Skip to main content
Connection profiles let you save frequently-used LDAP connections and organize them into folders for easy access.

​
Profiles Layout

Press F1 at any time to switch to the profiles layout. The profiles layout has two panels: 
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Profiles Tree          │ Profile Detail             │
│                        │                            │
│ 📁 Production          │ Name: Production LDAP      │
│   └─ [Prod Main]       │ Host: ldap.example.com     │
│ 📁 Staging             │ Port: 389                  │
│   └─ [Staging]         │ TLS Mode: auto             │
│ 📁 Development         │ Bind DN: cn=admin,dc=...   │
│   ├─ [Dev Local]       │ Base DN: dc=example,dc=com │
│   └─ [Dev Docker]      │                            │
│ [Test Server]          │ [c] Connect  [e] Edit      │
│                        │                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Profiles are stored in ~/.config/loom-ldapbrowser/config.toml and loaded automatically on startup.

​
Creating Profiles

1

Open Profiles Layout

Press F1 to switch to the profiles view.
2

Press n

Press n to create a new profile.A connection form appears.
3

Fill in Details

Enter connection details:
  • Name - Display name for the profile
  • Host - LDAP server hostname
  • Port - Port number (default: 389)
  • Bind DN - Authentication DN
  • Base DN - Starting point for browsing
  • TLS Mode - Encryption method (press F2 to cycle)
  • Credential Method - Password storage (press F3 to cycle)
  • Folder - Organization folder (optional)
Use Tab / Shift+Tab to move between fields.
4

Save Profile

Press F10 or Ctrl+Enter to save.The profile appears in the profiles tree.

​
Editing Profiles

1

Select Profile

Navigate to the profile in the profiles tree using j/k or arrow keys.
2

Press e

Press e to edit the profile.The connection form appears with current values.
3

Modify Fields

Change any fields as needed.
4

Save Changes

Press F10 or Ctrl+Enter to save.Press Esc to cancel without saving.
Changes to profiles are saved to config.toml immediately.

​
Connecting to Profiles

There are several ways to connect to a saved profile:

​
From Profiles Layout

  1. Press F1 to open profiles
  2. Navigate to a profile
  3. Press c to connect
The connection opens in a new tab in the browser layout.

​
From Connection Dialog

  1. Press F2 to open the connection dialog
  2. Select a profile from the list
  3. Press c to connect

​
Auto-Connect on Startup

The first profile in your config file connects automatically: 
[[connections]]
name = "Default Server"
host = "ldap.example.com"
# ... other settings ...
To disable auto-connect, remove all profiles from the config file or use the --no-auto-connect flag (if available).

​
Organizing with Folders

Group related profiles into folders for better organization:

​
Creating Folder Structure

Set the folder field when creating or editing a profile: 
[[connections]]
name = "Production LDAP"
host = "ldap.prod.example.com"
folder = "Production"

[[connections]]
name = "Staging LDAP"
host = "ldap.staging.example.com"
folder = "Production/Staging"

[[connections]]
name = "Dev Local"
host = "localhost"
folder = "Development"
This creates: 
📁 Production
  └─ [Production LDAP]
  └─ 📁 Staging
      └─ [Staging LDAP]
📁 Development
  └─ [Dev Local]

​
Nested Folders

Use forward slashes / to create nested folder hierarchies: 
folder = "Customers/ACME Corp/Production"
Results in: 
📁 Customers
  └─ 📁 ACME Corp
      └─ 📁 Production
          └─ [Profile Name]

​
Folder Descriptions

Add descriptions to folders for documentation: 
[[folders]]
path = "Production"
description = "Production LDAP servers - handle with care"

[[folders]]
path = "Development"
description = "Local development and testing servers"
Descriptions appear in the detail panel when a folder is selected.
Folders are created automatically based on profile folder fields. You don’t need to define them separately unless you want to add descriptions.

​
Deleting Profiles

Deleting a profile removes it from your config file permanently.
1

Select Profile

Navigate to the profile in the profiles tree.
2

Press Delete

Press d or Delete.
3

Confirm Deletion

A confirmation dialog appears. Press y to confirm or n to cancel.
The profile is removed from the tree and from config.toml.
Deleting a profile does not affect any open connections. Existing tabs remain open until you close them.

​
Exporting Profiles

Export profiles to share with others or create backups:
1

Open Profiles Layout

Press F1.
2

Press x

Press x to open the export dialog.
3

Select Profiles

A list of all profiles appears with checkboxes.
  • Use j/k to navigate
  • Press Space to toggle selection
  • Press a to select all
4

Enter Filename

Enter the output filename (e.g., profiles-backup.toml).
5

Export

Press Enter to export.Selected profiles are written to the file in TOML format.
Exported file format: 
[[connections]]
name = "Production LDAP"
host = "ldap.example.com"
port = 389
tls_mode = "auto"
bind_dn = "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com"
base_dn = "dc=example,dc=com"
credential_method = "prompt"
folder = "Production"

[[connections]]
name = "Staging"
# ...
Passwords are never exported. Recipients will need to configure their own credentials.

