> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.iru.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Directory overview

> The authoritative record of your people: users, the profile attributes that describe them, and the groups you organize them into.

The **Directory** is where you manage who your people are. It holds your
**users**, the **profile attributes** that describe each one, and the **groups**
you organize them into. Everything else in Iru Identity builds on the directory:
applications grant access to its users and groups, and authentication policies
decide how those users sign in.

In the dashboard, the Directory brings these sections together:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Users" icon="user" href="/en/identity/directory/users">
    Each user in your organization, with a profile, a status, and a record of
    how they were added.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schema" icon="table-list" href="/en/identity/directory/schema">
    The schema of built-in and custom fields that every user profile can hold.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Groups" icon="users" href="/en/identity/directory/groups">
    Collections of users you assign access to as a unit (manual, built-in, or
    auto.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Auto Groups" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/en/identity/directory/auto-groups">
    Groups whose membership is computed from an attribute and stays current on
    its own.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Importing users" icon="file-arrow-up" href="/en/identity/directory/importing-users">
    Bring users in, in bulk from a file, and review the results.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Directory Sync" icon="building-user" href="/en/identity/directory/directory-sync">
    Sync users from an HRIS or directory solution so the directory stays current
    automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Roles" icon="user-shield" href="/en/identity/administration/administrators-and-roles">
    The role each user holds, which governs what they can do in Iru.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What lives in the directory

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
  subgraph dir["Directory"]
    users["Users<br/>everyone in your organization"]
    attrs["Profile attributes<br/>built-in and custom fields"]
    groups["Groups<br/>manual, built-in, auto"]
  end
  attrs --- users
  users --- groups
  attrs -. "can drive" .-> groups
  groups -->|"assigned to"| apps["Applications"]
```

* **Users** are everyone in your organization represented in the directory. Each has a profile, a sign-in
  identity, and a status that reflects where they are in their lifecycle.
* **Profile attributes** are the fields a profile can hold: built-in facets
  such as name, email, and phone, plus any custom attributes you define in your
  [schema](/en/identity/directory/schema).
* **Groups** are collections of users. You assign access to a group once, and
  everyone in it inherits that access. See [Groups](/en/identity/directory/groups).

## How users get into the directory

There are three ways to add users, and you can mix them as your needs change.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Add manually" icon="user-plus">
    Create a user by hand from **Directory → Users**. Best for a few users or a
    quick test.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import from a file" icon="file-csv">
    Upload a CSV to create many users at once. See
    [Importing users](/en/identity/directory/importing-users).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sync from your HR system" icon="building-user">
    Connect an HR system so users are created, updated, and removed
    automatically on a schedule. See
    [Directory Sync](/en/identity/directory/directory-sync).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Every user records a **source**, where they originated, such as added
manually, imported from a file, or synced from a connected HR system. The source
appears in the users list so you can always see how someone got into the
directory.

<Tip>
  Manual entry and CSV import are great for getting started. When your HR system
  is the system of record for who works at your company, connect it so the
  directory keeps itself current as users join, change roles, and leave.
</Tip>

## The user lifecycle

People join, move, and leave your organization, and their directory record
follows along through a small set of statuses.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
  join["Joins"] --> pending["Pending"]
  pending -->|"first sign-in / activation"| active["Active"]
  active -->|"on leave / offboarding"| suspended["Suspended"]
  suspended -->|"returns"| active
  active -->|"leaves permanently"| removed["Removed"]
  suspended -->|"leaves permanently"| removed
```

| Status        | What it means                                                                                                               |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pending**   | The user has been created but is not yet active. This is the starting point for a freshly added or imported user.           |
| **Active**    | The user is fully enabled and can sign in and reach the apps assigned to them.                                              |
| **Suspended** | The user's access is blocked, but their record and history are kept. Use this when someone is on leave or being offboarded. |

Suspending is reversible; you can reinstate a suspended user, and they return
to the status they held before. Removing a user is permanent and is meant for
users who have left for good. The difference between suspending and removing,
and how to invite users to finish setting up their accounts, is covered in
[Users](/en/identity/directory/users).

## Where the directory is used

The directory is the foundation the rest of Iru Identity stands on:

* **Applications** grant access through assigned groups, and map profile
  attributes into the identity details each app receives. See
  [Assigning access](/en/identity/applications/assigning-access).
* **Authentication policies** evaluate the user signing in and decide what they
  must prove. See
  [Authentication policies](/en/identity/authentication/authentication-policies).
* **Auto Groups** read profile attributes to compute their membership
  automatically. See [Auto Groups](/en/identity/directory/auto-groups).

<Note>
  New to Iru Identity? Start with [Key concepts](/en/identity/getting-started/key-concepts)
  for the full set of objects, then follow the
  [Quickstart](/en/identity/getting-started/quickstart) to stand up your first
  sign-on.
</Note>