diff --git a/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher.go b/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher.go
index 1466ffd3..c119ac57 100644
--- a/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher.go
+++ b/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher.go
@@ -107,10 +107,10 @@ func (c *ldapWatcherController) Sync(ctx controllerlib.Context) error {
 func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateUpstream(ctx context.Context, upstream *v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider) provider.UpstreamLDAPIdentityProviderI {
 	spec := upstream.Spec
 
-	result := &upstreamldap.Provider{
+	config := &upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{
 		Name: upstream.Name,
 		Host: spec.Host,
-		UserSearch: &upstreamldap.UserSearch{
+		UserSearch: upstreamldap.UserSearchConfig{
 			Base:              spec.UserSearch.Base,
 			Filter:            spec.UserSearch.Filter,
 			UsernameAttribute: spec.UserSearch.Attributes.Username,
@@ -119,17 +119,17 @@ func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateUpstream(ctx context.Context, upstream *
 		Dialer: c.ldapDialer,
 	}
 	conditions := []*v1alpha1.Condition{
-		c.validateSecret(upstream, result),
-		c.validateTLSConfig(upstream, result),
+		c.validateSecret(upstream, config),
+		c.validateTLSConfig(upstream, config),
 	}
 	hadErrorCondition := c.updateStatus(ctx, upstream, conditions)
 	if hadErrorCondition {
 		return nil
 	}
-	return result
+	return upstreamldap.New(*config)
 }
 
-func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateTLSConfig(upstream *v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider, result *upstreamldap.Provider) *v1alpha1.Condition {
+func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateTLSConfig(upstream *v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider, result *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) *v1alpha1.Condition {
 	tlsSpec := upstream.Spec.TLS
 	if tlsSpec == nil {
 		return c.validTLSCondition(noTLSConfigurationMessage)
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ func (c *ldapWatcherController) invalidTLSCondition(message string) *v1alpha1.Co
 	}
 }
 
-func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateSecret(upstream *v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider, result *upstreamldap.Provider) *v1alpha1.Condition {
+func (c *ldapWatcherController) validateSecret(upstream *v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider, result *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) *v1alpha1.Condition {
 	secretName := upstream.Spec.Bind.SecretName
 
 	secret, err := c.secretInformer.Lister().Secrets(upstream.Namespace).Get(secretName)
diff --git a/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher_test.go b/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher_test.go
index 571d3bd9..ca362db9 100644
--- a/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/supervisorconfig/upstreamwatcher/ldap_upstream_watcher_test.go
@@ -194,13 +194,13 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 		return deepCopy
 	}
 
-	providerForValidUpstream := &upstreamldap.Provider{
+	providerConfigForValidUpstream := &upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{
 		Name:         testName,
 		Host:         testHost,
 		CABundle:     testCABundle,
 		BindUsername: testBindUsername,
 		BindPassword: testBindPassword,
-		UserSearch: &upstreamldap.UserSearch{
+		UserSearch: upstreamldap.UserSearchConfig{
 			Base:              testUserSearchBase,
 			Filter:            testUserSearchFilter,
 			UsernameAttribute: testUsernameAttrName,
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 		inputSecrets           []runtime.Object
 		ldapDialer             upstreamldap.LDAPDialer
 		wantErr                string
-		wantResultingCache     []*upstreamldap.Provider
+		wantResultingCache     []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig
 		wantResultingUpstreams []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider
 	}{
 		{
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Type:       corev1.SecretTypeBasicAuth,
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{providerForValidUpstream},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{providerConfigForValidUpstream},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 			inputUpstreams:     []runtime.Object{validUpstream},
 			inputSecrets:       []runtime.Object{},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Type:       corev1.SecretTypeBasicAuth,
 			}},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: testName, Generation: 1234},
 				Status: v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProviderStatus{
@@ -446,14 +446,14 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Type:       corev1.SecretTypeBasicAuth,
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{
 				{
 					Name:         testName,
 					Host:         testHost,
 					CABundle:     nil,
 					BindUsername: testBindUsername,
 					BindPassword: testBindPassword,
-					UserSearch: &upstreamldap.UserSearch{
+					UserSearch: upstreamldap.UserSearchConfig{
 						Base:              testUserSearchBase,
 						Filter:            testUserSearchFilter,
 						UsernameAttribute: testUsernameAttrName,
@@ -498,14 +498,14 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Type:       corev1.SecretTypeBasicAuth,
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{
 				{
 					Name:         testName,
 					Host:         testHost,
 					CABundle:     nil,
 					BindUsername: testBindUsername,
 					BindPassword: testBindPassword,
-					UserSearch: &upstreamldap.UserSearch{
+					UserSearch: upstreamldap.UserSearchConfig{
 						Base:              testUserSearchBase,
 						Filter:            testUserSearchFilter,
 						UsernameAttribute: testUsernameAttrName,
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 				Data:       testValidSecretData,
 			}},
 			wantErr:            controllerlib.ErrSyntheticRequeue.Error(),
-			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.Provider{providerForValidUpstream},
+			wantResultingCache: []*upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{providerConfigForValidUpstream},
 			wantResultingUpstreams: []v1alpha1.LDAPIdentityProvider{
 				{
 					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: testNamespace, Name: "other-upstream", Generation: 42},
@@ -616,7 +616,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 			kubeInformers := informers.NewSharedInformerFactory(fakeKubeClient, 0)
 			cache := provider.NewDynamicUpstreamIDPProvider()
 			cache.SetLDAPIdentityProviders([]provider.UpstreamLDAPIdentityProviderI{
-				&upstreamldap.Provider{Name: "initial-entry"},
+				upstreamldap.New(upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{Name: "initial-entry"}),
 			})
 
