Canvas, developed by Instructure, is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) used by schools, universities, and other institutions to deliver courses, manage enrollments, and track academic activity. The Canvas LMS REST API provides programmatic access to accounts, courses, users, enrollments, sections, groups, assignments, submissions, gradebook history, modules, quizzes, and SIS imports.
Power end-to-end data operations for your Canvas API with Nexla. Our bi-directional Canvas connector is purpose-built for Canvas, making it simple to ingest data, sync it across systems, and deliver it anywhere — all with no coding required. Nexla turns API-sourced data into ready-to-use, reusable data products and makes it easy to send data to Canvas or any other destination. With comprehensive monitoring, lineage tracking, and access controls, Nexla keeps your Canvas workflows fast, secure, and fully governed.
Features
Type: API
SourceDestination
Seamless API Integration: Connect to any endpoint as source or destination without coding, with automatic data product creation
Visual Composition & Chaining: Build complex integrations using visual templates, chain API calls, and compose workflows with data validation and filtering
API Proxy: Expose curated slices of your data securely with a secure and customizable API proxy that validates and transforms data on the fly
Request optimization with intelligent batching, retry, and caching to minimize API calls and costs
The Canvas connector authenticates to the Canvas LMS REST API using an API access token (a bearer token) together with your institution's Canvas domain. Before creating a credential in Nexla, you will need access to a Canvas account with permission to view or manage the accounts, courses, users, and other resources you intend to access.
Every Canvas instance is hosted at an institution-specific domain. This is the URL that appears in your browser when you are logged in to Canvas, for example https://yourinstitution.instructure.com (some institutions use a custom domain). Nexla prepends this domain to each API path, so it must be entered exactly, including the https:// protocol and without a trailing slash.
For testing and individual use, the simplest way to obtain a token is to generate one from your Canvas user profile. The token inherits the permissions of the user account that generates it, so use an account with sufficient access for the data you intend to read or write.
Log in to Canvas, and click Account in the global navigation menu, then select Settings.
Scroll to the Approved Integrations section.
Click the + New Access Token button.
Enter a purpose in the Purpose field (for example, "Nexla Integration"), and optionally set an expiration date in the Expires field. Leaving the expiration blank creates a token that does not expire.
Click Generate Token.
Copy the generated token immediately and store it securely.
Important
The access token is displayed only once, at the time it is generated. After you close the dialog, the full token cannot be viewed again. If the token is lost, you must delete it and generate a new one.
Canvas access tokens are password-equivalent and grant API access at the permission level of the user that created them. Treat the token as a secret, and do not share it or commit it to version control. Per Canvas API policy, integrations used by multiple people should use OAuth2 rather than asking each user to generate a personal token. For administrator-managed or production integrations, work with your Canvas administrator to provision an appropriate developer key and token. For complete details, see the Canvas OAuth2 documentation.
After selecting the data source/destination type, click the Add Credential tile to open the Add New Credential overlay.
Enter a name for the credential in the Credential Name field and a short, meaningful description in the Credential Description field.
Enter your institution's Canvas domain in the Canvas Domain field. This is the base URL of your Canvas instance, including the https:// protocol and without a trailing slash (for example, https://yourinstitution.instructure.com). Nexla combines this value with each API path, so an accurate domain is required for all requests to succeed.
Enter the Canvas API access token generated from your Canvas user profile in the Access Token field. This token authenticates Nexla with the Canvas LMS REST API and is sent as a bearer token in the Authorization header of each request.
The access token grants API access at the permission level of the Canvas user that generated it. Keep the token secure, and do not share it publicly. Tokens issued through developer keys may have a limited lifetime and can be revoked at any time from the Approved Integrations section of your Canvas profile.
Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Save button at the bottom of the overlay to save the configured credential. The newly added credential will now appear in a tile on the Authenticate screen during data source/destination creation and can be selected for use with a new data source or destination.
To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type, select the Canvas connector tile, select the credential that will be used to connect to the Canvas instance, and click Next; or, create a new Canvas credential for use in this flow.
Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common Canvas endpoints. Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Click on an endpoint in the expandable boxes below to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for the endpoint.
