Integrating Java applications with Active Directory

Most of our clients use Active Directory. Integrating a Java application with AD via LDAP is a standard requirement — and surprisingly often a painful one.

JNDI basics¶

Always LDAPS (port 636), never plain LDAP. A service account with minimum permissions for binding. Look up the user by sAMAccountName, obtain the DN, bind with the user’s password.

Authorization via AD groups¶

Mapping AD groups to application roles. Watch out for nested groups — you need the LDAP_MATCHING_RULE_IN_CHAIN filter for a recursive query.

Spring Security LDAP¶

For new projects we prefer the Spring Security LDAP module — just a few lines of XML configuration. Significantly simpler than manual JNDI.

Common problems¶

Connection timeout with fallback to a secondary AD. Handle referrals carefully. Special characters — verify UTF-8 decoding.

Conclusion¶

LDAPS, a service account, account status checks and correct group mapping — these are the basics. Spring Security significantly simplifies the implementation.