Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft technology used to manage computers and other devices on a network. It allows users to build a scalable and centralized Windows network. Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) are the core functions in Active Directory that manage users and computers and allow sysadmins to organize the data into logical hierarchies. Active Directory comprises of various services that work on the windows server and manage the access and permissions to the resourced network.

Domain services is the main service of the active directory that comprises of information of directory and communicated between the users and domain. AD DS provides for security certificates, Single Sign-On (SSO), LDAP, and rights management. A server running Active Directory Domain Service (AD DS) is called a domain controller. It authenticates and authorizes all users and computers in a Windows domain type network—assigning and enforcing security policies for all computers and installing or updating software.