Most Canvas list endpoints return paginated results, and Nexla automatically follows the Link response header to retrieve every page of data. Many endpoints require a Canvas resource ID (such as an account, course, user, or term ID). These IDs can be obtained from the corresponding list endpoints (for example, use List Accounts to find an account ID, or List Your Courses to find a course ID).
List Accounts
Retrieves a paginated list of all accounts accessible to the authenticated user. Use this endpoint to discover the account IDs needed to configure many of the other Canvas endpoints.
No required parameters are needed beyond selecting this endpoint template.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional fields on each account (for example, lti_guid). The default value is lti_guid.
Results are paginated, and Nexla automatically follows the Link header to fetch all pages. The account whose ID is self represents the root account of your Canvas instance.
Get a Single Account
Retrieves details for a specific account by ID. Use this endpoint when you need the full record for one known account.
Enter the ID of the account to retrieve in the Account ID field. Account IDs can be obtained from the List Accounts endpoint.
Get Sub-accounts of an Account
Lists all sub-accounts under a given account. Use this endpoint to map the account hierarchy of your institution.
Enter the ID of the parent account in the Account ID field.
Set the Recursive field to true to include all descendant sub-accounts, or false to return only direct children. The default value is true.
List Active Courses in an Account
Retrieves a filtered, paginated list of courses within an account. Use this endpoint for account-level course reporting and to obtain course IDs.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Optionally, apply the following filters to narrow the results:
With Enrollments: Set to true to include only courses that have active enrollments.
Published: Set to true to include only published courses.
State: Filter by course state, such as created, available, or completed. The default value is available.
Search Term: Search for courses by name or course code.
Sort: Field to sort courses by, such as course_name.
Order: Sort direction, either asc or desc.
List Users in Account
Retrieves a paginated list of users in a Canvas account, with optional filtering. Use this endpoint to obtain user IDs and account-level user rosters.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Optionally, apply the following filters:
Search Term: Filter users by name or login.
Enrollment Type: Filter by enrollment type, such as student or teacher.
Sort By: Field to sort results by, such as name, email, or created_at. The default value is username.
Sort Order: Sort direction, either asc or desc.
Show User Details
Retrieves detailed information for a specific Canvas user by ID.
Enter the ID of the user to retrieve in the User ID field. User IDs can be obtained from the List Users in Account endpoint.
Get User Profile
Retrieves the profile information for a specific Canvas user, including avatar, bio, and contact details.
Enter the ID of the user in the User ID field.
Get Current User (Self)
Retrieves the profile information of the currently authenticated user (the user whose access token is configured in the credential). Use this endpoint to verify credential connectivity.
No parameters are required. This endpoint resolves the user from the configured access token.
List User Page Views
Retrieves paginated page view activity for a user within a specified time range. Use this endpoint for activity and engagement analysis.
Enter the ID of the user in the User ID field.
Optionally, set the Start Time and End Time fields to bound the page view range. Both values use ISO 8601 datetime format (for example, 2020-01-01T00:00:00.000Z).
The Start Time and End Time fields support Nexla date/time macros such as {now} and {now-1}, allowing the source to fetch a rolling time window that advances automatically with each ingestion run.
List Enrollment Terms
Retrieves all enrollment terms for an account, with optional state filtering. Enrollment terms define the academic periods (such as semesters) used across courses.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Optionally, set the Workflow State field to filter terms by state, such as active, deleted, or inactive. The default value is active.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional data such as overrides.
The relevant records for this endpoint are returned under the enrollment_terms array in the response, which Nexla extracts automatically.
Retrieve Enrollment Term
Retrieves details for a specific enrollment term by ID.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Enter the ID of the enrollment term in the Term ID field. Term IDs can be obtained from the List Enrollment Terms endpoint.
List Course Enrollments
Lists all enrollments for a course, with optional filtering by type and state. Use this endpoint to retrieve the roster of users enrolled in a course and their roles.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, set the Type field to filter by enrollment type, such as StudentEnrollment or TeacherEnrollment.
Optionally, set the State field to filter by enrollment state, such as active, invited, or completed. The default value is active.
