Resources
Returns a redirect (303) to a document preview iframe URL for the specified resource.
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/0123456789/document-preview?documentId=abcdefg"
The unique identifier for the resource
The document ID to preview (optional, defaults to the latest version's document)
GET /api/resources/{resourceId}/document-preview HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
No content
Lists the sources to use in a video or audio tag for a given resource.
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/0123456789/media-preview-sources"
The unique identifier for the resource
The specific media object Id requested for previewing (optional)
GET /api/resources/{resourceId}/media-preview-sources HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"items": [
{
"mime_type": "text",
"url": "text",
"target": "text",
"definition": "text",
"download_url": "text"
}
]
}Create a resource.
Upload Example:
# Create the resource record
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources"
data.json:
{
"title": "The War of the Worlds",
"description": "Watch out for black smoke, and heat rays. The Martians are invading!",
"licenseIds": ["attribution_noderivs"],
"licenseSpecs": "You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "http://lor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/subjects/english-language-arts/English-05-262x147.jpg",
"description": "Close up of fountain pen on old letter"
},
"gradeIds": ["1", "2", "3"],
"scopeIds": [ "PUBLIC" ],
"subjectIds": ["math", "specialty"],
"type": "discussion",
"tags": ["Science Fiction", "Martian People"],
"upload": {
"contentType": "application/pdf",
"checksum": "crU95OObMRyOS/XyvDD7Tw=="
}
}
# Upload the actual file
curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" -H "Content-MD5: <base64 encoded md5>" --data @war-of-the-worlds.pdf <response.meta.uploadUrl>
# Let Commons know the upload is complete
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" <response.meta.uploadSuccessRedirectUrl>
Export Example:
# Create the resource record
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources"
data.json:
{
"title": "The War of the Worlds",
"description": "Watch out for black smoke, and heat rays. The Martians are invading!",
"licenseIds": ["attribution"],
"licenseSpecs": "You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "http://lor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/subjects/english-language-arts/English-05-262x147.jpg",
"description": "Close up of fountain pen on old letter"
},
"gradeIds": ["1", "2", "3"],
"scopeIds": [ "PUBLIC" ],
"subjectIds": ["math", "specialty"],
"type": "discussion",
"tags": ["Science Fiction", "Martian People"],
"export": {
"contentType": "application/pdf",
"url": "https://canvas.instructure.com/files/1337/download?download_frd=1&verifier=LIMRsQ4AbWNPgMSoQHkf5SsxULnn61mevsdpZY9X"
}
}
The title of the resource.
The description of the resource.
Details of the resource's licence terms.
An array of scope ids the resource will be accessible to.
The type of resource
An array of tags to associate with the resource.
The ID of a media object in Canvas that is required when a media file (audio/video) is being exported from Canvas
POST /api/resources HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 432
{
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"licenseIds": [
"copyright_reserve"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"description": "text"
},
"gradeIds": [
"K"
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"subjectIds": [
"englishlanguagearts"
],
"type": "course",
"tags": [
"text"
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text"
}
],
"export": {
"courseId": 1,
"url": "text",
"contentType": "application/pdf"
},
"upload": {
"contentType": "text",
"checksum": "text"
},
"mediaObjectId": "text"
}{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"account": {
"id": "text",
"name": "text"
},
"authors": [
{
"id": "text",
"name": "text",
"avatarUrl": "text"
}
],
"courseOutlines": {
"assignments": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text"
}
],
"discussions": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"pages": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"quizzes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
]
},
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"isCreator": true,
"licenseIds": [
"text"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"meta": {
"links": {
"download": "text",
"review": "text",
"self": "text"
},
"permissions": {
"read": true,
"write": true
},
"uploadSuccessRedirectUrl": "text",
"uploadUrl": "text"
},
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"authorityCode": "text",
"related": "text"
}
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"sourceId": "text",
"subjectIds": [
"text"
],
"tags": [
"text"
],
"thumbnail": {
"url": "text",
"description": "text"
},
"type": "course",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text"
}Search through resources the current user has permission to view.
The results are listed by relevance if a q parameter is present, otherwise the results are listed by update date, most recent first.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources?q=ratio&gradeIds=4,5,6&types=course,quiz"
The text to search for in the title, description, tags, author name, and account name
If specified, public resources shared by that account are shown unless the user searching is an admin
Comma separated account, consortium(prefixed with 'consortium-'), group(prefixed with 'group-'), or user ids to filter resources by. 'PUBLIC' is also a valid value for finding public resources
The order search results are returned in. All results are returned in descending order.
relevancePossible values: Sort results asc or desc (default=desc).
descPossible values: Comma separated ids for authors that created or shared resources to find
The number of results to return
24The readiness of the resource for use.