​
Importing Profiles

Import profiles from TOML files:
1

Open Profiles Layout

Press F1.
2

Press i

Press i to open the import dialog.
3

Enter Filename

Enter the path to the TOML file to import.
4

Review Profiles

A list of profiles from the file appears with checkboxes.
  • Use Space to select profiles to import
  • Press a to select all
5

Import

Press Enter to import selected profiles.Profiles are added to your config and appear in the tree.
If an imported profile has the same name as an existing profile, the import will ask how to handle conflicts (skip, overwrite, or rename).

​
Profile Fields Reference

​
Required Fields

FieldDescriptionExample
nameDisplay name"Production LDAP"
hostServer hostname"ldap.example.com"

​
Optional Fields

FieldDefaultDescription
port389LDAP port number
tls_mode"auto"Encryption: auto, ldaps, starttls, none
bind_dn(none)Authentication DN
base_dn(none)Starting point for browsing
credential_method"prompt"Password method: prompt, command, keychain, vault
password_command(none)Shell command for command method
page_size500Entries per page
timeout_secs30Connection timeout
relax_rulesfalseRelax LDAP protocol rules
read_onlyfalsePrevent modifications
folder(none)Organization folder path
offlinefalseUse offline demo mode

​
Profile Templates

​
OpenLDAP Server

[[connections]]
name = "OpenLDAP Production"
host = "ldap.example.com"
port = 389
tls_mode = "starttls"
bind_dn = "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com"
base_dn = "dc=example,dc=com"
credential_method = "keychain"
page_size = 500

​
Active Directory

[[connections]]
name = "Active Directory"
host = "ad.example.com"
port = 389
tls_mode = "auto"
bind_dn = "[email protected]"
base_dn = "DC=example,DC=com"
credential_method = "prompt"
page_size = 1000

​
Read-Only Access

[[connections]]
name = "Production (Read-Only)"
host = "ldap.example.com"
port = 389
tls_mode = "ldaps"
bind_dn = "cn=readonly,dc=example,dc=com"
base_dn = "dc=example,dc=com"
credential_method = "command"
password_command = "pass show ldap/readonly"
read_only = true

​
Local Development

[[connections]]
name = "Local Dev"
host = "localhost"
port = 389
tls_mode = "none"
bind_dn = "cn=admin,dc=local,dc=dev"
base_dn = "dc=local,dc=dev"
credential_method = "prompt"
folder = "Development"

​
Offline Demo

[[connections]]
name = "Demo Mode"
host = "localhost"
offline = true
folder = "Demo"
Offline mode uses an in-memory demo directory. Perfect for testing Loom’s features without a real server.

​
Configuration File Location

Profiles are stored in:
  • Linux: ~/.config/loom-ldapbrowser/config.toml
  • macOS: ~/.config/loom-ldapbrowser/config.toml
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\loom-ldapbrowser\config.toml
You can edit the file directly with a text editor, or use the profiles interface.
If you edit config.toml manually while Loom is running, restart the application to reload changes.

​
Profiles Navigation Reference

KeyAction
j / k / ↓ / ↑Navigate tree
l / →Expand folder or view profile
h / ←Collapse folder
cConnect to profile
eEdit profile
nCreate new profile
d / DeleteDelete profile
xExport profiles
iImport profiles
SpaceContext menu
Esc / F1Return to browser layout

​
Tips and Best Practices

Create top-level folders for each environment:
📁 Production
📁 Staging  
📁 Development
📁 Testing
This makes it easy to find the right server and avoid mistakes.
Include purpose or location in profile names:✅ Good: “Production LDAP (US-East)”, “Dev - Local Docker”❌ Bad: “Server1”, “Test”
Add read-only mode to production profiles where you only need to browse:
read_only = true
Prevents accidental modifications.
Set base_dn to the most common starting point:For user management:
base_dn = "ou=users,dc=example,dc=com"
This speeds up browsing and limits scope.
Regularly export profiles to a backup file:
cp ~/.config/loom-ldapbrowser/config.toml ~/backups/loom-config-$(date +%Y%m%d).toml

​
Next Steps

Authentication

Configure credential methods for profiles

Connecting

Learn about connection methods and TLS modes

Configuration

Complete configuration file reference

Browsing

Navigate connected directories

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us