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Encryption, Special Characters, and Binary Data in LDIF

Modern LDIF files all have a version number at the top of the file, which is almost always version: 1. Some older LDIF files do not have this, but they follow the same general rules.

Non-ASCII Characters in LDIF Files

An LDIF file uses Unicode strings to store non-ASCII characters, such as Kanji.

Unicode strings are encoded in base-64 form, which is not human-readable. The base-64 data is converted back into the original data when the LDIF file is read into a program, such as the DXloaddb tool.

Example: An Organizational Unit Entry in Japanese:

dn:: b3U95Za25qWt6YOoLG89QWlyaXVz
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou:: 5Za25qWt6YOo
Binary Data

An LDIF file stores the binary data that is stored in the entry. For example, an entry might include a JPEG photo or a certificate.