Certificate to use for LDAPS in Python Lambda

Hi

When connecting to LDAPS (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol with Secure Sockets Layer) in your Python Lambda function to manage AWS Directory Service users, you'll need a valid certificate to establish a secure connection.

Two Main Certificate Scenarios:

Publicly Trusted Certificate:

If your Directory Service uses a certificate issued by a well-known Certificate Authority (CA) like DigiCert or Let's Encrypt, things are straightforward. The ldap module in your Lambda code will automatically handle certificate validation during the connection process. You don't need to provide any specific certificate information in your code.

Self-Signed or Private CA Certificate:

If your Directory Service uses a self-signed certificate (created by your organization) or one issued by a private CA that's not publicly trusted, you'll need to provide the certificate data to your Lambda function:

1. Package the Certificate:

Include the certificate file (PEM format) in your Lambda deployment package. You can either store it directly within your code directory or in a separate directory (e.g., certificates). In your Lambda code, read the certificate data using techniques like with open('path/to/certificate.pem', 'rb') as f: cert_data = f.read().

2. Use AWS Secrets Manager (Recommended): Store the certificate data securely in AWS Secrets Manager, a service designed to safeguard sensitive information like passwords and certificates. Retrieve the certificate data from Secrets Manager using the AWS SDK for Python within your Lambda function.

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/securely-retrieving-secrets-with-aws-lambda/