 			controller := NewLDAPUpstreamWatcherController(
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ func TestLDAPUpstreamWatcherControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 			require.Equal(t, len(tt.wantResultingCache), len(actualIDPList))
 			for i := range actualIDPList {
 				actualIDP := actualIDPList[i].(*upstreamldap.Provider)
-				require.Equal(t, tt.wantResultingCache[i], actualIDP)
+				require.Equal(t, *tt.wantResultingCache[i], actualIDP.GetConfig())
 			}
 
 			actualUpstreams, err := fakePinnipedClient.IDPV1alpha1().LDAPIdentityProviders(testNamespace).List(ctx, metav1.ListOptions{})
diff --git a/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap.go b/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap.go
index 765b5fa9..f27551c7 100644
--- a/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap.go
+++ b/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap.go
@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@ func (f LDAPDialerFunc) Dial(ctx context.Context, hostAndPort string) (Conn, err
 	return f(ctx, hostAndPort)
 }
 
-// Provider includes all of the settings for connection and searching for users and groups in
+// ProviderConfig includes all of the settings for connection and searching for users and groups in
 // the upstream LDAP IDP. It also provides methods for testing the connection and performing logins.
-type Provider struct {
+// The nested structs are not pointer fields to enable deep copy on function params and return values.
+type ProviderConfig struct {
 	// Name is the unique name of this upstream LDAP IDP.
 	Name string
 
@@ -70,14 +71,14 @@ type Provider struct {
 	BindPassword string
 
 	// UserSearch contains information about how to search for users in the upstream LDAP IDP.
-	UserSearch *UserSearch
+	UserSearch UserSearchConfig
 
 	// Dialer exists to enable testing. When nil, will use a default appropriate for production use.
 	Dialer LDAPDialer
 }
 
-// UserSearch contains information about how to search for users in the upstream LDAP IDP.
-type UserSearch struct {
+// UserSearchConfig contains information about how to search for users in the upstream LDAP IDP.
+type UserSearchConfig struct {
 	// Base is the base DN to use for the user search in the upstream LDAP IDP.
 	Base string
 
@@ -93,13 +94,28 @@ type UserSearch struct {
 	UIDAttribute string
 }
 
+type Provider struct {
+	c ProviderConfig
+}
+
+// Create a Provider. The config is not a pointer to ensure that a copy of the config is created,
+// making the resulting Provider use an effectively read-only configuration.
+func New(config ProviderConfig) *Provider {
+	return &Provider{c: config}
+}
+
+// A reader for the config. Returns a copy of the config to keep the underlying config read-only.
+func (p *Provider) GetConfig() ProviderConfig {
+	return p.c
+}
+
 func (p *Provider) dial(ctx context.Context) (Conn, error) {
-	hostAndPort, err := hostAndPortWithDefaultPort(p.Host, ldap.DefaultLdapsPort)
+	hostAndPort, err := hostAndPortWithDefaultPort(p.c.Host, ldap.DefaultLdapsPort)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, ldap.NewError(ldap.ErrorNetwork, err)
 	}
-	if p.Dialer != nil {
-		return p.Dialer.Dial(ctx, hostAndPort)
+	if p.c.Dialer != nil {
+		return p.c.Dialer.Dial(ctx, hostAndPort)
 	}
 	return p.dialTLS(ctx, hostAndPort)
 }
@@ -109,8 +125,8 @@ func (p *Provider) dial(ctx context.Context) (Conn, error) {
 // so we implement it ourselves, heavily inspired by ldap.DialURL.
 func (p *Provider) dialTLS(ctx context.Context, hostAndPort string) (Conn, error) {
 	rootCAs := x509.NewCertPool()
-	if p.CABundle != nil {
-		if !rootCAs.AppendCertsFromPEM(p.CABundle) {
+	if p.c.CABundle != nil {
+		if !rootCAs.AppendCertsFromPEM(p.c.CABundle) {
 			return nil, ldap.NewError(ldap.ErrorNetwork, fmt.Errorf("could not parse CA bundle"))
 		}
 	}
@@ -154,14 +170,14 @@ func hostAndPortWithDefaultPort(hostAndPort string, defaultPort string) (string,
 
