---
name: "slapd-ldif"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "openldap"
version: "2.7.2-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/slapd-ldif"
---

# slapd-ldif(5)

LDIF backend to slapd

## NAME

slapd-ldif - LDIF backend to slapd

## SYNOPSIS

/etc/openldap/slapd.conf

## DESCRIPTION

The LDIF backend to [**slapd**(8)](/slapd/8.md) is a basic storage backend that stores entries in text files in LDIF format, and exploits the filesystem to create the tree structure of the database. It is intended as a cheap, low performance easy to use backend, and it is exploited by higher-level internal structures to provide a permanent storage.

## CONFIGURATION

These **slapd.conf** options apply to the LDIF backend database. That is, they must follow a "database ldif" line and come before any subsequent "backend" or "database" lines. Other database options are described in the [**slapd.conf**(5)](/slapd.conf/5.md) manual page.

- **directory \<dir\>**

  Specify the directory where the database tree starts.  The directory must exist and grant appropriate permissions (rwx) to the identity slapd is running with.

## ACCESS CONTROL

The **LDIF** backend does not honor any of the access control semantics described in [**slapd.access**(5)](/slapd.access/5.md). Only **read (=r)** access to the **entry** pseudo-attribute and to the other attribute values of the entries returned by the **search** operation is honored, which is performed by the frontend.

## FILES

- /etc/openldap/slapd.conf

  default slapd configuration file

## SEE ALSO

[**slapd.conf**(5)](/slapd.conf/5.md), [**slapd-config**(5)](/slapd-config/5.md), [**slapd**(8)](/slapd/8.md), [**ldif**(5)](/ldif/5.md).

## AUTHOR

Eric Stokes