique yields the answer by raising the exception objects `ldap.COMPARE_TRUE` or `ldap.COMPARE_FALSE`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The dn and attr arguments are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.delete(dn) → int

LDAPObject.delete_s(dn) → None

LDAPObject.delete_ext(dn[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.delete_ext_s(dn[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → tuple

  Performs an LDAP delete operation on dn. The asynchronous form returns the message id of the initiated request, and the result can be obtained from a subsequent call to `result()`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The dn argument is text string; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.extop(extreq[,serverctrls=None[,clientctrls=None]]]) → int

LDAPObject.extop_s(extreq[,serverctrls=None[,clientctrls=None[,extop_resp_class=None]]]]) -> (respoid,respvalue)

  Performs an LDAP extended operation. The asynchronous form returns the message id of the initiated request, and the result can be obtained from a subsequent call to `extop_result()`.

  The extreq is an instance of class `ldap.extop.ExtendedRequest` containing the parameters for the extended operation request.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  If argument extop_resp_class is set to a sub-class of `ldap.extop.ExtendedResponse` this class is used to return an object of this class instead of a raw BER value in respvalue.

LDAPObject.extop_result(self, msgid=ldap.RES_ANY, all=1, timeout=None)

  Wrapper method around `result4()` just for retrieving the result of an extended operation sent before.

LDAPObject.modify(dn, modlist) → int

LDAPObject.modify_s(dn, modlist) → None

LDAPObject.modify_ext(dn, modlist[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.modify_ext_s(dn, modlist[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → tuple

  Performs an LDAP modify operation on an entry’s attributes. The dn argument is the distinguished name (DN) of the entry to modify, and modlist is a list of modifications to make to that entry.

  Each element in the list modlist should be a tuple of the form (mod_op,mod_type,mod_vals), where mod_op indicates the operation (one of `ldap.MOD_ADD`, `ldap.MOD_DELETE`, or `ldap.MOD_REPLACE`), mod_type is a string indicating the attribute type name, and mod_vals is either a string value or a list of string values to add, delete or replace respectively. For the delete operation, mod_vals may be `None` indicating that all attributes are to be deleted.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The asynchronous methods `modify()` and `modify_ext()` return the message ID of the initiated request.

  You might want to look into sub-module `ldap.modlist` for generating modlist.

  The dn argument, and mod_type (second item) of modlist are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.modrdn(dn, newrdn[, delold=1]) → int

LDAPObject.modrdn_s(dn, newrdn[, delold=1]) → None

  Perform a `modify RDN` operation, (i.e. a renaming operation). These routines take dn (the DN of the entry whose RDN is to be changed, and newrdn, the new RDN to give to the entry. The optional parameter delold is used to specify whether the old RDN should be kept as an attribute of the entry or not. The asynchronous version returns the initiated message id.

  This operation is emulated by `rename()` and `rename_s()` methods since the modrdn2* routines in the C library are deprecated.

  The dn and newrdn arguments are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.passwd(user, oldpw, newpw[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.passwd_s(user, oldpw, newpw [, serverctrls=None [, clientctrls=None] [, extract_newpw=False]]]) -> (respoid, respvalue)

  Perform a `LDAP Password Modify Extended Operation` operation on the entry specified by user. The old password in oldpw is replaced with the new password in newpw by a LDAP server supporting this operation.

  If oldpw is not `None` it has to match the old password of the specified user which is sometimes used when a user changes his own password.

  respoid is always `None`. respvalue is also `None` unless newpw was `None`. This requests that the server generate a new random password. If extract_newpw is `True`, this password is a bytes object available through `respvalue.genPasswd`, otherwise respvalue is the raw ASN.1 response (this is deprecated and only for backwards compatibility).

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The asynchronous version returns the initiated message id.

