What Is Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)?

LDAP is like the phonebook of the digital world. It's a way for computers to share and access information about people, places, and things—and it's all on the Internet. It works by running over TCP/IP, so you can use it anywhere you have an IP address. It uses simple string formats for data transfer, so it's easy to read and edit directories from your computer or phone. If you're wondering what a directory is precise, think of it like this: if you want to find out where someone lives in real life but don't know their address (like their street name or city), you could look them up in a phonebook or on Google Maps. A directory is just like that—it's a place where you can find information about people or places without knowing their specific address or location. The world was a more straightforward place in the early 1990s. The Internet was still young, and many people began understanding its potential. It was still a time when you could get away with naming your baby "Internet" without anyone thinking it was weird or creepy. It was also a time when universities were trying to figure out how to manage their growing databases of information—and one of the best ways for them to do that was by inventing something called LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). The creators of LDAP were Tim Howes, Steve Kille and Wengyik Yeong from the University of Michigan, Isode Limited, and Performance Systems International, respectively. They created LDAP based on an earlier standard called X.500—and then made it even better by simplifying it so anyone could use it without undergoing complicated training. Now we're using LDAP every day! Whether you're using it at work or home (or both!), you might not realize that this simple system has existed since 1993—but now you know!