Get User Enrollment
Retrieves a specific user enrollment by ID at the account level.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Enter the ID of the enrollment in the Enrollment ID field. Enrollment IDs can be obtained from the List Course Enrollments endpoint.
List Your Courses
Lists all courses for the currently authenticated user, with optional filters. Use this endpoint to retrieve the courses associated with the access token's user.
Optionally, set the Enrollment Type field to filter by enrollment type, such as student or teacher.
Optionally, set the Enrollment State field to filter by enrollment state, such as active or invited. The default value is active.
Optionally, set the Course State field to filter by course state, such as available or deleted. The default value is available.
List Courses for a User
Retrieves all courses for a specific user, with optional enrollment state filtering. Use this endpoint when you need the course list for a user other than the authenticated account.
Enter the ID of the user in the User ID field.
Optionally, set the State field to filter by course state, such as available or completed.
Optionally, set the Enrollment State field to filter by enrollment state, such as active or invited.
Get a Single Course
Retrieves details for a specific course by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional associated data, such as term, teachers, or total_students.
List Users in Course
Retrieves a paginated list of users enrolled in a course. Use this endpoint to build a course roster.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, set the Enrollment Type field to filter by role, such as student or teacher.
Optionally, set the Enrollment State field to filter by enrollment state, such as active or invited.
Optionally, set the Search Term field to filter users by name or login.
Get Single User in a Course
Retrieves details for a single user within the context of a specific course.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the user in the User ID field.
List Course Sections
Lists all sections within a course. Sections are subdivisions of a course used to organize students.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional data, such as students or total_students.
Get Course Section
Retrieves details for a specific course section by ID.
Enter the ID of the section in the Section ID field. Section IDs can be obtained from the List Course Sections endpoint.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional associated data.
List Groups in Context
Lists all groups within an account context. Groups are used to organize users for collaboration within Canvas.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Get Group
Retrieves details for a specific group by ID.
Enter the ID of the group in the Group ID field. Group IDs can be obtained from the List Groups in Context endpoint.
List Group Users
Lists the users that belong to a specific group.
Enter the ID of the group in the Group ID field.
List Group Memberships
Lists the memberships for a specific group, including each member's role and workflow state.
Enter the ID of the group in the Group ID field.
Get SIS Import List
Retrieves the list of SIS (Student Information System) imports for an account. Use this endpoint to audit historical SIS import jobs.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Get Current Importing SIS Import
Retrieves the SIS imports for an account that are currently in progress. Use this endpoint to monitor active import jobs.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Get SIS Import Status
Retrieves the status of a specific SIS import by ID, including progress and any processing warnings or errors.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Enter the ID of the SIS import in the SIS Import ID field.
List Assignments
Retrieves a paginated list of assignments in a course, with optional filtering and ordering. Use this endpoint to obtain assignment IDs and assignment metadata.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, apply the following filters:
Include: Request additional associated data, such as submission or all_dates.
Search Term: Filter assignments by name.
Order By: Field used to order the results, such as position, name, or due_at.
Bucket: Filter by assignment bucket, such as upcoming, past, or overdue.
Get a Single Assignment
Retrieves details for a specific assignment within a course by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the assignment in the Assignment ID field.
List Assignment Submissions
Retrieves the submissions for a specific assignment in a course. Use this endpoint to gather student submission data for grading and analytics.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the assignment in the Assignment ID field.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional data, such as submission_comments or rubric_assessment.
Optionally, set the Grouped field to control whether submissions are grouped by student.
List Submissions for Multiple Assignments
Retrieves submissions across multiple assignments and students in a course. Use this endpoint for bulk gradebook extraction.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Optionally, apply the following filters:
Student IDs: Restrict results to specific student IDs.
Assignment IDs: Restrict results to specific assignment IDs.
Include: Request additional associated data.
Grading Period ID: Restrict results to a specific grading period.
Get a Single Submission
Retrieves the submission of a specific user for a specific assignment.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the assignment in the Assignment ID field.
Enter the ID of the user in the User ID field.
Optionally, set the Include field to request additional data, such as submission_comments or rubric_assessment.
