Compare options for syncing directories

Google Cloud Directory Sync (GCDS) runs on premises, in your server environment. Use GCDS to synchronize your Google users, groups, and shared contacts to match the information in your LDAP server. Learn more about GCDS.

Directory Sync is a newer version of GCDS which is cloud-based and has different features. Directory Sync is in public beta and can be used alone or with Inbound SCIM. Learn more about Directory sync (beta).

Inbound SCIM lets you sync your Google Workspace directory with any SCIM-compatible identity providers (IdP), HR systems (HRIS), or other custom applications. Inbound SCIM can be used alone or with Directory Sync. Learn more about Inbound SCIM.

Compare features

Feature	GCDS	Directory Sync	Inbound SCIM
Hardware & software installation required?	Yes, requires on-premises software.	No, Directory Sync is a cloud-based solution.	No, Inbound SCIM is a cloud-based solution.
External directory support	Supports all LDAP-compliant directories, including Active Directory and OpenLDAP.	Supports Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).	Supported by most major IdPs, HRIS, or custom applications that support the SCIM 2.0 standard.
How it connects to the external server	Usually resides on the same network as your LDAP server.	AD—Uses Cloud VPN or Cloud Interconnect to access your on-premises LDAP server. Alternatively, you can host your LDAP server using Google Compute Engine. For more information, go to Supported network connections. Azure AD—Uses the administrator's Microsoft credentials to connect. Admin must have the Global Administrator role.	SCIM automates user provisioning using an open-standard protocol based on REST using JSON payloads transmitted over HTTP(S). Google Cloud identity exposes SCIM APIs, and external systems act as SCIM clients.
Types of data synced	Users (including admins), groups, calendar resources, external contacts, passwords. Go to What is synced?	Non-admin users and groups	Users and groups
Able to sync from multiple external sources?	No	AD—Supports syncing from multiple directories. Azure AD—Supports syncing from only one directory.	Yes
Complexity of set up	Can be highly complex, depending on your organization's needs	Simplified setup using your Google Admin console	Simplified setup using your Google Admin console
Frequency of sync	Configurable by administrator. Requires third-party scheduling software to automate syncs.	Full sync starts one hour after the previous sync finishes. This interval can't be altered.	SCIM is a push-based sync that depends on the frequency of SCIM client API requests.
Troubleshooting & logging	Might need to compile log files from multiple servers.	Centralized reporting in the Google Admin console. You can filter, search, and set custom alerts.	Centralized reporting in the Google Admin console. You can review errors in the API responses.
User attribute mapping	You can map: Up to 35 system attributes. Custom attributes.	You can map the following attributes: First name. Last name. Email address. Recovery phone number. Recovery email address.	See SCIM API documentation for mapping details.
Organizational unit mapping	Automatically places users in designated organizational units.	Users can be mapped to a specified organizational unit.	Not available

Related topics

• About Google Cloud Directory Sync
• Get started with Directory Sync
• Get started with Inbound SCIM

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