  The user, oldpw and newpw arguments are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

  See also

  RFC 3062 - LDAP Password Modify Extended Operation `ldap.extop.passwd`

LDAPObject.rename(dn, newrdn[, newsuperior=None[, delold=1[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]]]) → int

LDAPObject.rename_s(dn, newrdn[, newsuperior=None[, delold=1[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]]]) → None

  Perform a `Rename` operation, (i.e. a renaming operation). These routines take dn (the DN of the entry whose RDN is to be changed, and newrdn, the new RDN to give to the entry. The optional parameter newsuperior is used to specify a new parent DN for moving an entry in the tree (not all LDAP servers support this). The optional parameter delold is used to specify whether the old RDN should be kept as an attribute of the entry or not.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The dn and newdn arguments are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

LDAPObject.result([msgid=RES_ANY[, all=1[, timeout=None]]]) → 2-tuple

  This method is used to wait for and return the result of an operation previously initiated by one of the LDAP asynchronous operations (e.g. `search()`, `modify()`, etc.)

  The msgid parameter is the integer identifier returned by that method. The identifier is guaranteed to be unique across an LDAP session, and tells the `result()` method to request the result of that specific operation.

  If a result is desired from any one of the in-progress operations, msgid should be specified as the constant `RES_ANY` and the method `result2()` should be used instead.

  The all parameter only has meaning for `search()` responses and is used to select whether a single entry of the search response should be returned, or to wait for all the results of the search before returning.

  A search response is made up of zero or more search entries followed by a search result. If all is 0, search entries will be returned one at a time as they come in, via separate calls to `result()`. If all is 1, the search response will be returned in its entirety, i.e. after all entries and the final search result have been received.

  For all set to 0, result tuples trickle in (with the same message id), and with the result types `RES_SEARCH_ENTRY` and `RES_SEARCH_REFERENCE`, until the final result which has a result type of `RES_SEARCH_RESULT` and a (usually) empty data field. When all is set to 1, only one result is returned, with a result type of RES_SEARCH_RESULT, and all the result tuples listed in the data field.

  The timeout parameter is a limit on the number of seconds that the method will wait for a response from the server. If timeout is negative (which is the default), the method will wait indefinitely for a response. The timeout can be expressed as a floating-point value, and a value of `0` effects a poll. If a timeout does occur, a `ldap.TIMEOUT` exception is raised, unless polling, in which case `(None, None)` is returned.

  The `result()` method returns a tuple of the form `(result-type, result-data)`. The first element, `result-type` is a string, being one of these module constants: `RES_BIND`, `RES_SEARCH_ENTRY`, `RES_SEARCH_REFERENCE`, `RES_SEARCH_RESULT`, `RES_MODIFY`, `RES_ADD`, `RES_DELETE`, `RES_MODRDN`, or `RES_COMPARE`.

  If all is `0`, one response at a time is returned on each call to `result()`, with termination indicated by `result-data` being an empty list.

  See `search()` for a description of the search result’s `result-data`, otherwise the `result-data` is normally meaningless.

LDAPObject.result2([msgid=RES_ANY[, all=1[, timeout=None]]]) → 3-tuple

  This method behaves almost exactly like `result()`. But it returns a 3-tuple also containing the message id of the outstanding LDAP operation a particular result message belongs to. This is especially handy if one needs to dispatch results obtained with `msgid=``RES_ANY` to several consumer threads which invoked a particular LDAP operation.

LDAPObject.result3([msgid=RES_ANY[, all=1[, timeout=None]]]) → 4-tuple

  This method behaves almost exactly like `result2()`. But it returns an extra item in the tuple, the decoded server controls.

LDAPObject.result4([msgid=RES_ANY[, all=1[, timeout=None[, add_ctrls=0[, add_intermediates=0[, add_extop=0[, resp_ctrl_classes=None]]]]]]]) → 6-tuple

  This method behaves almost exactly like `result3()`. But it returns an extra items in the tuple, the decoded results of an extended response.

  The additional arguments are:

  add_ctrls (integer flag) specifies whether response controls are returned.

  add_intermediates (integer flag) specifies whether response controls of intermediate search results are returned.

  add_extop (integer flag) specifies whether the response of an extended operation is returned. If using extended operations you should consider using the method `extop_result()` or `extop_s()` instead.

  resp_ctrl_classes is a dictionary mapping the OID of a response controls to a `ldap.controls.ResponseControl` class of response controls known by the application. So the response control value will be automatically decoded. If `None` the global dictionary `ldap.controls.KNOWN_RESPONSE_CONTROLS` is used instead.

