Microsoft Active Directory Authentication using LDAP for MySQL Enterprise

MySQL Enterprise Edition supports using LDAP for user authentication, allowing MySQL Server to access directory services like X.500 to fetch user, credential, and group information, which enhances security by using existing Active Directory (AD) rules. The integration process involves setting up prerequisites such as Microsoft AD or Azure AD, ensuring connectivity between the Domain Controller and the Linux server, and installing necessary LDAP client libraries. By leveraging the LDAP Simple authentication method, compatible with Microsoft AD Server, MySQL can authenticate users defined in LDAP directories using the authentication_ldap_simple plugin. This approach simplifies user credential management and enhances security by enabling the use of strong password enforcement and password expiry rules already in place in AD. The setup includes loading the server-side plugin and configuring necessary server variables, allowing MySQL to accept connections from LDAP-defined users, demonstrating an effective integration of AD authentication into MySQL Enterprise.