# ldb

ldb is a LDAP-like embedded database. It is not at all LDAP standards compliant, so if you want a standards compliant database then please see the excellent OpenLDAP project.

What ldb does is provide a fast database with an LDAP-like API designed to be used within an application. In some ways it can be seen as a intermediate solution between key-value pair databases and a real LDAP database.

ldb is the database engine used in Samba4.

## Features

The main features that separate ldb from other solutions are:

- Safe multi-reader, multi-writer, using byte range locking
- LDAP-like API
- fast operation
- choice of local tdb or remote LDAP backends
- integration with talloc
- schema-less operation, for trivial setup
- modules for extensions (such as schema support)
- easy setup of indexes and attribute properties
- LDIF for import/export
- ldbedit tool for database (via LDIF) editing (reminiscent of 'vipw')

## Documentation

Currently ldb is completely lacking in programmer or user documentation. This is your opportunity to make a contribution! Start with the public functions declared in ldb.h and the example code in the tools directory. Documentation in the same docbook format used by Samba would be preferred.

## Discussion and bug reports

ldb does not have its own mailing list or bug tracking system. Please use the samba-technical mailing list, and the Samba bugzilla bug tracking system.

## Download

You can download the latest release here:
http://samba.org/ftp/pub/ldb Alternatively, you can fetch via git. See the following guide:
Using Git for Samba Development

<tiny> Andrew Tridgell
ldb AT tridgell.net </tiny>