---
layout: docs
page_title: Account resource
description: >-
  Learn about using the accounts resource to establish the identities of users. Understand how to configure general, password, and LDAP account attributes.
---

# Accounts

An account is a resource
that represents a unique set of credentials
issued from a configured [auth method][]
which can be used to establish the identity of a user.
A [user][] can have zero or more accounts
but an account can only belong to a single user.
An account can only be associated with a user
in the same scope as the account's [auth method][].

## Attributes

All account types have the following configurable attributes:

- `name` - (optional)
  If set, the `name` must be unique within the account's [auth method][].

- `description` - (optional)

### Password account attributes

Password account types have the following additional attributes:

- `login_name` - (required)
  Must be unique within the account's [auth method][].
  Can only contain lower case letters.

- `password` - (optional)
  Not setting the `password` disables the account.

### LDAP account attributes

LDAP account types have the following additional attributes:

- `login_name` - (required)
  Must be unique within the account's [auth method][].
  Can only contain lower case letters.

- `full_name` - (output only)
  Maps to the name attribute for the authenticated user, and is updated every
  time the user successfully authenticates. It is empty until the user's
  first successful authentication.

- `email` - (output only)
  Maps to the email address attribute for the authenticated user, and is updated
  every time the user successfully authenticates. It is empty until the
  user's first successful authentication.

- `dn` - (output only)
  Maps to the distinguished name for the authenticated user, and is updated
  every time the user successfully authenticates. It is empty until the
  user's first successful authentication.

- `member_of_groups` - (output only)
  A list of the groups the authenticated user is a member of. It is empty
  until the user's first successful authentication.

## Referenced by

- [Auth Method][]
- [Managed Group][]
- [User][]

[auth method]: /boundary/docs/concepts/domain-model/auth-methods
[managed group]: /boundary/docs/concepts/domain-model/managed-groups
[user]: /boundary/docs/concepts/domain-model/users

## Service API docs

The following services are relevant to this resource:

- [Account Service](/boundary/api-docs/account-service)