adLDAP

ADLDAP is a PHP library that provides a high-level interface for authenticating users against Microsoft Active Directory or any LDAP-compliant directory service. It abstracts the mechanics of LDAP binds, searches, and group lookups behind a simple API, enabling PHP applications to verify credentials, retrieve user attributes, and determine group membership without writing low-level LDAP code.

Key features include support for binding with a service account, configurable LDAP servers, and options for TLS/SSL (LDAPS or StartTLS), base DN specification, and user and group search filters. It offers convenient accessors for common attributes such as distinguished name, mail, display name, and SAMAccountName, and it provides utilities to check whether a user belongs to a particular group or group scope.

Usage typically involves installing the library via a dependency manager, configuring connection parameters (domain, controllers, base DN, and credentials for a bind account), creating an adLDAP instance, and calling a method to authenticate a user with a password. If authentication succeeds, the developer can query the resulting user object for attributes or group memberships.

ADLDAP gained popularity in the PHP community during the 2000s and 2010s as a practical bridge between PHP apps and Active Directory. The original project has seen limited active maintenance in recent years, and multiple forks and similar libraries exist. Modern PHP projects may opt for alternative LDAP libraries or newer adapters while preserving the same authentication concepts.

See also: LDAP, Active Directory, PHP.