Convert LDAP LDIF exports to CSV

About this tool

This converter turns an LDAP LDIF export into a CSV table. Each dn: entry becomes one row, attribute names become columns, and the output is quoted as normal CSV so it opens cleanly in spreadsheet tools or feeds into command-line data pipelines.

It understands the LDIF details that break simple split(':') scripts: optional version: 1 headers, # comments, blank-line record separation, folded continuation lines, base64 values (attr:: ...), URL references (attr:< ...), repeated attributes such as objectClass and memberOf, and change records with changetype: modify protocol lines.

Everything runs locally in your browser. attr:< references are kept as reference text; the tool does not fetch files or contact an LDAP server.

Worked example

Input LDIF:

dn: uid=ada,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: person
cn: Ada Lovelace
mail: [email protected]

dn: uid=bo,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com
objectClass: top
cn: Bo Diaz
mail: [email protected]

With the default options, repeated objectClass values are joined with |:

dn,objectClass,cn,mail
"uid=ada,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com",top|person,Ada Lovelace,[email protected]
"uid=bo,ou=people,dc=example,dc=com",top,Bo Diaz,[email protected]

Set Repeated attributes to Numbered columns when you need one column per value (objectClass, objectClass.2, ...), or fill Columns to force a stable subset and order such as cn,mail,telephoneNumber.

Base64 and URL values

LDIF uses :: when a value needs base64 encoding, often because it starts with a space, includes non-ASCII text, or is binary. With Decode base64 text values on, valid UTF-8 becomes readable text; binary bytes stay as the original base64 so the CSV remains valid. Turn the option off to keep every :: value encoded.

For URL values such as jpegPhoto:< file:///tmp/photo.jpg, the reference URL is written to the cell. The converter never fetches the URL.

Limits and edge cases

• Up to 50,000 entries per paste; split very large exports and convert them in parts.
• max_indexed accepts 1–50. In indexed mode, values beyond the cap are joined into the final indexed column rather than silently dropped.
• Attribute names are matched case-insensitively; the header keeps the first spelling seen in the file.
• Missing attributes become empty cells. An explicit empty value (mail:) also becomes an empty cell.
• Change-file protocol keywords (add, replace, delete, separator -, and related lines) are not data columns. Enable Include changetype column to keep the operation name itself.
• This is a text converter, not an LDAP client. It does not connect to a directory, follow referrals, or apply schema-specific formatting for GUID/SID/timestamp attributes.

FAQ