Install and Configure OpenLDAP Server on Ubuntu 22.04|20.04|18.04

In this blog post you’ll get to learn how to Install and configure OpenLDAP Server on Ubuntu 22.04|20.04|18.04 LTS. OpenLDAP is a free and open source implementation of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol developed by the OpenLDAP Project and released under OpenLDAP Public License.

Step 1: Set hostname on the server

Before you start the installation, set your system hostname:

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname ldap.example.com

Add the IP and FQDN to file /etc/hosts.

$ sudo vim /etc/hosts
192.168.18.50 ldap.example.com

Replace ldap.example.com with your correct hostname/valid domain name.

Step 2: Install OpenLDAP Server

When done, install LDAP packages by running the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt -y install slapd ldap-utils

During the installation, you’ll be prompted to set LDAP admin password, provide your desired password, then press <OK>

Confirm the password and continue installation by selecting <ok> with TAB key.

You can confirm that your installation was successful using the commandslapcat  to output SLAPD database contents.

$ sudo slapcat
dn: dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: dcObject
objectClass: organization
o: example.com
dc: example
structuralObjectClass: organization
entryUUID: 3096cde2-64b5-103c-836e-1d0b0995a781
creatorsName: cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com
createTimestamp: 20220510135944Z
entryCSN: 20220510135944.468673Z#000000#000#000000
modifiersName: cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com
modifyTimestamp: 20220510135944Z

Step 3: Add base dn for Users and Groups

The next step is adding a base DN for users and groups. Create a file named basedn.ldif with below contents:

$ vim basedn.ldif
dn: ou=people,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: organizationalUnit
ou: people

dn: ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: organizationalUnit
ou: groups

Replace example and com with your correct domain components.

Now add the file by running the command:

$ ldapadd -x -D cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com -W -f basedn.ldif
Enter LDAP Password:
adding new entry "ou=people,dc=example,dc=com"
adding new entry "ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com"

Step 4: Add User Accounts and Groups

Generate a password for the user account to add.

$ sudo slappasswd
New password: 
Re-enter new password: 
{SSHA}Zn4/E5f+Ork7WZF/alrpMuHHGufC3x0k

Create ldif file for adding users.

$ vim ldapusers.ldif
dn: uid=neveropen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: inetOrgPerson
objectClass: posixAccount
objectClass: shadowAccount
cn: neveropen
sn: Wiz
userPassword: {SSHA}Zn4/E5f+Ork7WZF/alrpMuHHGufC3x0k
loginShell: /bin/bash
uidNumber: 2000
gidNumber: 2000
homeDirectory: /home/neveropen

• Replace neveropen with the username to add
• dc=example,dc=com with your correct domain values.
• cn & sn with your Username Values
• {SSHA}Zn4/E5f+Ork7WZF/alrpMuHHGufC3x0k with your hashed password

When done with edit, add account by running.

$ ldapadd -x -D cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com -W -f ldapusers.ldif 
Enter LDAP Password: 
adding new entry "uid=neveropen,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com"

Do the same of group. Create ldif file:

$ vim ldapgroups.ldif
dn: cn=neveropen,ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: posixGroup
cn: neveropen
gidNumber: 2000
memberUid: neveropen

Add group:

$ ldapadd -x -D cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com -W -f ldapgroups.ldif
Enter LDAP Password: 
 adding new entry "cn=neveropen,ou=groups,dc=example,dc=com"

You can combine the two into single file.

Step 5: Install LDAP Account Manager – Recommended

I noticed phpLDAPadmin doesn’t work well with PHP 7.2+. I recommend you use LDAP Account Manager instead. Follow our guide below to install and configure LDAP Account Manager.

• Install and configure LDAP Account Manager on Ubuntu

The guide also shows you how to add user accounts and groups to your LDAP server.

Step 6: Configuring your Ubuntu as LDAP Client

The last step is to configure the systems in your network to authenticate against the LDAP server we’ve just configured:

• Configure LDAP Client on Ubuntu

Step 7: Securing LDAP Server/Client

Secure your LDAP Server and access from LDAP Client with TLS/SSL:

• Secure LDAP Server with SSL/TLS on Ubuntu

Wrapping Up

Thanks for using our guide to install and configure OpenLDAP server on your Ubuntu. I recommend installing and using LDAP Account Manager to administer your LDAP server through a web interface.

If you need an advanced centralized user management platform, see

• How to Install and Configure FreeIPA Server on Ubuntu
• How to Configure FreeIPA Client on Ubuntu / CentOS 7
• How to Configure FreeIPA replication on Ubuntu / CentOS