 // A name for this upstream provider.
 func (p *Provider) GetName() string {
-	return p.Name
+	return p.c.Name
 }
 
 // Return a URL which uniquely identifies this LDAP provider, e.g. "ldaps://host.example.com:1234".
 // This URL is not used for connecting to the provider, but rather is used for creating a globally unique user
 // identifier by being combined with the user's UID, since user UIDs are only unique within one provider.
 func (p *Provider) GetURL() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s", ldapsScheme, p.Host)
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s", ldapsScheme, p.c.Host)
 }
 
 // TestConnection provides a method for testing the connection and bind settings. It performs a dial and bind
@@ -183,7 +199,7 @@ func (p *Provider) TestAuthenticateUser(ctx context.Context, testUsername string
 
 // Authenticate a user and return their mapped username, groups, and UID. Implements authenticators.UserAuthenticator.
 func (p *Provider) AuthenticateUser(ctx context.Context, username, password string) (*authenticator.Response, bool, error) {
-	if p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute == distinguishedNameAttributeName && len(p.UserSearch.Filter) == 0 {
+	if p.c.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute == distinguishedNameAttributeName && len(p.c.UserSearch.Filter) == 0 {
 		// LDAP search filters do not allow searching by DN.
 		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf(`must specify UserSearch Filter when UserSearch UsernameAttribute is "dn"`)
 	}
@@ -195,13 +211,13 @@ func (p *Provider) AuthenticateUser(ctx context.Context, username, password stri
 
 	conn, err := p.dial(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf(`error dialing host "%s": %w`, p.Host, err)
+		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf(`error dialing host "%s": %w`, p.c.Host, err)
 	}
 	defer conn.Close()
 
-	err = conn.Bind(p.BindUsername, p.BindPassword)
+	err = conn.Bind(p.c.BindUsername, p.c.BindPassword)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf(`error binding as "%s" before user search: %w`, p.BindUsername, err)
+		return nil, false, fmt.Errorf(`error binding as "%s" before user search: %w`, p.c.BindUsername, err)
 	}
 
 	mappedUsername, mappedUID, err := p.searchAndBindUser(conn, username, password)
@@ -243,12 +259,12 @@ func (p *Provider) searchAndBindUser(conn Conn, username string, password string
 		return "", "", fmt.Errorf(`searching for user "%s" resulted in search result without DN`, username)
 	}
 
-	mappedUsername, err := p.getSearchResultAttributeValue(p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute, userEntry, username)
+	mappedUsername, err := p.getSearchResultAttributeValue(p.c.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute, userEntry, username)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", err
 	}
 
-	mappedUID, err := p.getSearchResultAttributeValue(p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute, userEntry, username)
+	mappedUID, err := p.getSearchResultAttributeValue(p.c.UserSearch.UIDAttribute, userEntry, username)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", err
 	}
@@ -270,7 +286,7 @@ func (p *Provider) searchAndBindUser(conn Conn, username string, password string
 func (p *Provider) userSearchRequest(username string) *ldap.SearchRequest {
 	// See https://ldap.com/the-ldap-search-operation for general documentation of LDAP search options.
 	return &ldap.SearchRequest{
-		BaseDN:       p.UserSearch.Base,
+		BaseDN:       p.c.UserSearch.Base,
 		Scope:        ldap.ScopeWholeSubtree,
 		DerefAliases: ldap.DerefAlways, // TODO what's the best value here?
 		SizeLimit:    2,
@@ -284,21 +300,21 @@ func (p *Provider) userSearchRequest(username string) *ldap.SearchRequest {
 