An identifier from a prior query to continue retrieving results for
If present, the search will use the Scroll API. Check the meta object for the scroll ID
When doing a Scroll API search, only this param is needed in order to continue the search
An array of grade ids to associate with the resource
An array of subject ids to associate with the resource
Deprecated. The type of resource
Comma separated resource types to find
GET /api/resources HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"items": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"account": {
"id": "text",
"name": "text"
},
"authors": [
{
"id": "text",
"name": "text",
"avatarUrl": "text"
}
],
"averageRating": 1,
"favoritedCount": 1,
"createDate": "2025-07-22T11:23:33.527Z",
"createUserId": "text",
"gradeIds": [
"text"
],
"licenseIds": [
"text"
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"subjectIds": [
"text"
],
"tags": [
"text"
],
"thumbnail": {
"description": "text",
"url": "text"
},
"outcomes": [
{}
],
"type": "text",
"lang": "text",
"updateDate": "2025-07-22T11:23:33.527Z",
"updateUserId": "text",
"exportStatus": "incomplete",
"isPrivate": true,
"meta": {
"links": {
"self": "text"
},
"permissions": {
"read": true,
"write": true
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
"facets": {
"gradeIds": {},
"subjectIds": {},
"scopeIds": {},
"type": {}
},
"count": 1,
"cursor": "text"
}
}Update the title, description, tags, and other meta data associated with a resource. Resource creators or administrators are allowed to update the meta data of a resource. If the resource is shared to a group then the group manager can also update the meta data of the resource.
Example:
curl -X PUT -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type:application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef"
data.json:
{
"title": "The Invisible Man",
"description": "Be careful when messing around with the refractive index",
"export": {
"url": "http://www.hogwartsishere.com/about/",
"contentType": "application/pdf"
},
"licenseIds": ["attribution_noncommercial_sharealike"],
"licenseSpecs": "You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "http://lor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/subjects/english-language-arts/English-05-262x147.jpg",
"description": "Close up of fountain pen on old letter"
},
"gradeIds": ["1", "2", "3"],
"scopeIds": ["PUBLIC"],
"subjectIds": ["math", "specialty"],
"tags": ["Science Fiction", "Invisible People"],
"versionNotes": "This corrects the typo on page 220."
}
The unique id of the resource
The title of the resource.
The description of the resource.
Details of the resource's licence terms.
An array of scope ids the resource will be accessible to.
An array of tags to associate with the resource.
Any changes that you made to the resource should be described here
PUT /api/resources/{id} HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 296
{
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"licenseIds": [
"copyright_reserve"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"description": "text"
},
"gradeIds": [
"K"
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"subjectIds": [
"englishlanguagearts"
],
"tags": [
"text"
],
"versionNotes": "text",
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text"
}
]
}{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"account": {
"id": "text",
"name": "text"
},
"authors": [
{
"id": "text",
"name": "text",
"avatarUrl": "text"
}
],
"courseOutlines": {
"assignments": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text"
}
],
"discussions": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"pages": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"quizzes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
]
},
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"isCreator": true,
"licenseIds": [
"text"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"meta": {
"links": {
"download": "text",
"review": "text",
"self": "text"
},
"permissions": {
"read": true,
"write": true
},
"uploadSuccessRedirectUrl": "text",
"uploadUrl": "text"
},
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"authorityCode": "text",
"related": "text"
}
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"sourceId": "text",
"tags": [
"text"
],
"thumbnail": {
"url": "text",
"description": "text"
},
"type": "course",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versions": [
{
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"exportStatus": "text",
"id": "text",
"resourceId": "text",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versionNotes": "text"
}
]
}Resource creators or administrators are allowed to remove a resource from Commons. If the resource was shared to a group then the group manager can also remove the resource from Commons.
Example:
curl -X DELETE -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef"
The unique id of the resource
DELETE /api/resources/{id} HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
No content
Report a resource as spam, infringing, or inappropriate.
Example:
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/1231231/report"
data.json:
{
"reportType": "spam"
}
The resourceId to mark as reported
Type of the report
POST /api/resources/{resourceId}/report HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 21
{
"reportType": "spam"
}{}Create an update for a resource by uploading a new version of the file.
Upload Example:
# Update the resource record
curl -X PUT -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/new-version"
data.json:
{
"title": "The Time Traveler",
"description": "An Adventure through time",
"licenseIds": ["attribution_sharealike"],
"licenseSpecs": "You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "http://lor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/subjects/english-language-arts/English-05-262x147.jpg",
"description": "Close up of fountain pen on old letter"
},
"gradeIds": ["1", "2", "3"],
"scopeIds": ["PUBLIC"],
"subjectIds": ["math", "specialty"],
"tags": ["Science Fiction", "Time Travel"],
"upload": {
"contentType": "application/pdf",
"checksum": "crU95OObMRyOS/XyvDD7Tw=="
},
"versionNotes": "This corrects the typo on page 284."
