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LDAP n8n integrationAutomate LDAP with n8n.

Directory work is where most automations stop. The LDAP n8n integration gives a workflow 6 operations on a single node: search, compare, create, update, rename and delete entries. No trigger node ships with it, so a Schedule Trigger or a Webhook starts the run. Aimed at IT and ops teams.

Try the Ldap integration on n8nSee the 6 operations

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Why automate

What does the LDAP n8n integration actually do?

The LDAP n8n integration links a workflow to a directory server through LDAP, the protocol those servers speak. One credential holds the server address and the account n8n logs in as, and one node then reads and writes entries in that directory: 6 operations, a single resource, no trigger. The directory stops being the manual step between two tools.

First scenario, a joiner list that ends inside the directory. A Schedule Trigger reads the new rows of a Google Sheets tab, Create a new entry writes each person at the distinguished name the workflow builds, and Update attributes fills the rest from the same row. Nobody retypes a thing.

Second scenario, a leaver who is gone everywhere on the same day. Rename the DN of an existing entry gives the account the distinguished name your policy uses for departures, or Delete an entry takes it out for good, and a note lands in Slack so the team sees it happened rather than hoping it did.

Third scenario, a directory export that feeds a report. Search LDAP walks the subtree under a Base DN, Return All keeps it from stopping early, and the entries land in Postgres where anyone can query them without touching the directory itself.

Here is the part worth reading twice. On a typical n8n integration, a missing operation sends you to the HTTP Request node, which calls the tool's REST API with the same credential. Not here. The LDAP credential opens a connection to a directory server, not an HTTP endpoint, so HTTP Request has nothing to call. The recourse inside this node is Custom Filter on Search LDAP, an LDAP filter you write yourself, where the characters *, (, ) and \ are escaped with a backslash.

Two limits to plan for. There is no LDAP trigger node, so a workflow starts with a Schedule Trigger at a fixed interval, with an n8n Webhook (a URL another service calls) or with the trigger of another tool. And a broad search needs Return All switched on, otherwise Limit caps the number of entries returned, while Page Size sets how many come back at a time. The node has an official docs page, its common issues page returns a 404, so test against a narrow Base DN before pointing the workflow at the whole tree. For the wider picture, the n8n review covers the platform itself and n8n training covers building workflows like this one.

Connect

How do you connect n8n to an LDAP server?

  1. 01

    Point n8n at the server

    You need a directory server reachable over LDAP before anything else; Jumpcloud, Azure ADDS and Okta all expose one. In n8n, open the Credentials menu and create an LDAP credential. LDAP Server Address takes the IP address or the domain of that server, and LDAP Server Port takes the number of the port used to connect to it. Your directory provider's documentation gives both values.

  2. 02

    Set the account n8n logs in as

    Binding DN is the Binding Distinguished Name, the user account the credential logs in as. It is a full path in the directory, not a login name: on Active Directory it looks like cn=administrator, cn=Users, dc=n8n, dc=io. Binding Password is that account's password. Your LDAP provider's documentation explains how to identify the right DN and the password that goes with it.

  3. 03

    Choose the connection security

    Connection Security offers three values: None, TLS and STARTTLS. Pick the one your server is set up for. Connection Timeout is optional and takes a numeric value in seconds. Save, and the credential is done: a credential is created once in n8n and reused across every workflow, with the node offering it in a dropdown instead of asking for the password again.

Actions

What can the LDAP node do?

The Ldap node exposes 6 operations. For each one: the node as you configure it in n8n, the required fields, and our field notes.

01

Compare an attribute

compare

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Compare checks one attribute of one entry against a value and returns the outcome of that check, which is enough to branch a workflow without reading the whole entry back.

Key parameters

  • DN: the distinguished name of the entry to compare, its full address in the directory tree, in the shape n8n shows as a placeholder, ou=users,dc=n8n,dc=io, often {{ $json.field }} from the node before.
  • Attribute ID: the ID of the attribute to compare, picked from the list n8n displays.
  • Value: the value to compare against.
Use cases
before a workflow opens access to an internal app, compare the attribute that carries the team on the person's entry, and stop the run when the value does not match.
02

Create a new entry

create

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

This one writes a new object into the directory at the distinguished name you hand it, so the account exists without anyone opening a directory console.

