FreeIPA
| Company type | Open source |
|---|---|
| Industry | Identity management software |
Area served | Linux, Unix-like, Windows, macOS |
| Products | Identity management system |
| Owner | Red Hat |
| Website | www |
FreeIPA is an open-source identity management system available at no cost. It functions as the foundational open-source project behind Red Hat Identity Management.
Overview
FreeIPA delivers a unified platform for managing identities, security policies, and auditing (IPA) from a central location. The system integrates several key technologies including Fedora Linux, 389 Directory Server, MIT's implementation of Kerberos, NTP, DNS, the Dogtag certificate authority, and SSSD. It supports multiple extensible interfaces such as command-line tools, a web-based UI, XMLRPC and JSONRPC APIs, and a Python SDK for its built-in CA and DNS server, which is based on BIND enhanced with a custom plugin. Each core element remains an independent open-source project; FreeIPA aggregates these components under the GPLv3 license without modifying their original licensing terms.
Beginning with version 3.0.0, FreeIPA incorporates Samba to facilitate integration with Microsoft's Active Directory through Cross Forest Trust relationships. The platform is compatible with Linux, other Unix-like operating systems, Windows, and Mac OS X environments.
Software components
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Fedora Linux | Operating system based on Linux |
| 389 Directory Server | Implementation of LDAP |
| MIT's Kerberos 5 | Provides authentication and supports single sign-on |
| ntpd | Implements network time synchronization protocol |
| Apache HTTP Server | Framework for the web-based user interface and management |
| Python | Framework for management functionality |
| DogTag | PKI certificate authority system |
Popular plugins
| Plugin | Description |
|---|---|
| Fleet Commander | A desktop configuration utility integrated with Cockpit and SSSD, which stores profile templates within FreeIPA's LDAP directory. It serves a similar role to Microsoft Windows's Group Policy Objects. |
See also
- List of LDAP software
- Active Directory
- Apple Open Directory
- Identity management
- List of single sign-on implementations