 func (p *Provider) userSearchRequestedAttributes() []string {
 	attributes := []string{}
-	if p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute != distinguishedNameAttributeName {
-		attributes = append(attributes, p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute)
+	if p.c.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute != distinguishedNameAttributeName {
+		attributes = append(attributes, p.c.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute)
 	}
-	if p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute != distinguishedNameAttributeName {
-		attributes = append(attributes, p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute)
+	if p.c.UserSearch.UIDAttribute != distinguishedNameAttributeName {
+		attributes = append(attributes, p.c.UserSearch.UIDAttribute)
 	}
 	return attributes
 }
 
 func (p *Provider) userSearchFilter(username string) string {
 	safeUsername := p.escapeUsernameForSearchFilter(username)
-	if len(p.UserSearch.Filter) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Sprintf("(%s=%s)", p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute, safeUsername)
+	if len(p.c.UserSearch.Filter) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("(%s=%s)", p.c.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute, safeUsername)
 	}
-	filter := strings.ReplaceAll(p.UserSearch.Filter, userSearchFilterInterpolationLocationMarker, safeUsername)
+	filter := strings.ReplaceAll(p.c.UserSearch.Filter, userSearchFilterInterpolationLocationMarker, safeUsername)
 	if strings.HasPrefix(filter, "(") && strings.HasSuffix(filter, ")") {
 		return filter
 	}
diff --git a/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap_test.go b/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap_test.go
index 2615f084..b6b21846 100644
--- a/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap_test.go
+++ b/internal/upstreamldap/upstreamldap_test.go
@@ -43,14 +43,14 @@ var (
 )
 
 func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
-	provider := func(editFunc func(p *Provider)) *Provider {
-		provider := &Provider{
+	providerConfig := func(editFunc func(p *ProviderConfig)) *ProviderConfig {
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
 			Name:         "some-provider-name",
 			Host:         testHost,
 			CABundle:     nil, // this field is only used by the production dialer, which is replaced by a mock for this test
 			BindUsername: testBindUsername,
 			BindPassword: testBindPassword,
-			UserSearch: &UserSearch{
+			UserSearch: UserSearchConfig{
 				Base:              testUserSearchBase,
 				Filter:            testUserSearchFilter,
 				UsernameAttribute: testUserSearchUsernameAttribute,
@@ -58,9 +58,9 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		}
 		if editFunc != nil {
-			editFunc(provider)
+			editFunc(config)
 		}
-		return provider
+		return config
 	}
 
