Secure Client Authentication with LDAP¶

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Considerations
General Prerequisites
Configure LDAP Client Authentication for a Replica Set
Configure LDAP Client Authentication for a Sharded Cluster

Proxying authentication requests to a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service.
Simple and SASL binding to LDAP servers. MongoDB Enterprise can bind to an LDAP server via saslauthd or through the operating system libraries.

To learn more, see the LDAP Proxy Authentication and LDAP Authorization sections in the MongoDB Server documentation.

You can use the Kubernetes Operator to configure LDAP to authenticate your client applications that connect to your MongoDB deployments. This guide describes how to configure LDAP authentication from client applications to your MongoDB deployments.

Note

You can’t secure a Standalone Instance of MongoDB in a Kubernetes cluster.

Considerations¶

To configure LDAP in CustomResourceDefinitions, use the parameters under the spec.security.authentication.ldap and other security LDAP settings specific to the MongoDB Agent, from the Kubernetes Operator MongoDB resource specification. The procedures in this section describe the required settings and provide examples of LDAP configuration.
To improve security, consider deploying a TLS-encrypted replica set or a TLS-encrypted sharded cluster. Encryption with TLS is optional. By default, LDAP traffic is sent as plain text. This means that username and password are exposed to network threats. Many modern directory services, such as Microsoft Active Directory, require encrypted connections. Consider using LDAP over TLS/SSL to encrypt vauthentication requests in your Kubernetes Operator MongoDB deployments.

General Prerequisites¶

Before you configure LDAP authentication for your MongoDB deployments, complete the following tasks:

Ensure that you deploy the MongoDB Enterprise database resource. MongoDB Community databases don’t support LDAP authentication.
Deploy the replica set or deploy the sharded cluster whose client authentication you want to secure with LDAP.

Configure LDAP Client Authentication for a Replica Set¶

1

Copy the sample replica set resource.¶

Change the settings of this YAML file to match your desired replica set configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-replica-set>
spec:
  members: 3
  version: "4.2.2-ent"
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ReplicaSet
  persistent: true

copy

  security:

2

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

3

Configure the LDAP settings for your replica set resource.¶

To enable LDAP in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key	Type and necessity	Description	Example
`spec.security` `.authentication.enabled`	boolean, required	Set to `true` to enable LDAP authentication.	`true`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.bindQueryUser`	string, required	Specify the LDAP Distinguished Name to which MongoDB binds when connecting to the LDAP server.	`cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.bindQueryPasswordSecretRef`	string, required	Specify the name of the secret that contains the LDAP Bind Distinguished Name’s password with which MongoDB binds when connecting to an LDAP server.	`<secret-name>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.caConfigMapRef.name`	string, optional	Add the ConfigMap’s name that stores the custom CA that you used to sign your deployment’s TLS certificates.	`<configmap-name>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.caConfigMapRef.key`	string, optional	Add the field name that stores the CA which validates the LDAP server’s TLS certificate.	`<configmap-key>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.servers`	array of strings, required	Specify the list of `hostname:port` combinations of one or more LDAP servers. For each server, use a separate line.	`<example.com:636>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.transportSecurity`	string, optional	Set to `tls` to use LDAPS (LDAP over TLS). Leave blank if your LDAP server doesn’t accept TLS. You must enable TLS when you deploy the database resource to use this setting.	`tls`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.userToDNMapping`	string, required	Specify the mapping that maps the username provided to `mongod` or `mongos` for authentication to an LDAP Distinguished Name (DN). To learn more, see security.ldap.userToDNMapping and LDAP Query Templates in the MongoDB Server documentation.	`<match: "(.+)",substitution: "uid={0},ou=groups,dc=example,dc=org">`
`spec.security` `.authentication.modes`	string, required	Set to `LDAP` to enable authentication through LDAP.	`LDAP`

The resulting configuration may look similar to the following example:

copy

security:
 authentication:
   enabled: true
   # Enabled LDAP Authentication Mode
   modes:
     - "LDAP"
     - "SCRAM"
     # LDAP related configuration
   ldap:
   # Specify the hostname:port combination of one or
   # more LDAP servers
     servers:
       - "ldap1.example.com:636"
       - "ldap2.example.com:636"

   # Set to "tls" to use LDAP over TLS. Leave blank if
   # the LDAP server doesn't accept TLS. You must enable TLS when you deploy the database resource to use this setting.
   transportSecurity: "tls"

   # If TLS is enabled, add a reference to a ConfigMap that
   # contains a CA certificate that validates the LDAP server's
   # TLS certificate.
   caConfigMapRef:
     name: "<configmap-name>"
     key: "<configmap-entry-key>"

   # Specify the LDAP Distinguished Name to which
   # MongoDB binds when connecting to the LDAP server
   bindQueryUser: "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org"

   # Specify the password with which MongoDB binds
   # when connecting to an LDAP server. This is a
   # reference to a Secret Kubernetes Object containing
   # one "password" key.
   bindQueryPasswordSecretRef:
     name: "<secret-name>"

For a full list of LDAP settings, see security settings in the Kubernetes Operator MongoDB resource specification. Also see the spec.security.authentication.agents.automationUserName setting for the MongoDB Agent user in your LDAP-enabled Kubernetes Operator deployment.

