Microsoft Teams Integration: API vs LTI Explained

by Jordan Clark

LTI Integration for Microsoft Teams

LTI (or, Learning Tools Interoperability®) is a standard from 1EdTech (formerally IMS Global) that many LMS providers support. It allows LTI-compliant apps to connect with any LTI-compliant LMS, if they use compatible versions. Microsoft Teams recently began supporting the LTI standard, allowing limited LTI-based integrations. Before this, the only option was using the Microsoft Graph API.

Microsoft Teams supports LTI 1.3 Advantage Complete which includs features like

  • Deep Linking,
  • Name and Roles Provisioning, and
  • Assignment and Grade syncing, all through the Microsoft 365 LTI app.

This lets schools and edtech tools to do things like connect content to Teams and launch learning tools directly from within the Teams interface.

API Integration for Microsoft Teams

API integration is a direct connection to Microsoft Teams through the Microsoft Graph API. With OAuth 2.0, users log in using their Microsoft credentials. After authentication, your app can act on their behalf, syncing grades, posting assignments, and managing content in Teams, all without requiring them to leave your app.

Real-World Use Cases

Sometimes the easiest way to understand the difference between LTI and API integrations is to see them in action. Here are two examples of how edtech tools might integrate with Microsoft Teams:

LTI Use Case: Launch a Quiz Tool from Teams

Imagine your product is a quiz tool that teachers want to access directly from Microsoft Teams. Using LTI 1.3, your tool can be launched from within a Teams class tab. When a student clicks the tab, the LMS passes along their identity and course information. This allows them to seamlessly access the quiz experience without needing to log in again.

Strengths:

  • Could be easy to implement if your tool already supports LTI
  • No need to manage authentication or user provisioning

Limitations:

  • Limited control over the Teams interface
  • Strict user experience to access the content

API Use Case: Sync Grades from an External LMS to Teams

Let’s say your platform is a full-featured learning environment that manages assessments, assignments, and grading. You want those grades to appear in Microsoft Teams automatically. By integrating with the Microsoft Graph API, you can authenticate users via Microsoft, fetch their class rosters, and post assignment grades back into Teams.

Strengths:

  • More control over syncing data
  • Customizable user experience inside your own app

Limitations:

  • Could be more complex to implement than LTI
  • Ongoing maintenance and API version tracking may be needed

How to Get Started Creating a Microsoft Teams Integration?

Microsoft Teams works differently than most LMS providers. To get started, sign up for the Microsoft 365 Developer Program. You’ll get access to a free sandbox, documentation, and the Microsoft Education Graph API. Once enrolled, follow these steps:

  1. Register your app in Azure Active Directory
  2. Request relevant Graph API permissions
  3. Use Microsoft’s guides to build in your preferred language

Which Integration Method Should You Use?

Choosing between LTI and API integration for Microsoft Teams can depend on several factors. Here’s how we we would think about this issue.

  • Need to launch quickly or under a tight deadline?
    In most cases, LTI should be faster to implement, especially if your tool already supports LTI 1.3 Advantage Complete. However, if you haven’t built an LTI integration before, it can get more complex than it seems. LTI integrations can work great for use cases like single sign-on and tool launches.
  • Need more custom data to sync or custom experiences?
    The Microsoft Graph API might be a better fit. It gives you more control over how your app interacts with Teams to enable automated data syncs. At the same time, a direct API integration can provide more custom security and user experiences, which might feel limited in an LTI integration.

Sometimes, You May Need Both

Sometimes school districts have specific requirements for their integrations. In cases, where they only allow LTI integrations, your app will most likely have to connect in that way to move forward. Or a school might be more open to direct LMS integrations, in which case, your app could support more custom experiences and be more valuable for the school overall. By being able to support both methods, your app isn’t limited to one way or another. While this sounds like the best case scenario, this also means that you have to provide engineering resources to support both methods. For some newer products, that type of investment early into their product’s development isn’t realistic.

If you need a way to support both methods, and other types of integrations in a way that makes sense for your product - we’re here to help.

*Updated | October 1, 2025

Read More on Microsoft Teams

Here are other articles we’ve written on Microsoft Teams to help you on your integration journey:

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