Which protocol is the Active Directory protocol used to access data from the database?

• A. LDAP
• B. FTP
• C. HTTP
• D. SNMP

Answer: (A)

LDAP is the protocol Active Directory uses to access its directory data. Active Directory acts as a directory service storing objects like users, groups, and computers, and LDAP (the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) provides the standard way to query and modify that information. It supports operations such as binding (authenticating), searching for objects, comparing attributes, and adding, modifying, or deleting entries, all over a network connection. This makes LDAP the natural mechanism for reading and updating the directory data stored by AD.

In contrast, FTP is for transferring files, HTTP is for web communication, and SNMP is for network management and monitoring. Those protocols aren’t designed to access the directory database used by Active Directory, which is why LDAP is the correct choice for accessing AD’s data.