What is LDIF File Extension
Lightweight Directory Interchange Format
Overview – LDIF File Format?
LDIF, stands for Lightweight Directory Interchange Format, is a plain-text file extension used for storing LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) directory data as a set of records and LDAP update requests which includes Add, Modify, Delete, and Rename.
LDAP is a software protocol which determine the location of files, devices, organization etc. over TCP/IP network.
Application Category
Text Files
MIME Type
Application/octet-stream
Different Utilities for LDIF File
OpenLDAP & LDIFDE
OpenLDAP: Tools of this utility are used to export/import data from LDAP servers to LDIF content records and vice versa.
LDIFDE: Windows Server 2003 & 2000 have command line utility known as LDIFDE which import & export data in Active Directory.
JXplorer & Address Books
JXplorer: It is a cross platform and open source application, also referred as LDAP browser & editor, used to perform editing of LDIF files.
Address Books: Address Book Compatible with Netscape Communicator & Mozilla Suite LDIF is used to import & export address book data.
LDIF Fields: Data Structure
dn:
Distinguished Name (Name of the entry in the directory)
dc:
Domain Component (For instance: www.google.com is written as DC=www,DC=google,DC=com)
ou:
Organizational Unit or User Group (For instance: OU= Lawyer, OU= Judge.)
cn:
Common Name (It can be person's name; meeting room; job title; etc.)
Applications Supported
How to Open and View LDIF file
There are various applications that can open LDIF file: