> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/plugins/authentication-plugins/authentication-with-pluggable-authentication-modules-pam.md).

# Authentication with Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)

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[Authentication Plugin - PAM](/docs/server/reference/plugins/authentication-plugins/authentication-with-pluggable-authentication-modules-pam/authentication-plugin-pam.md)
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The PAM authentication plugin delegates password validation to the operating system's PAM framework, enabling integration with LDAP, Kerberos, and other services.
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[Configuring PAM Authentication and User Mapping with LDAP Authentication](/docs/server/reference/plugins/authentication-plugins/authentication-with-pluggable-authentication-modules-pam/configuring-pam-authentication-and-user-mapping-with-ldap-authentication.md)
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Learn to configure the PAM plugin to authenticate users via LDAP and map LDAP groups to MariaDB accounts using the pam\_user\_map module.
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[Configuring PAM Authentication and User Mapping with Unix Authentication](/docs/server/reference/plugins/authentication-plugins/authentication-with-pluggable-authentication-modules-pam/configuring-pam-authentication-and-user-mapping-with-unix-authentication.md)
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This guide shows how to authenticate database users using local Unix accounts and map Unix groups to MariaDB users with the PAM plugin.
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[User and Group Mapping with PAM](/docs/server/reference/plugins/authentication-plugins/authentication-with-pluggable-authentication-modules-pam/user-and-group-mapping-with-pam.md)
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The pam\_user\_map PAM module allows administrators to map external PAM users and groups to specific MariaDB accounts for flexible authorization management.
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