LDAPObject.sasl_interactive_bind_s(who, auth[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, sasl_flags=ldap.SASL_QUIET]]]) → None

  This call is used to bind to the directory with a SASL bind request.

  auth is an `ldap.sasl.sasl()` instance.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

LDAPObject.sasl_non_interactive_bind_s(sasl_mech[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, sasl_flags=ldap.SASL_QUIET[, authz_id='']]]]) → None

  This call is used to bind to the directory with a SASL bind request with non-interactive SASL mechanism defined with argument sasl_mech and internally calls `sasl_interactive_bind_s()`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

LDAPObject.sasl_external_bind_s([serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, sasl_flags=ldap.SASL_QUIET[, authz_id='']]]]) → None

  This call is used to bind to the directory with a SASL bind request with mechanism EXTERNAL and internally calls `sasl_non_interactive_bind_s()`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

LDAPObject.sasl_gssapi_bind_s([serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, sasl_flags=ldap.SASL_QUIET[, authz_id='']]]]) → None

  This call is used to bind to the directory with a SASL bind request with mechanism GSSAPI and internally calls `sasl_non_interactive_bind_s()`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

LDAPObject.simple_bind([who=None[, cred=None[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]]]) → int

LDAPObject.simple_bind_s([who=None[, cred=None[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]]]) → None

  After an LDAP object is created, and before any other operations can be attempted over the connection, a bind operation must be performed.

  This method attempts to bind with the LDAP server using either simple authentication, or Kerberos (if available). The first and most general method, `bind()`, takes a third parameter, method which can currently solely be `AUTH_SIMPLE`.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The who and cred arguments are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

  Changed in version 3.0: `simple_bind()` and `simple_bind_s()` now accept `None` for who and cred, too.

LDAPObject.search(base, scope[, filterstr='(objectClass=*)'[, attrlist=None[, attrsonly=0]]]) → int

LDAPObject.search_s(base, scope[, filterstr='(objectClass=*)'[, attrlist=None[, attrsonly=0]]]) → list | None

LDAPObject.search_st(base, scope[, filterstr='(objectClass=*)'[, attrlist=None[, attrsonly=0[, timeout=-1]]]]) → list | None

LDAPObject.search_ext(base, scope[, filterstr='(objectClass=*)'[, attrlist=None[, attrsonly=0[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, timeout=-1[, sizelimit=0]]]]]]]) → int

LDAPObject.search_ext_s(base, scope[, filterstr='(objectClass=*)'[, attrlist=None[, attrsonly=0[, serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None[, timeout=-1[, sizelimit=0]]]]]]]) → list | None

  Perform an LDAP search operation, with base as the DN of the entry at which to start the search, scope being one of `SCOPE_BASE` (to search the object itself), `SCOPE_ONELEVEL` (to search the object’s immediate children), or `SCOPE_SUBTREE` (to search the object and all its descendants).

  The filterstr argument is a string representation of the filter to apply in the search.

  See also

  RFC 4515 - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): String Representation of Search Filters.

  Each result tuple is of the form `(dn, attrs)`, where dn is a string containing the DN (distinguished name) of the entry, and attrs is a dictionary containing the attributes associated with the entry. The keys of attrs are strings, and the associated values are lists of strings.

  The DN in dn is automatically extracted using the underlying libldap function `ldap_get_dn()`, which may raise an exception if the DN is malformed.

  If attrsonly is non-zero, the values of attrs will be meaningless (they are not transmitted in the result).

  The retrieved attributes can be limited with the attrlist parameter. If attrlist is `None`, all the attributes of each entry are returned.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  The synchronous form with timeout, `search_st()` or `search_ext_s()`, will block for at most timeout seconds (or indefinitely if timeout is negative). A `ldap.TIMEOUT` exception is raised if no result is received within the specified time.

  The amount of search results retrieved can be limited with the sizelimit parameter when using `search_ext()` or `search_ext_s()` (client-side search limit). If non-zero not more than sizelimit results are returned by the server.

  The base and filterstr arguments, and attrlist contents, are text strings; see Bytes/text management.

