What is LDAP and how is it used in access management?

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, or LDAP, is a protocol for accessing and managing directory services that store user accounts, groups, and organizational information in a hierarchical structure. Active Directory from Microsoft is the most common LDAP-based directory. LDAP enables centralized authentication where applications verify credentials against a single directory rather than maintaining separate user databases. It operates on TCP port 389 for unencrypted connections and port 636 for LDAPS, which adds TLS encryption.