List Gradebook History Days
Lists the days on which gradebook changes occurred for a course. Use this endpoint to identify dates with grading activity before drilling into details.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
List Gradebook History for a Day
Lists the gradebook changes for a course on a specific day, grouped by grader and assignment.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the target date in the Date field.
List Uncollated Submissions (Gradebook Feed)
Retrieves the uncollated gradebook history feed for a course, returning individual submission version records. Use this endpoint to capture a granular audit trail of grade changes.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
List Course Modules
Lists the modules in a course. Modules organize course content into sequential units.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Get a Single Module
Retrieves details for a specific module within a course by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module in the Module ID field.
List Module Items
Lists the items contained in a specific module, such as pages, assignments, and files.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module in the Module ID field.
Get a Single Module Item
Retrieves details for a specific item within a module by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module in the Module ID field.
Enter the ID of the module item in the Module Item ID field.
List Quizzes in a Course
Lists the quizzes available in a course.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Get a Single Quiz
Retrieves details for a specific quiz within a course by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the quiz in the Quiz ID field.
List Quiz Questions
Lists the questions belonging to a specific quiz.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the quiz in the Quiz ID field.
Get a Single Quiz Question
Retrieves details for a specific question within a quiz by ID.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the quiz in the Quiz ID field.
Enter the ID of the quiz question in the Question ID field.
Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu to retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched. Sample data will be displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right, allowing you to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.
Canvas data sources can also be manually configured to ingest data from any valid Canvas LMS REST API endpoint, including endpoints not covered by the pre-built templates, chained API calls, or custom request parameters. Select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen, and follow the instructions in Connect to Any API to configure the API method, endpoint URL, date/time and lookup macros, path to data, metadata, pagination, and request headers.
Canvas API endpoint URLs include your institution's Canvas domain and are versioned under the /api/v1/ path (for example, https://yourinstitution.instructure.com/api/v1/courses). Most Canvas list endpoints return a top-level JSON array, for which the path to data is $[*]; some endpoints nest the records under a named property (for example, List Enrollment Terms uses $.enrollment_terms[*]). Canvas paginates list responses using the Link response header — set the pagination method to follow the rel="next" link so that Nexla retrieves all pages. Because HTTP header names are case-insensitive, Canvas does not guarantee the capitalization of the Link header; Nexla handles this automatically. For complete details, see the Canvas API pagination documentation.
Once all of the relevant settings have been configured, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new Canvas data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.
Click the + icon on the Nexset that will be sent to the Canvas destination, and select the Send to Destination option from the menu. Select the Canvas connector from the list of available destination connectors, then select the credential that will be used to connect to the Canvas instance, and click Next; or, create a new Canvas credential for use in this flow.
Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure destinations to send data to common Canvas endpoints. Select the endpoint to which data will be sent from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Then, click on the template in the list below to expand it, and follow the instructions to configure additional endpoint settings.
Each record in the source Nexset is sent as a JSON request body to the selected endpoint. Map your Nexset attributes to the fields expected by the corresponding Canvas API endpoint (for example, the user[name] and pseudonym[unique_id] fields when creating a user). Endpoints that target a specific resource require a Canvas resource ID, which can be obtained from the corresponding list endpoints on the data source side.
Create a User
Creates a new user in a Canvas account using an HTTP POST request. Use this endpoint to provision Canvas user accounts from your source data.
Enter the ID of the account in which the user will be created in the Account ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the Canvas user payload, including the required pseudonym[unique_id] (login) and user attributes such as user[name].
Update User
Updates information for an existing Canvas user using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the user to update in the User ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the user fields to be updated, such as user[name] or user[email].
Create Enrollment Term
Creates a new enrollment term for an account using an HTTP POST request. Enrollment terms define academic periods such as semesters.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the term payload, such as enrollment_term[name], enrollment_term[start_at], and enrollment_term[end_at].
Update Enrollment Term
Updates an existing enrollment term for an account using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Enter the ID of the term to update in the Term ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the term fields to be updated.
Create User Enrollment
Enrolls a user in a course using an HTTP POST request. Use this endpoint to add students, teachers, or other roles to a course.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the enrollment payload, such as enrollment[user_id] and enrollment[type] (for example, StudentEnrollment).