 	expectedSearch := func(editFunc func(r *ldap.SearchRequest)) *ldap.SearchRequest {
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 		name                string
 		username            string
 		password            string
-		provider            *Provider
+		providerConfig      *ProviderConfig
 		setupMocks          func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn)
 		dialError           error
 		wantError           string
@@ -94,10 +94,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 		wantUnauthenticated bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name:     "happy path",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "happy path",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the user search filter is already wrapped by parenthesis then it is not wrapped again",
 			username: testUpstreamUsername,
 			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *Provider) {
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(func(p *ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "(" + testUserSearchFilter + ")"
 			}),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is dn and there is a user search filter provided",
 			username: testUpstreamUsername,
 			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *Provider) {
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(func(p *ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "dn"
 			}),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UIDAttribute is dn",
 			username: testUpstreamUsername,
 			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *Provider) {
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(func(p *ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "dn"
 			}),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when Filter is blank it derives a search filter from the UsernameAttribute",
 			username: testUpstreamUsername,
 			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *Provider) {
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(func(p *ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = ""
 			}),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
@@ -253,10 +253,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when the username has special LDAP search filter characters then they must be properly escaped in the search filter",
-			username: `a&b|c(d)e\f*g`,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when the username has special LDAP search filter characters then they must be properly escaped in the search filter",
+			username:       `a&b|c(d)e\f*g`,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(func(r *ldap.SearchRequest) {
@@ -284,18 +284,18 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name:      "when dial fails",
-			username:  testUpstreamUsername,
-			password:  testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider:  provider(nil),
-			dialError: errors.New("some dial error"),
-			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error dialing host "%s": some dial error`, testHost),
+			name:           "when dial fails",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
+			dialError:      errors.New("some dial error"),
+			wantError:      fmt.Sprintf(`error dialing host "%s": some dial error`, testHost),
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is dn and there is not a user search filter provided",
 			username: testUpstreamUsername,
 			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *Provider) {
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(func(p *ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "dn"
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = ""
 			}),
@@ -303,10 +303,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError:      `must specify UserSearch Filter when UserSearch UsernameAttribute is "dn"`,
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when binding as the bind user returns an error",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when binding as the bind user returns an error",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Return(errors.New("some bind error")).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Close().Times(1)
@@ -314,10 +314,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error binding as "%s" before user search: some bind error`, testBindUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns an error",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns an error",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(nil, errors.New("some search error")).Times(1)
@@ -326,10 +326,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error searching for user "%s": some search error`, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns no results",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns no results",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -340,10 +340,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns multiple results",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns multiple results",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -357,10 +357,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`searching for user "%s" resulted in 2 search results, but expected 1 result`, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user without a DN",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user without a DN",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -373,10 +373,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`searching for user "%s" resulted in search result without DN`, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user without an expected username attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user without an expected username attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -394,10 +394,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found 0 values for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected 1 result`, testUserSearchUsernameAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user with too many values for the expected username attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user with too many values for the expected username attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -419,10 +419,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found 2 values for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected 1 result`, testUserSearchUsernameAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user with an empty value for the expected username attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user with an empty value for the expected username attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -441,10 +441,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found empty value for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected value to be non-empty`, testUserSearchUsernameAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user without an expected UID attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user without an expected UID attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -462,10 +462,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found 0 values for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected 1 result`, testUserSearchUIDAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user with too many values for the expected UID attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user with too many values for the expected UID attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -487,10 +487,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found 2 values for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected 1 result`, testUserSearchUIDAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when searching for the user returns a user with an empty value for the expected UID attribute",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when searching for the user returns a user with an empty value for the expected UID attribute",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -509,10 +509,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`found empty value for attribute "%s" while searching for user "%s", but expected value to be non-empty`, testUserSearchUIDAttribute, testUpstreamUsername),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when binding as the found user returns an error",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when binding as the found user returns an error",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -532,10 +532,10 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error binding for user "%s" using provided password against DN "%s": some bind error`, testUpstreamUsername, testSearchResultDNValue),
 		},
 		{
-			name:     "when binding as the found user returns a specific invalid credentials error",
-			username: testUpstreamUsername,
-			password: testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			name:           "when binding as the found user returns a specific invalid credentials error",
+			username:       testUpstreamUsername,
+			password:       testUpstreamPassword,
+			providerConfig: providerConfig(nil),
 			setupMocks: func(conn *mockldapconn.MockConn) {
 				conn.EXPECT().Bind(testBindUsername, testBindPassword).Times(1)
 				conn.EXPECT().Search(expectedSearch(nil)).Return(&ldap.SearchResult{
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			name:                "when no username is specified",
 			username:            "",
 			password:            testUpstreamPassword,
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			providerConfig:      providerConfig(nil),
 			wantToSkipDial:      true,
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
@@ -576,16 +576,17 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			dialWasAttempted := false
-			tt.provider.Dialer = LDAPDialerFunc(func(ctx context.Context, hostAndPort string) (Conn, error) {
+			tt.providerConfig.Dialer = LDAPDialerFunc(func(ctx context.Context, hostAndPort string) (Conn, error) {
 				dialWasAttempted = true
-				require.Equal(t, tt.provider.Host, hostAndPort)
+				require.Equal(t, tt.providerConfig.Host, hostAndPort)
 				if tt.dialError != nil {
 					return nil, tt.dialError
 				}
 				return conn, nil
 			})
 
-			authResponse, authenticated, err := tt.provider.AuthenticateUser(context.Background(), tt.username, tt.password)
+			provider := New(*tt.providerConfig)
+			authResponse, authenticated, err := provider.AuthenticateUser(context.Background(), tt.username, tt.password)
 
 			require.Equal(t, !tt.wantToSkipDial, dialWasAttempted)
 
