How is LDAP different from a relational database?

How is LDAP different from a relational database?

Posted Jun 2, 2005 20:38 UTC (Thu) by nicku (subscriber, #777)
In reply to: Red Hat's directory server by giraffedata
Parent article: Red Hat's directory server

The main difference between applications that use an LDAP directory and those that use a relational database is that the directory server is likely to use a variety of clients from widely different sources, while the database often has the application coupled more closely.

The big advantage of LDAP is that standardisation has been more successful that for SQL. The protocol is simple enough for many applications to be able to use a directory directly.

Of course, a directory is usually faster to read than write, and is often used for authentication. We implemented an OpenLDAP directory at HKIVE(TY) in the ICT department so that we can have one source of authentication and user information rather than replicate this information for each application.

The structure of a directory is tree-shaped, rather then tables linked by keys.

Uses: authenticating computers in the laboratory running Linux, or Windows; authenticating web applications (such as online quizzes). You can read more about it here.

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