Editing Directory service (section)

{{Short description|Service that maps the names of network resources to their respective network addresses}}
In [[computing]], a '''directory service''' or '''name service''' maps the names of network resources to their respective [[network address]]es. It is a shared information infrastructure for locating, managing, administering and organizing everyday items and network resources, which can include volumes, folders, files, printers, users, groups, devices, telephone numbers and other objects. A directory service is a critical component of a [[network operating system]]. A '''directory server''' or [[name server]] is a [[Server (computing)|server]] which provides such a service. Each resource on the network is considered an [[Object (computer science)|object]] by the directory server. Information about a particular resource is stored as a collection of [[Attribute (computing)|attributes]] associated with that resource or object.

A directory service defines a [[namespace]] for the network. The namespace is used to assign a ''name'' (unique identifier) to each of the objects. Directories typically have a set of rules determining how network resources are named and identified, which usually includes a requirement that the identifiers be [[Unique identifier|unique]] and [[unambiguous]]. When using a directory service, a user does not have to remember the physical address of a network resource; providing a name locates the resource. Some directory services include [[access control]] provisions, limiting the availability of directory information to [[Authorization|authorized users]].