LDAP authentication

Use LDAP authentication when you want to manage user access through an external directory service instead of creating and maintaining accounts in N-central. LDAP connects N-central to your existing directory so users can sign in with their domain credentials.

N-central supports LDAP integration with two common directory types:

  • Microsoft Active Directory LDAP - use this if your organization manages users in Microsoft Active Directory and wants to authenticate against on-premises or hybrid domain controllers.

  • Novell NDS LDAP - use this if your organization uses Novell Directory Services (eDirectory) for identity and access management.

When LDAP authentication is enabled,N-central validates user credentials by performing a direct authentication request against the directory service. The directory verifies the credentials and returns the authentication result, which N-central uses to grant or deny access. This authentication model relies on direct credential validation and does not use federated authentication or token‑based sign‑in.

When you enable LDAP authentication, N-central sends the user’s credentials to the directory for validation. The directory verifies the credentials and returns the result, which N-central uses to grant or deny access. This approach relies on direct credential verification and does not use federated authentication or token‑based sign‑in.

Choose the option that matches your existing directory infrastructure. Each type follows a similar authentication approach but requires configuration specific to the directory system you use.

Requirements and limitations

  • If you secure LDAP connections with SSL, the LDAP server must use CA‑signed certificates. LDAP authentication does not support self‑signed certificates.

  • Mobile device management does not integrate with Active Directory when using LDAP authentication.

  • For large directories, enable Virtual List View (VLV) on the LDAP server to allow N-central to load the full user list.

You can configure both Microsoft Active Directory and Novell NDS LDAP servers.

The latest N-central capabilities - including Ecoverse features and views such as Assets View and Vulnerability Management - are only available when using N-able Login.

Discover the paths to move from another authentication method to N-able login.

Learn how to Enroll existing users into N-able Login and view information on transitioning existing N-central Users to N-able Login with Entra ID.

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