@@ -607,9 +608,37 @@ func TestAuthenticateUser(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestGetConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	c := ProviderConfig{
+		Name:         "original-provider-name",
+		Host:         testHost,
+		CABundle:     []byte("some-ca-bundle"),
+		BindUsername: testBindUsername,
+		BindPassword: testBindPassword,
+		UserSearch: UserSearchConfig{
+			Base:              testUserSearchBase,
+			Filter:            testUserSearchFilter,
+			UsernameAttribute: testUserSearchUsernameAttribute,
+			UIDAttribute:      testUserSearchUIDAttribute,
+		},
+	}
+	p := New(c)
+	require.Equal(t, c, p.c)
+	require.Equal(t, c, p.GetConfig())
+
+	// The original config can be changed without impacting the provider, since the provider made a copy of the config.
+	c.Name = "changed-name"
+	require.Equal(t, "original-provider-name", p.c.Name)
+
+	// The return value of GetConfig can be modified without impacting the provider, since it is a copy of the config.
+	returnedConfig := p.GetConfig()
+	returnedConfig.Name = "changed-name"
+	require.Equal(t, "original-provider-name", p.c.Name)
+}
+
 func TestGetURL(t *testing.T) {
-	require.Equal(t, "ldaps://ldap.example.com:1234", (&Provider{Host: "ldap.example.com:1234"}).GetURL())
-	require.Equal(t, "ldaps://ldap.example.com", (&Provider{Host: "ldap.example.com"}).GetURL())
+	require.Equal(t, "ldaps://ldap.example.com:1234", New(ProviderConfig{Host: "ldap.example.com:1234"}).GetURL())
+	require.Equal(t, "ldaps://ldap.example.com", New(ProviderConfig{Host: "ldap.example.com"}).GetURL())
 }
 
 // Testing of host parsing, TLS negotiation, and CA bundle, etc. for the production code's dialer.
@@ -673,11 +702,11 @@ func TestRealTLSDialing(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		test := test
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			provider := &Provider{
+			provider := New(ProviderConfig{
 				Host:     test.host,
 				CABundle: test.caBundle,
 				Dialer:   nil, // this test is for the default (production) dialer
-			}
+			})
 			conn, err := provider.dial(test.context)
 			if conn != nil {
 				defer conn.Close()
diff --git a/test/integration/ldap_client_test.go b/test/integration/ldap_client_test.go
index 3a201834..fb49a099 100644
--- a/test/integration/ldap_client_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/ldap_client_test.go
@@ -43,24 +43,12 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 	// Expose the the test LDAP server's TLS port on the localhost.
 	startKubectlPortForward(ctx, t, ldapHostPort, "ldaps", "ldap", env.ToolsNamespace)
 
-	provider := func(editFunc func(p *upstreamldap.Provider)) *upstreamldap.Provider {
-		provider := &upstreamldap.Provider{
-			Name:         "test-ldap-provider",
-			Host:         "127.0.0.1:" + ldapHostPort,
-			CABundle:     []byte(env.SupervisorUpstreamLDAP.CABundle),
-			BindUsername: "cn=admin,dc=pinniped,dc=dev",
-			BindPassword: "password",
-			UserSearch: &upstreamldap.UserSearch{
-				Base:              "ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev",
-				Filter:            "", // defaults to UsernameAttribute={}, i.e. "cn={}" in this case
-				UsernameAttribute: "cn",
-				UIDAttribute:      "uidNumber",
-			},
-		}
+	providerConfig := func(editFunc func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig)) *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig {
+		providerConfig := defaultProviderConfig(env, ldapHostPort)
 		if editFunc != nil {
-			editFunc(provider)
+			editFunc(providerConfig)
 		}
-		return provider
+		return providerConfig
 	}
 