Key parameters

  • DN: the distinguished name of the entry to create. It sets where the entry sits and what it is called in one string, so the workflow usually assembles it from the incoming item.
  • Attributes: the attributes to add to the entry, added one by one behind the Add Attributes button.
Use cases
a signed contract lands in your HR tool, the workflow builds the DN from the person's details and creates the entry the same hour, instead of on the Monday someone remembers.
03

Delete an entry

delete

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Delete removes the object sitting at the distinguished name you pass, and the workflow carries on with the next step. There is a single field to fill, which makes it the easiest operation of the node to get wrong: whatever DN reaches it, goes.

Key parameters

  • DN: the distinguished name of the entry to delete, usually {{ $json.field }} carried over from a Search LDAP step rather than typed by hand.
Use cases
a quarterly cleanup lists the service accounts nobody claims, a human approves the list in a message, and the branch that follows deletes the approved entries one at a time.
04

Rename the DN of an existing entry

rename

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Rename swaps the distinguished name of an entry that already exists for another one you provide, and the entry keeps living under that new name.

Key parameters

  • DN: the distinguished name of the entry to rename, the one that exists today (cn=john,ou=users,dc=n8n,dc=io in the placeholder n8n shows).
  • New DN: the new distinguished name for that entry (cn=nathan,ou=users,dc=n8n,dc=io).
Use cases
someone changes their legal name. The workflow renames the entry rather than deleting it and creating a fresh one, so nothing that points at the account has to be rebuilt.
06

Update attributes

update

What you see in n8n

Notes & use cases

Update works on an entry that already exists and changes only the attributes you list, leaving the rest of the entry untouched.

Key parameters

  • DN: the distinguished name of the entry to update, generally {{ $json.field }} from the Search LDAP step that found it.
  • Update Attributes: the entry attributes to update, listed behind the Update Attributes button.
Use cases
a person moves to another team. One workflow searches for their entry, updates the attributes that describe the new team, and posts the change so the service desk is not the last to know.
Need help

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FAQ

LDAP and n8n, the questions that come next

01Is the LDAP n8n integration free?
Yes, on the n8n side. The LDAP node ships with n8n, so there is nothing to install and nothing extra to pay for it, on n8n Cloud as well as on a self-hosted instance under the Community Edition and its Sustainable Use licence. The workflow you build is identical either way, which means you can prototype on Cloud and move the same workflow onto your own server later. What your directory itself costs is a separate question and depends on the provider you run, so that is between you and them. The credential is free too: you create it once in n8n and reuse it in every workflow that touches the directory.
02What credentials do you need to connect n8n to LDAP?
One LDAP credential, made of server details rather than an API key. You fill in the LDAP Server Address, which is the IP address or the domain of your server, and the LDAP Server Port, which is the number of the port used to connect. Then comes the Binding DN, the Binding Distinguished Name of the account the credential logs in as, written as a full path such as the Active Directory example in the n8n docs, plus the Binding Password for that account. Connection Security accepts None, TLS or STARTTLS, and Connection Timeout is optional, expressed in seconds. Create it once in the Credentials menu and every node picks it from a dropdown.
03What are the limits of the n8n LDAP node?
Two things to know before you build. Search results are paged: leave Return All off and Limit decides how many entries come back, while Page Size sets how many are requested at a time, with 0 disabling paging. And the usual n8n escape hatch does not apply. On other integrations, an operation the node does not expose gets called through HTTP Request against the tool's REST API. Here the credential opens a connection to a directory server, not an HTTP endpoint, so the recourse is Custom Filter on Search LDAP, where you write the filter yourself and escape the characters * ( ) and the backslash. The node's common issues page also returns a 404, so budget a test run.
04Does n8n react to LDAP changes in real time?
No, and it is better to know that before designing the workflow. This tool has no trigger node in n8n, so nothing pushes a directory change into your workflow by itself. A workflow that touches LDAP starts from somewhere else: a Schedule Trigger that fires at a fixed interval and runs a Search LDAP to see what changed, an n8n Webhook, meaning a URL that another service calls when something happens on its side, or the trigger of another tool you already automate. In practice, a scheduled search plus a comparison step covers most needs, and the interval you choose is the real answer to how fresh your data is.
05n8n or Make for automating an LDAP directory?
It comes down to four criteria, and neither tool is the wrong answer. Hosting first: n8n runs on n8n Cloud or on infrastructure you host yourself with Docker or npm, while Make is a hosted platform with no self-hosting option. Data control follows from that, and it weighs more when the workflow handles directory entries. Cost model next: Make bills per operation, which is worth modelling against how often your scheduled searches run. Visual logic last, since both build workflows on a canvas and the habits differ more than the capabilities. Run the comparison on your own volumes rather than on a feature list.
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