spring-projects/spring-security · error · ApplicationContextException

Couldn't locate: org.springframework.ldap.core.support.BaseL

Error message

Couldn't locate: org.springframework.ldap.core.support.BaseLdapPathContextSource. If you are using LDAP with Spring Security, please ensure that you include the spring-ldap jar file in your application

What it means

getContextSourceClass() loads org.springframework.ldap.core.support.BaseLdapPathContextSource reflectively. If spring-ldap is not on the classpath the class cannot be found, and an ApplicationContextException (wrapping ClassNotFoundException) is thrown since LDAP support cannot function without it.

Source

Thrown at config/src/main/java/org/springframework/security/config/ldap/ContextSourceSettingPostProcessor.java:75

					+ "added an <" + Elements.LDAP_SERVER + " /> element to your application context? If you have "
					+ "declared an explicit bean, do not use lazy-init");
		}
		if (!bf.containsBean(BeanIds.CONTEXT_SOURCE) && this.defaultNameRequired) {
			if (sources.length > 1) {
				throw new ApplicationContextException("More than one BaseLdapPathContextSource instance found. "
						+ "Please specify a specific server id using the 'server-ref' attribute when configuring your <"
						+ Elements.LDAP_PROVIDER + "> " + "or <" + Elements.LDAP_USER_SERVICE + ">.");
			}
			bf.registerAlias(sources[0], BeanIds.CONTEXT_SOURCE);
		}
	}

	private Class<?> getContextSourceClass() throws LinkageError {
		try {
			return ClassUtils.forName(REQUIRED_CONTEXT_SOURCE_CLASS_NAME, ClassUtils.getDefaultClassLoader());
		}
		catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
			throw new ApplicationContextException("Couldn't locate: " + REQUIRED_CONTEXT_SOURCE_CLASS_NAME + ". "
					+ " If you are using LDAP with Spring Security, please ensure that you include the spring-ldap "
					+ "jar file in your application", ex);
		}
	}

	public void setDefaultNameRequired(boolean defaultNameRequired) {
		this.defaultNameRequired = defaultNameRequired;
	}

	@Override
	public int getOrder() {
		return LOWEST_PRECEDENCE;
	}

}

View on GitHub (pinned to 96852e8860)

Solutions

Add spring-ldap-core to dependencies (e.g. org.springframework.ldap:spring-ldap-core).
Verify the dependency isn't marked with a scope/feature that excludes it from the runtime classpath (e.g. 'provided' in a war).
If LDAP is not used, remove the LDAP configuration elements so the post-processor never runs.

Example fix

// before
<!-- pom.xml: spring-security-config only -->

// after
<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.ldap</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-ldap-core</artifactId>
</dependency>

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

try {
  ClassUtils.forName("org.springframework.ldap.core.support.BaseLdapPathContextSource",
      ClassUtils.getDefaultClassLoader());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
  throw new IllegalStateException("Add spring-ldap-core to the classpath", ex);
}

Try / catch

try { enableLdap(); }
catch (ApplicationContextException e) {
  if (e.getMessage().contains("Couldn't locate")) addSpringLdapDependency();
}

Prevention

Add spring-ldap-core whenever any LDAP XML element is used
Check dependency tree (mvn dependency:tree) for spring-ldap
Remove unused LDAP config elements instead of leaving them half-configured

When it happens

Trigger: Any LDAP configuration (<ldap-server/>, <ldap-authentication-provider/>, <ldap-user-service/>) present while the spring-ldap-core jar is absent from the application classpath.

Common situations: Using spring-security-config LDAP XML namespace without adding the spring-ldap dependency; Maven/Gradle dependency scope wrong (provided/test) so it's missing at runtime; upgrading Spring Security which requires newer spring-ldap.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of spring-projects/spring-security@96852e8860 (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3e79146083efea1b. Report an issue: GitHub.