What is Active Directory?

Active Directory abstracts the capabilities of directory services from different network providers to present a single set of directory service interfaces for managing network resources. The standard Active Directory objects are those found within multiple namespaces. The typical namespaces for Active Directory are directory services for various network operating systems. Administrators and developers can use Active Directory services to enumerate and manage the resources in a directory service, no matter which network environment contains the resource.

Active Directory makes it easier to perform common administrative tasks, such as adding new users, managing printers, and locating resources throughout the distributed computing environment.

Active Directory makes it easy for developers to "directory enable" their applications. Administrators and developers deal with a single set of directory service interfaces—regardless of the installed directory service(s).

Active Directory is one component of the Windows® Open Services Architecture (WOSA) Open Directory Service Interfaces (ODSI).