 	pinnyPassword := env.SupervisorUpstreamLDAP.TestUserPassword
@@ -78,7 +66,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "happy path",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(nil),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -87,7 +75,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "using a different user search base",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Base = "dc=pinniped,dc=dev" }),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Base = "dc=pinniped,dc=dev" })),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -96,7 +84,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the user search filter is already wrapped by parenthesis",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Filter = "(cn={})" }),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Filter = "(cn={})" })),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -105,10 +93,10 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is dn and a user search filter is provided",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "dn"
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "cn={}"
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "cn=pinny,ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -117,9 +105,9 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the user search filter allows for different ways of logging in and the first one is used",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "(|(cn={})(mail={}))"
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -128,9 +116,9 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the user search filter allows for different ways of logging in and the second one is used",
 			username: "pinny.ldap@example.com",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "(|(cn={})(mail={}))"
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -139,7 +127,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UIDAttribute is dn",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "dn" }),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "dn" })),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "cn=pinny,ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -148,7 +136,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UIDAttribute is sn",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "sn" }),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "sn" })),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "Seal", Groups: []string{}},
 			},
@@ -157,7 +145,7 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is sn",
 			username: "seAl", // note that this is not case-sensitive! sn=Seal. The server decides which fields are compared case-sensitive.
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "sn" }),
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "sn" })),
 			wantAuthResponse: &authenticator.Response{
 				User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "Seal", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}}, // note that the final answer has case preserved from the entry
 			},
@@ -166,202 +154,202 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is dn and there is no user search filter provided",
 			username: "cn=pinny,ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "dn"
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = ""
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantError: `must specify UserSearch Filter when UserSearch UsernameAttribute is "dn"`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the bind user username is not a valid DN",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.BindUsername = "invalid-dn" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.BindUsername = "invalid-dn" })),
 			wantError: `error binding as "invalid-dn" before user search: LDAP Result Code 34 "Invalid DN Syntax": invalid DN`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the bind user username is wrong",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.BindUsername = "cn=wrong,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.BindUsername = "cn=wrong,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" })),
 			wantError: `error binding as "cn=wrong,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" before user search: LDAP Result Code 49 "Invalid Credentials": `,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the bind user password is wrong",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.BindPassword = "wrong-password" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.BindPassword = "wrong-password" })),
 			wantError: `error binding as "cn=admin,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" before user search: LDAP Result Code 49 "Invalid Credentials": `,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when the end user password is wrong",
 			username:            "pinny",
 			password:            "wrong-pinny-password",
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when the end user password has the wrong case (passwords are compared as case-sensitive)",
 			username:            "pinny",
 			password:            strings.ToUpper(pinnyPassword),
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when the end user username is wrong",
 			username:            "wrong-username",
 			password:            pinnyPassword,
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the user search filter does not compile",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Filter = "*" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Filter = "*" })),
 			wantError: `error searching for user "pinny": LDAP Result Code 201 "Filter Compile Error": ldap: error parsing filter`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "when there are too many search results for the user",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "objectClass=*" // overly broad search filter
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantError: `error searching for user "pinny": LDAP Result Code 4 "Size Limit Exceeded": `,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the server is unreachable",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.Host = "127.0.0.1:" + unusedHostPort }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.Host = "127.0.0.1:" + unusedHostPort })),
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error dialing host "127.0.0.1:%s": LDAP Result Code 200 "Network Error": dial tcp 127.0.0.1:%s: connect: connection refused`, unusedHostPort, unusedHostPort),
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the server is not parsable",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.Host = "too:many:ports" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.Host = "too:many:ports" })),
 			wantError: `error dialing host "too:many:ports": LDAP Result Code 200 "Network Error": address too:many:ports: too many colons in address`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the CA bundle is not parsable",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.CABundle = []byte("invalid-pem") }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.CABundle = []byte("invalid-pem") })),
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error dialing host "127.0.0.1:%s": LDAP Result Code 200 "Network Error": could not parse CA bundle`, ldapHostPort),
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the CA bundle does not cause the host to be trusted",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.CABundle = nil }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.CABundle = nil })),
 			wantError: fmt.Sprintf(`error dialing host "127.0.0.1:%s": LDAP Result Code 200 "Network Error": x509: certificate signed by unknown authority`, ldapHostPort),
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the UsernameAttribute attribute has multiple values in the entry",
 			username:  "wally.ldap@example.com",
 			password:  "unused-because-error-is-before-bind",
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "mail" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "mail" })),
 			wantError: `found 2 values for attribute "mail" while searching for user "wally.ldap@example.com", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the UIDAttribute attribute has multiple values in the entry",