End Enrollment
Removes a user from a course by ending their enrollment, using an HTTP DELETE request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the enrollment to end in the Enrollment ID field.
Canvas supports several conclusion behaviors for this endpoint (such as conclude, delete, inactivate, and deactivate) via the task query parameter. The default behavior concludes the enrollment.
Create Course
Creates a new course within an account using an HTTP POST request.
Enter the ID of the account in which the course will be created in the Account ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the course payload, such as course[name] and course[course_code].
Update a Course
Updates an existing course using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the course to update in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the course fields to be updated.
Create Course Section
Creates a new section within a course using an HTTP POST request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the section payload, such as course_section[name].
Update Course Section
Updates an existing course section using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the section to update in the Section ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the section fields to be updated.
Create Group
Creates a new group using an HTTP POST request. Groups organize users for collaboration within Canvas.
Map your Nexset attributes to the group payload, such as name and description.
Update Group
Updates an existing group using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the group to update in the Group ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the group fields to be updated.
Create a Membership
Adds a user to a group by creating a membership, using an HTTP POST request.
Enter the ID of the group in the Group ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the membership payload, such as user_id.
Update a Membership
Updates an existing group membership using an HTTP PUT request, for example to accept an invitation or change a member's moderator status.
Enter the ID of the group in the Group ID field.
Enter the ID of the membership to update in the Membership ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the membership fields to be updated, such as workflow_state or moderator.
Create SIS Import
Imports SIS (Student Information System) data into an account using an HTTP POST request. Use this endpoint to bulk-load CSV-based provisioning data.
Enter the ID of the account in the Account ID field.
Set the Import Type field to the import format (for example, instructure_csv).
Set the Extension field to the file extension of the import data (for example, csv or zip).
SIS imports are processed asynchronously by Canvas. Use the Get SIS Import Status data source endpoint to monitor the progress and result of a submitted import.
Create Assignment
Creates a new assignment within a course using an HTTP POST request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the assignment payload, such as assignment[name] and assignment[points_possible].
Update Assignment
Updates an existing assignment within a course using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the assignment to update in the Assignment ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the assignment fields to be updated.
Create a Module
Creates a new module within a course using an HTTP POST request. Modules organize course content into sequential units.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the module payload, such as module[name].
Update a Module
Updates an existing module within a course using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module to update in the Module ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the module fields to be updated.
Create a Module Item
Creates a new item within a module using an HTTP POST request. Module items reference course content such as pages, assignments, and files.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module in the Module ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the module item payload, such as module_item[type] and module_item[content_id].
Update a Module Item
Updates an existing item within a module using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the module in the Module ID field.
Enter the ID of the module item to update in the Module Item ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the module item fields to be updated.
Create a Quiz
Creates a new quiz within a course using an HTTP POST request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the quiz payload, such as quiz[title] and quiz[quiz_type].
Update a Quiz
Updates an existing quiz within a course using an HTTP PUT request.
Enter the ID of the course in the Course ID field.
Enter the ID of the quiz to update in the Quiz ID field.
Map your Nexset attributes to the quiz fields to be updated.
Canvas destinations can also be manually configured to send data to any valid Canvas LMS REST API endpoint, and to send the response received from the Canvas API after each call to a new Nexla webhook data source. Select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen, and follow the instructions in Connect to Any API to configure the API method, data format, endpoint URL, request headers, attribute exclusions, record batching, and response webhooks.
The Canvas API accepts JSON request bodies. Canvas uses POST to create resources, PUT to update existing resources, and DELETE to remove resources; for update operations, include the ID of the object to be updated at the end of the endpoint URL (for example, https://yourinstitution.instructure.com/api/v1/courses/123/assignments). Most Canvas write endpoints operate on a single resource per request — use batching only for endpoints that accept multiple records in a single call, and confirm the expected payload shape against the Canvas API documentation for the target endpoint.
Once all endpoint settings have been configured, click the Done button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the destination. To begin sending data to the configured Canvas endpoint, open the destination resource menu, and select Activate.
The Nexset data will not be sent to Canvas until the destination is activated. Destinations can be activated immediately or at a later time, providing full control over data movement.