4

Configure the LDAP settings for the MongoDB Agent.¶

Update your MongoDB resource with security settings specific to the Agent, from the Kubernetes Operator MongoDB resource specification. The resulting configuration may look similar to the following example:

copy

security:
  authentication:
    agents:
      automationPasswordSecretRef:
        key: automationConfigPassword
        name: automation-config-password
      automationUserName: mms-automation-agent
      clientCertificateSecretRef:
        name: agent-client-cert
      mode: LDAP
    enabled: true
    ldap:
      bindQueryPasswordSecretRef:
        name: bind-query-password
      bindQueryUser: cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org
      servers:
        - openldap.namespace.svc.cluster.local:389
      userToDNMapping: '[{match: "(.+)",substitution: "uid={0},ou=groups,dc=example,dc=org"}]'
    modes:
      - LDAP
      - SCRAM
    requireClientTLSAuthentication: false

5

Save your replica set config file.¶

6

Apply your changes to your replica set deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update your replica set:

copy

kubectl apply -f <replica-set-conf>.yaml

7

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when the configuration changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshoot the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

Configure LDAP Client Authentication for a Sharded Cluster¶

1

Copy the sample sharded cluster resource.¶

Change the settings of this YAML file to match your desired sharded cluster configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-sharded-cluster>
spec:
  shardCount: 2
  mongodsPerShardCount: 3
  mongosCount: 2
  configServerCount: 3
  version: "4.2.2-ent"
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ShardedCluster
  persistent: true

copy

  security:

2

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

3

Configure the LDAP settings for your sharded cluster resource.¶

To enable LDAP in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key	Type and necessity	Description	Example
`spec.security` `.authentication.enabled`	boolean, required	Set to `true` to enable LDAP authentication.	`true`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.bindQueryUser`	string, required	Specify the LDAP Distinguished Name to which MongoDB binds when connecting to the LDAP server.	`cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.bindQueryPasswordSecretRef`	string, required	Specify the name of the secret that contains the LDAP Bind Distinguished Name’s password with which MongoDB binds when connecting to an LDAP server.	`<secret-name>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.caConfigMapRef.name`	string, optional	Add the ConfigMap’s name that stores the custom CA that you used to sign your deployment’s TLS certificates.	`<configmap-name>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.caConfigMapRef.key`	string, optional	Add the field name that stores the CA which validates the LDAP server’s TLS certificate.	`<configmap-key>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.servers`	array of strings, required	Specify the list of `hostname:port` combinations of one or more LDAP servers. For each server, use a separate line.	`<example.com:636>`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.transportSecurity`	string, optional	Set to `tls` to use LDAPS (LDAP over TLS). Leave blank if your LDAP server doesn’t accept TLS. You must enable TLS when you deploy the database resource to use this setting.	`tls`
`spec.security` `.authentication.ldap.userToDNMapping`	string, required	Specify the mapping that maps the username provided to `mongod` or `mongos` for authentication to an LDAP Distinguished Name (DN). To learn more, see security.ldap.userToDNMapping and LDAP Query Templates in the MongoDB Server documentation.	`<match: "(.+)",substitution: "uid={0},ou=groups,dc=example,dc=org">`
`spec.security` `.authentication.modes`	string, required	Set to `LDAP` to enable authentication through LDAP.	`LDAP`

The resulting configuration may look similar to the following example:

copy

security:
 authentication:
   enabled: true
   # Enabled LDAP Authentication Mode
   modes:
     - "LDAP"
     - "SCRAM"
     # LDAP related configuration
   ldap:
   # Specify the hostname:port combination of one or
   # more LDAP servers
     servers:
       - "ldap1.example.com:636"
       - "ldap2.example.com:636"

   # Set to "tls" to use LDAP over TLS. Leave blank if
   # the LDAP server doesn't accept TLS. You must enable TLS when you deploy the database resource to use this setting.
   transportSecurity: "tls"

   # If TLS is enabled, add a reference to a ConfigMap that
   # contains a CA certificate that validates the LDAP server's
   # TLS certificate.
   caConfigMapRef:
     name: "<configmap-name>"
     key: "<configmap-entry-key>"

   # Specify the LDAP Distinguished Name to which
   # MongoDB binds when connecting to the LDAP server
   bindQueryUser: "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org"

   # Specify the password with which MongoDB binds
   # when connecting to an LDAP server. This is a
   # reference to a Secret Kubernetes Object containing
   # one "password" key.
   bindQueryPasswordSecretRef:
     name: "<secret-name>"

For a full list of LDAP settings, see security settings in the Kubernetes Operator MongoDB resource specification. Also see the spec.security.authentication.agents.automationUserName setting for the MongoDB Agent user in your LDAP-enabled Kubernetes Operator deployment.

4

Configure the LDAP settings for the MongoDB Agent.¶

Update your MongoDB resource with security settings specific to the Agent, from the Kubernetes Operator MongoDB resource specification. The resulting configuration may look similar to the following example:

copy

security:
  authentication:
    agents:
      automationPasswordSecretRef:
        key: automationConfigPassword
        name: automation-config-password
      automationUserName: mms-automation-agent
      clientCertificateSecretRef:
        name: agent-client-cert
      mode: LDAP
    enabled: true
    ldap:
      bindQueryPasswordSecretRef:
        name: bind-query-password
      bindQueryUser: cn=admin,dc=example,dc=org
      servers:
        - openldap.namespace.svc.cluster.local:389
      userToDNMapping: '[{match: "(.+)",substitution: "uid={0},ou=groups,dc=example,dc=org"}]'
    modes:
      - LDAP
      - SCRAM
    requireClientTLSAuthentication: false

5

Save your sharded cluster config file.¶

6

Apply your changes to your sharded cluster deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update your sharded cluster:

copy

kubectl apply -f <sharded-cluster-conf>.yaml

7

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when the configuration changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshoot the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.