LDAP stands for lightweight directory access protocol and is precisely defined in RFC 4511 (https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4511). The protocol evolved as a spin-off from the more comprehensive (but ultimately unwieldy) X.500 DAP (Directory Access Protocol) that was produced by a consortium of telecommunications companies known as the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) in concert with ISO (International Standards Organization) in the 1980s. Simply put, the original idea was to provide a global digital equivalent of the traditional phone book, which is bulky, expensive to produce and distribute, and generally out of date the moment it's printed.
Because the X.500 specifications were so unwieldy, and were further complicated ...
