blabing 0.2.1

Building a convenient CLI on top of LDAP3

Trying to obtain a decent openLDAP shell with scripting abilities by piggybacking IPython bringing history and documentation as a bonus, as well as python module to have an easy installation.

This project is a Dirty Hack.

How it works

All required files (including the tls pem/key for localhost at 127.0.0.1) are available here

example:

# activate your virtual env
python3 -mpip install blabing
# standalone ldap server for tests
standalone_ldap.sh slap
# calling bla with credentials for this server, and calling test.bla
# which creates ou=people,dc=home and create 3 users there
cat bla.test
 ldap.add("dc=home", [ "dcObject", "organization", "top"], dict(dc="home", o="home"))
 ldap.add("ou=people,dc=home",  'organizationalUnit', dict(ou="people"))
 [ user_add(i) for i in ( "boss", "manager", "louis" ) ]
 ldap.add("ou=group,dc=home",  'organizationalUnit', dict(ou="group"))
 ldap.add("cn=staff,ou=group,dc=home",  ['top', "groupOfNames"],attributes= dict(member=["uid=boss,ou=people,dc=home" ]))
 search("(uid=boss)", attributes="memberOf")
 list(walk("dc=home",lambda e:e.entry_dn))
 pe(get("uid=boss,ou=people,dc=home"))
 password("uid=boss,ou=people,dc=home")
 pe(get("uid=boss,ou=people,dc=home"))

bla bla.no_tls.json test.bla

# fill in a password has demanded
# try ldapvi("uid=boss") in the IPython shell
# exit

# browse the tree
lhl bla.no_tls.json
firefox http://127.0.0.1:5001

You should be focusing on the tree not on the options of the command line tools.

Synopsis

LDAP is a great extensible key/value storage with security in mind. It’s a great tool with a terrible User Experience when it comes to the tooling especially with openLDAP.

Why people (as I) are reluctant to use it ?

First problem CLI: tools

• without kerberos CLI tools implies either to type password for every operations (search, add modify) or have it in seeable in history (if you don’t use secrets my bash tool to solve this problem);

• who can remember what -b, -x, -W, -w, -s means ? CLI becames unreadable.

Why not have create a DSL? (Domain specific language)

We also want history since we often make the same operation over and over again.

BLA is an experimentation at brewing your own tooling for openLDAP

standalone_ldap.sh a standalone LDAP server to experiment locally. bla a CLI tools using ipython for history, completion and documentation lhl a web explorer

Design choices

• GCU style to make a usable prototype illustrating the indented behaviour fast;

• using an implicit local or global configuration to setup the ldap access/options;

• helpers to recursively search for any entries bypassing the 500 items limits

• COLORS because life is too short to have a monotone CLI (but actually does have it has a fallback mode)