The Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI) is a Java API for a directory service that allows Java software clients to discover and look up data and resources (in the form of Java objects) via a name. Like all Java APIs that interface with host systems, JNDI is independent of the underlying implementation. Additionally, it specifies a service provider interface (SPI) that allows directory service implementations to be plugged into the framework. The information looked up via JNDI may be supplied by a server, a flat file, or a database; the choice is up to the implementation used.

Typical uses of JNDI include:

The Java RMI and Java EE APIs use the JNDI API to look up objects in a network.

The API provides:

The SPI portion allows support for practically any kind of naming or directory service, including:

Sun Microsystems first released the JNDI specification on March 10, 1997. As of 2006^[update], the current version is JNDI 1.2.

JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface) organizes its names into a hierarchy. A name can be any string such as "com.example.ejb.MyBean". A name can also be an object that implements the Name interface; however, a string is the most common way to name an object. A name is bound to an object in the directory by storing either the object or a reference to the object in the directory service identified by the name.

The JNDI API defines a context that specifies where to look for an object. The initial context is typically used as a starting point.