 			username:  "wally",
 			password:  "unused-because-error-is-before-bind",
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "mail" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "mail" })),
 			wantError: `found 2 values for attribute "mail" while searching for user "wally", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute attribute is not found in the entry",
 			username: "wally",
 			password: "unused-because-error-is-before-bind",
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "cn={}"
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "attr-does-not-exist"
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "attr-does-not-exist" while searching for user "wally", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the UIDAttribute attribute is not found in the entry",
 			username:  "wally",
 			password:  "unused-because-error-is-before-bind",
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "attr-does-not-exist" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "attr-does-not-exist" })),
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "attr-does-not-exist" while searching for user "wally", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the UsernameAttribute has the wrong case",
 			username:  "Seal",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "SN" }), // this is case-sensitive
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "SN" })), // this is case-sensitive
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "SN" while searching for user "Seal", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the UIDAttribute has the wrong case",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "SN" }), // this is case-sensitive
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "SN" })), // this is case-sensitive
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "SN" while searching for user "pinny", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "when the UsernameAttribute is DN and has the wrong case",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UsernameAttribute = "DN" // dn must be lower-case
 				p.UserSearch.Filter = "cn={}"
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "DN" while searching for user "pinny", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "when the UIDAttribute is DN and has the wrong case",
 			username: "pinny",
 			password: pinnyPassword,
-			provider: provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) {
+			provider: upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) {
 				p.UserSearch.UIDAttribute = "DN" // dn must be lower-case
-			}),
+			})),
 			wantError: `found 0 values for attribute "DN" while searching for user "pinny", but expected 1 result`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the search base is invalid",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Base = "invalid-base" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Base = "invalid-base" })),
 			wantError: `error searching for user "pinny": LDAP Result Code 34 "Invalid DN Syntax": invalid DN`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when the search base does not exist",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  pinnyPassword,
-			provider:  provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Base = "ou=does-not-exist,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" }),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Base = "ou=does-not-exist,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" })),
 			wantError: `error searching for user "pinny": LDAP Result Code 32 "No Such Object": `,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when the search base causes no search results",
 			username:            "pinny",
 			password:            pinnyPassword,
-			provider:            provider(func(p *upstreamldap.Provider) { p.UserSearch.Base = "ou=groups,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" }),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(func(p *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig) { p.UserSearch.Base = "ou=groups,dc=pinniped,dc=dev" })),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when there is no username specified",
 			username:            "",
 			password:            pinnyPassword,
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 		{
 			name:      "when there is no password specified",
 			username:  "pinny",
 			password:  "",
-			provider:  provider(nil),
+			provider:  upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantError: `error binding for user "pinny" using provided password against DN "cn=pinny,ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev": LDAP Result Code 206 "Empty password not allowed by the client": ldap: empty password not allowed by the client`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:                "when the user has no password in their entry",
 			username:            "olive",
 			password:            "anything",
-			provider:            provider(nil),
+			provider:            upstreamldap.New(*providerConfig(nil)),
 			wantUnauthenticated: true,
 		},
 	}
@@ -389,6 +377,75 @@ func TestLDAPSearch(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSimultaneousRequestsOnSingleProvider(t *testing.T) {
+	env := library.IntegrationEnv(t)
+
+	// Note that these tests depend on the values hard-coded in the LDIF file in test/deploy/tools/ldap.yaml.
+	// It requires the test LDAP server from the tools deployment.
+	if len(env.ToolsNamespace) == 0 {
+		t.Skip("Skipping test because it requires the test LDAP server in the tools namespace.")
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancelFunc := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		cancelFunc() // this will send SIGKILL to the subprocess, just in case
+	})
+
+	ldapHostPort := findRecentlyUnusedLocalhostPorts(t, 1)[0]
+
+	// Expose the the test LDAP server's TLS port on the localhost.
+	startKubectlPortForward(ctx, t, ldapHostPort, "ldaps", "ldap", env.ToolsNamespace)
+
+	provider := upstreamldap.New(*defaultProviderConfig(env, ldapHostPort))
+
+	// Making multiple simultaneous requests on the same upstreamldap.Provider instance should all succeed
+	// without triggering the race detector.
+	iterations := 150
+	resultCh := make(chan authUserResult, iterations)
+	for i := 0; i < iterations; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			authResponse, authenticated, err := provider.AuthenticateUser(ctx,
+				env.SupervisorUpstreamLDAP.TestUserCN, env.SupervisorUpstreamLDAP.TestUserPassword,
+			)
+			resultCh <- authUserResult{
+				response:      authResponse,
+				authenticated: authenticated,
+				err:           err,
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < iterations; i++ {
+		result := <-resultCh
+		require.NoError(t, result.err)
+		require.True(t, result.authenticated, "expected the user to be authenticated, but they were not")
+		require.Equal(t, &authenticator.Response{
+			User: &user.DefaultInfo{Name: "pinny", UID: "1000", Groups: []string{}},
+		}, result.response)
+	}
+}
+
+type authUserResult struct {
+	response      *authenticator.Response
+	authenticated bool
+	err           error
+}
+
+func defaultProviderConfig(env *library.TestEnv, ldapHostPort string) *upstreamldap.ProviderConfig {
+	return &upstreamldap.ProviderConfig{
+		Name:         "test-ldap-provider",
+		Host:         "127.0.0.1:" + ldapHostPort,
+		CABundle:     []byte(env.SupervisorUpstreamLDAP.CABundle),
+		BindUsername: "cn=admin,dc=pinniped,dc=dev",
+		BindPassword: "password",
+		UserSearch: upstreamldap.UserSearchConfig{
+			Base:              "ou=users,dc=pinniped,dc=dev",
+			Filter:            "", // defaults to UsernameAttribute={}, i.e. "cn={}" in this case
+			UsernameAttribute: "cn",
+			UIDAttribute:      "uidNumber",
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func startKubectlPortForward(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T, hostPort, remotePort, serviceName, namespace string) {
 	t.Helper()
 	startLongRunningCommandAndWaitForInitialOutput(ctx, t,