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To connect an application to Canvas LMS on behalf of a user, register a developer key, send the user through Canvas’s OAuth 2.0 authorization-code flow, exchange the returned code for a token, and call the API with a bearer token over HTTPS. The setup depends on the Canvas host, administrator-enabled key and scopes, and whether your app is a confidential server or a public client such as a SPA or mobile app.
Choose the OAuth flow that matches the job
For an application acting on behalf of an individual Canvas user, use Canvas API OAuth authorization. The user authorizes access through their Canvas installation; the resulting token represents that authorization.
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Do not confuse this with LTI Advantage service authentication. LTI services use a separate client-credentials flow with a signed JWT assertion, and the resulting service access is limited to resources associated with a deployed tool. Choose that flow for an LTI service, not as a substitute for a user-authorized API integration. Canvas OAuth documentation
Register and configure a developer key
A Canvas developer key supplies the OAuth client identity and, for confidential clients, its secret. On Canvas Cloud, an institution administrator issues and enables the key. An open-source Canvas installation can create credentials through site administration. A key created in a root account applies to that account and its subaccounts; globally created keys can function in accounts where enabled. Ask the administrator responsible for the target account to confirm the right key and enablement.
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Configure the key with only the API endpoint scopes the integration needs. Scopes are expressed as an HTTP method and Canvas endpoint path. Requested scopes must be allowed by the key; a call outside the granted scope can return 401 Unauthorized. Disabling a key can block authorization or API requests, and removing a scope invalidates tokens derived from that key. Canvas Developer Keys documentation
If your service supports multiple institutions, treat each Canvas host and its key configuration as institution-specific rather than assuming one key works everywhere. Canvas specifically advises LTI providers to store and look up the appropriate institution-scoped key using launch information such as custom_canvas_api_domain. Canvas OAuth documentation
Authorize a user and exchange the code
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Redirect the user to the authorization endpoint on their own Canvas host:
https://<canvas-host>/login/oauth2/auth. Includeclient_id,response_type=code, your registeredredirect_uri, a uniquestatevalue, and the scopes needed. Canvas documentscodeas the supported response type.Free tools Windows power users keep installed
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When Canvas redirects back, validate the returned
stateagainst the value stored for that authorization attempt before using the response. A successful response includes an authorization code; a denied request or other authorization error returns an error parameter instead. Handle that error rather than attempting a token exchange. Canvas OAuth documentation -
Send the code to
POST https://<canvas-host>/login/oauth2/tokenwithgrant_type=authorization_code, the client credentials appropriate to the client type, the code, and the same redirect URI if one was supplied in the authorization request. -
Store the token response securely and continue with the API request. Canvas invalidates the authorization code after exchange, so if a later part of the exchange fails and the code cannot be used again, restart authorization. Never place a confidential client’s secret in public application code. Canvas OAuth documentation
Make API requests and manage token expiry
Send the access token in the HTTP authorization header over HTTPS:
Authorization: Bearer <access-token>Canvas supports tokens in query strings or POST parameters but discourages those methods because URLs and request data may be logged or exposed. Store tokens securely, avoid logging them, and do not ask users to create personal access tokens for a multi-user application; Canvas says that practice violates its API policy. Canvas OAuth documentation
The general Canvas OAuth guide says access tokens have a one-hour lifespan. Its documented confidential-client refresh flow uses grant_type=refresh_token; the response provides a new access token and the same refresh token is reused. Read the response’s expires_in value rather than relying only on a locally assumed expiry time. Handle authorization and refresh errors without writing credentials or tokens to logs. Canvas OAuth documentation
Apply the public-client rules where relevant
Canvas’s Developer Keys API reference describes a client_type setting. Public clients, including single-page applications and mobile apps, require PKCE in the authorization-code flow, cannot use client credentials, and receive short-lived access tokens with rotating refresh tokens. This differs from the general guide’s confidential-client refresh description, so do not reuse that refresh-token assumption for a public client. Verify that the target Canvas version and key configuration support the specific flow you intend to deploy. Canvas Developer Keys API reference
Diagnose common integration failures
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Authorization fails or the key is unavailable: Confirm that the developer key is enabled for the institution and account where the user is authorizing.
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An API call returns 401: Check that the key permits the HTTP-method-and-endpoint scope required by the call, that the token remains valid, and that the request is going to the intended Canvas host.
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Code exchange fails: Confirm the authorization code has not already been exchanged and that the token request uses the same redirect URI as the authorization request.
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A previously working token stops authorizing a call: Check whether a developer-key scope was removed; Canvas invalidates tokens derived from the key when a scope is removed.
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A provider works at one institution but not another: Resolve the Canvas host and institution-specific key for each installation instead of reusing a single institution’s configuration.
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Plan around scopes and documentation changes
Canvas’s Developer Keys documentation states an 8,000-character maximum HTTP header size, which limits how many scopes a client can request in a single token request. Keep the requested scope set focused on the endpoints the integration actually uses. Canvas Developer Keys documentation
Canvas documentation indicates that it is moving to the Instructure Developer Documentation Portal after July 1, 2026. Because key configuration, scope behavior, and public-client support can vary with deployment and change over time, confirm current guidance in that portal and with the administrator of the target Canvas installation before release. Canvas OAuth documentation
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