docker_ldap_testing/certs/README.md

SSL/TLS Certificates for LDAP

This directory should contain your SSL/TLS certificates for the LDAP server.

Required Files

The OpenLDAP container expects the following files in this directory:

• ca.crt - Certificate Authority certificate (your dev-ca root certificate)
• server.crt - Server certificate for ldap.testing.local
• server.key - Private key for the server certificate

Using Your Custom Dev-CA Certificates

If you maintain your own dev-ca (as mentioned), simply copy your certificates here:

# Copy your dev-ca generated certificates to this directory
cp /path/to/your/dev-ca/certs/ldap-server.crt ./server.crt
cp /path/to/your/dev-ca/private/ldap-server.key ./server.key
cp /path/to/your/dev-ca/ca-cert.pem ./ca.crt

Important Notes:

• The server certificate should be issued for the hostname ldap.testing.local
• The certificate can also include SANs (Subject Alternative Names) like:
  • DNS:ldap.testing.local
  • DNS:localhost
  • IP:127.0.0.1
• Ensure the private key is readable by the container (permissions should be 600 or 644)

Generating Self-Signed Certificates (Quick Start)

If you don't have your dev-ca handy and want to quickly test, you can generate self-signed certificates:

Option 1: Using OpenSSL (Manual)

# Generate CA private key
openssl genrsa -out ca.key 4096

# Generate CA certificate
openssl req -new -x509 -days 3650 -key ca.key -out ca.crt \
  -subj "/C=US/ST=State/L=City/O=Testing Org/CN=Testing CA"

# Generate server private key
openssl genrsa -out server.key 4096

# Generate server certificate signing request
openssl req -new -key server.key -out server.csr \
  -subj "/C=US/ST=State/L=City/O=Testing Org/CN=ldap.testing.local"

# Create extensions file for SAN
cat > server-ext.cnf <<EOF
subjectAltName = DNS:ldap.testing.local,DNS:localhost,IP:127.0.0.1
extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth,clientAuth
EOF

# Sign the server certificate with the CA
openssl x509 -req -in server.csr -CA ca.crt -CAkey ca.key \
  -CAcreateserial -out server.crt -days 365 \
  -extfile server-ext.cnf

# Clean up temporary files
rm server.csr ca.key server-ext.cnf ca.srl

Option 2: Using the Provided Script

# Run the certificate generation script from the project root
python scripts/generate_certs.py

File Permissions

Ensure proper permissions for security:

chmod 644 ca.crt
chmod 644 server.crt
chmod 600 server.key

Verifying Your Certificates

After placing your certificates, verify them:

# Check certificate details
openssl x509 -in server.crt -text -noout

# Verify certificate chain
openssl verify -CAfile ca.crt server.crt

# Check certificate and key match
openssl x509 -noout -modulus -in server.crt | openssl md5
openssl rsa -noout -modulus -in server.key | openssl md5
# The MD5 hashes should match

Testing LDAPS Connection

Once the container is running with your certificates:

# Test LDAPS connection (port 636)
openssl s_client -connect localhost:636 -CAfile certs/ca.crt

# Test with ldapsearch
ldapsearch -H ldaps://localhost:636 -x -b "dc=testing,dc=local" \
  -D "cn=admin,dc=testing,dc=local" -w admin_password

Troubleshooting

Certificate Errors

If you see TLS/SSL errors in the logs:

1. Verify the certificate hostname matches ldap.testing.local
2. Check that all three files are present and readable
3. Ensure the server certificate is signed by the CA
4. Check certificate expiration dates

Container Won't Start

If the container fails to start:

1. Check Docker logs: docker-compose logs openldap
2. Verify file permissions on certificate files
3. Ensure certificates are in PEM format (not DER or other formats)

Security Note

These certificates are for development use only. Never use self-signed or development certificates in production environments.