ldif 

LDIF File Extension

Have a problem opening a .LDIF file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what LDIF files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .LDIF file type?

The .ldif filename extension stands for the LDAP Data Interchange Format (LDIF), denoting the LDIF Data File (.ldif) file type. LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a directory services protocol developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and standardized as RFC 4510. LDIF provides a standard way (IETF RFC 2849, RFC 4525) of exchanging and manipulating records for LDAP servers and endpoints.

The .ldif file is an ASCII file with LDAP directory entries and/or action scripts in the LDIF format, representing at least one Distinguished Name (DN) record with multiple attribute-value pairs. Besides the standard .ldif extension, the .ldf and .ldi extensions are also used to denote LDIF files. In an .ldif file, all non-ASCII (Unicode) characters are Base64-encoded.



In desktop messaging, the LDIF format (.ldif, .ldf, .ldi) is commonly used for transferring address book records. Popular e-mail clients such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook, Windows Contacts, and others, are capable of both exporting and importing LDIF files. LDIF is also used for exporting LDAP schemas and manipulate records on LDAP servers.



Software to open or convert LDIF files

You can open LDIF files with the following programs: 

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