Lightweight Directory Access Protocol - standard for accessing and maintaining distributed directory services. Like a phone book service for computer networks that helps find users and resources.
Companies use LDAP to manage employee directories and authenticate users across different applications.
LDAP is a protocol, not a cloud product. In practice, LDAP is commonly provided by directory servers such as Microsoft Active Directory or OpenLDAP. AWS Directory Service, Azure AD DS, and Google Managed AD provide managed Microsoft AD that supports LDAP/LDAPS for directory lookups and (in many cases) authentication. OCI IAM is primarily an IAM service (not a full LDAP directory); OCI commonly integrates with external LDAP/AD or uses federation rather than offering a native managed LDAP directory.