  Changed in version 3.0: `filterstr=None` is equivalent to `filterstr='(objectClass=*)'`.

LDAPObject.start_tls_s() → None

  > Negotiate TLS with server. The `version` attribute must have been set to `VERSION3` (which it is by default) before calling this method. If TLS could not be started an exception will be raised.

  See also

  RFC 2830 - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (v3): Extension for Transport Layer Security

LDAPObject.unbind() → int

LDAPObject.unbind_s() → None

LDAPObject.unbind_ext([serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → int

LDAPObject.unbind_ext_s([serverctrls=None[, clientctrls=None]]) → None

  This call is used to unbind from the directory, terminate the current association, and free resources. Once called, the connection to the LDAP server is closed and the LDAP object is marked invalid. Further invocation of methods on the object will yield exceptions.

  serverctrls and clientctrls like described in section Arguments for LDAPv3 controls.

  These methods are all synchronous in nature.

LDAPObject.whoami_s() → string

  This synchronous method implements the LDAP “Who Am I?” extended operation.

  It is useful for finding out which identity is assumed by the LDAP server after a SASL bind.

  See also

  RFC 4532 - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) “Who am I?” Operation

### Connection-specific LDAP options

LDAPObject.get_option(option) → int | string

  This method returns the value of the LDAPObject option specified by option.

LDAPObject.set_option(option, invalue) → None

  This method sets the value of the LDAPObject option specified by option to invalue.

### Object attributes

If the underlying library provides enough information, each LDAP object will also have the following attributes. These attributes are mutable unless described as read-only.

LDAPObject.deref -> int

  Controls whether aliases are automatically dereferenced. This must be one of `DEREF_NEVER`, `DEREF_SEARCHING`, `DEREF_FINDING` or `DEREF_ALWAYS`. This option is mapped to option constant `OPT_DEREF` and used in the underlying OpenLDAP client lib.

LDAPObject.network_timeout -> int

  Limit on waiting for a network response, in seconds. Defaults to `NO_LIMIT`. This option is mapped to option constant `OPT_NETWORK_TIMEOUT` and used in the underlying OpenLDAP client lib.

  Changed in version 3.0.0: A timeout of `-1` or `None` resets timeout to infinity.

LDAPObject.protocol_version -> int

  Version of LDAP in use (either `VERSION2` for LDAPv2 or `VERSION3` for LDAPv3). This option is mapped to option constant `OPT_PROTOCOL_VERSION` and used in the underlying OpenLDAP client lib.

  Note

  It is highly recommended to set the protocol version after establishing a LDAP connection with `ldap.initialize()` and before submitting the first request.

LDAPObject.sizelimit -> int

  Limit on size of message to receive from server. Defaults to `NO_LIMIT`. This option is mapped to option constant `OPT_SIZELIMIT` and used in the underlying OpenLDAP client lib. Its use is deprecated in favour of sizelimit parameter when using `search_ext()`.

LDAPObject.timelimit -> int

  Limit on waiting for any response, in seconds. Defaults to `NO_LIMIT`. This option is mapped to option constant `OPT_TIMELIMIT` and used in the underlying OpenLDAP client lib. Its use is deprecated in favour of using `timeout`.

LDAPObject.timeout -> int

  Limit on waiting for any response, in seconds. Defaults to `NO_LIMIT`. This option is used in the wrapper module.

## Example

The following example demonstrates how to open a connection to an LDAP server using the `ldap` module and invoke a synchronous subtree search.

    >>> import ldap
    >>> l = ldap.initialize('ldap://localhost:1390')
    >>> l.search_s('ou=Testing,dc=stroeder,dc=de',ldap.SCOPE_SUBTREE,'(cn=fred*)',['cn','mail'])
    [('cn=Fred Feuerstein,ou=Testing,dc=stroeder,dc=de', {'cn': ['Fred Feuerstein']})]
    >>> r = l.search_s('ou=Testing,dc=stroeder,dc=de',ldap.SCOPE_SUBTREE,'(objectClass=*)',['cn','mail'])
    >>> for dn,entry in r:
    >>>   print('Processing',repr(dn))
    >>>   handle_ldap_entry(entry)