Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.10.22
Which three groups of operations does the LDAP protocol define?
- Authentication (and control): bind, unbind, abandon.
- Interrogation (queries): search, compare.
- Update: add, delete, modify, modifyDN.
| Group | Operation | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication / control | bind | Authenticates the client and sets its identity for the session |
| unbind | Ends the session and closes the connection | |
| abandon | Asks the server to stop an outstanding operation, for example a long search | |
| Interrogation | search | Finds entries below a base DN that match a filter and returns chosen attributes |
| compare | Asks whether an entry has a given attribute value; the answer is just true or false | |
| Update | add | Creates a new entry |
| delete | Removes a leaf entry | |
| modify | Adds, replaces or deletes attribute values of one entry | |
| modifyDN | Renames an entry or moves it to another place in the tree |
LDAP is also extensible: an extended operation lets new operations be defined without changing the core protocol. StartTLS and "Who am I?" (what the ldapwhoami tool calls) are both extended operations.
Go deeper:
RFC 4511: The LDAP protocol — Section 4.2 onwards defines each operation, from bind to StartTLS.- LDAP operations (Wikipedia) — a short description of every operation.