}
# Upload the actual file for the new version
curl -X PUT -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" -H "Content-MD5: <base64 encoded md5>" --data @war-of-the-worlds.pdf <response.meta.uploadUrl>
# Let Commons know the upload is complete
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" <response.meta.uploadSuccessRedirectUrl>
Export Example:
# Update the resource record
curl -X PUT -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/new-version"
data.json:
{
"title": "The Time Traveler",
"description": "An Adventure through time!",
"licenseIds": ["attribution_sharealike"],
"licenseSpecs": "You are free to: Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "http://lor-images.s3.amazonaws.com/subjects/english-language-arts/English-05-262x147.jpg",
"description": "Close up of fountain pen on old letter"
},
"gradeIds": ["1", "2", "3"],
"scopeIds": ["PUBLIC"],
"subjectIds": ["math", "specialty"],
"tags": ["Science Fiction", "Time Travel"],
"export": {
"contentType": "application/pdf",
"url": "https://canvas.instructure.com/files/1337/download?download_frd=1&verifier=LIMRsQ4AbWNPgMSoQHkf5SsxULnn61mevsdpZY9X"
},
"versionNotes": "This corrects the typo on page 284."
}
The unique id of the resource
The title of the resource.
The description of the resource.
Details of the resource's licence terms.
An array of scope ids the resource will be accessible to.
An array of tags to associate with the resource.
Any changes that you made to the resource should be described here
PUT /api/resources/{id}/new-version HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 404
{
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"export": {
"courseId": 1,
"url": "text",
"contentType": "text"
},
"licenseIds": [
"copyright_reserve"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "https://example.com",
"description": "text"
},
"gradeIds": [
"K"
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"subjectIds": [
"englishlanguagearts"
],
"tags": [
"text"
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text"
}
],
"upload": {
"contentType": "text",
"checksum": "text"
},
"versionNotes": "text"
}{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"account": {
"id": "text",
"name": "text"
},
"authors": [
{
"id": "text",
"name": "text",
"avatarUrl": "text"
}
],
"courseOutlines": {
"assignments": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text"
}
],
"discussions": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"pages": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"quizzes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
]
},
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"isCreator": true,
"licenseIds": [
"text"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"meta": {
"links": {
"download": "text",
"review": "text",
"self": "text"
},
"permissions": {
"read": true,
"write": true
},
"uploadSuccessRedirectUrl": "text",
"uploadUrl": "text"
},
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"authorityCode": "text",
"related": "text"
}
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"sourceId": "text",
"thumbnail": {
"url": "text",
"description": "text"
},
"type": "course",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versions": [
{
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"exportStatus": "text",
"id": "text",
"resourceId": "text",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versionNotes": "text"
}
]
}Get a redirect to a url that will download the resource.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/download"
The unique id of the resource
GET /api/resources/{id}/download HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
No content
Get a redirect to a resized version of the original image resource.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/image-preview"
The unique id of the resource
GET /api/resources/{id}/image-preview HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
No content
This is not implemented! This will start processing an upload. Remember, depending on the file size of the resource, the import process may take as long as 30 minutes.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/versions/012344564789/upload-complete"
The unique id of the resource version
GET /api/resources/versions/{versionId}/upload-complete HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
No content
Import the latest version of a resource from Commons into a single or multiple Canvas courses. A successful import will partly rely on the user having the proper permissions in Canvas to import resources into the Canvas course.
Example:
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data @data.json "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/import"
data.json:
{
"courses":[
{
"id": 220,
"name": "Algebra 1"
},
{
"id": 284,
"name": "Partial Differential Equations"
}
]
}
The unique id of the resource
POST /api/resources/{id}/import HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 36
{
"courses": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "text"
}
]
}No content
Create a new module in a Canvas Course. Success will depend on the user having the proper permissions in Canvas to create new modules in the given course.
Example:
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/modules/new"
POST /api/resources/modules/new HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"id": 1,
"name": "text"
}Create a new assignment group in a Canvas Course. Success will depend on the user having the proper permissions in Canvas to create new assignment groups in the given course.
Example:
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -H "Content-Type: application/json" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/assignment-group/new"
POST /api/resources/assignment-group/new HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 53
{
"course": {
"id": 1
},
"assignmentGroup": {
"name": "text"
}
}{
"id": 1,
"name": "text"
}List all of the possible thumbnails that Commons provides that can be used for a resource.
GET /api/resources/thumbnails HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"items": [
{
"url": "text",
"description": "text",
"subjectId": "text"
}
]
}List all of the possible thumbnails that can be used for that resource. Note: For video type resources, the only thumbnail that will be listed is the one that was automatically generated from that video when it was uploaded.
The unique id of the resource
GET /api/resources/{id}/thumbnails HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"items": [
{
"url": "text",
"description": "text",
"subjectId": "text"
}
]
}Post a thumbnail image. The image needs to be a PNG, GIF, or JPEG. Animated GIFs will be decomposed and only the first frame will be kept. Animated GIFs must be well-formed. This endpoint does not accept files greater than 1 MB in size. The image will be automatically resized and cropped to 262x147 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio) in a jpg format. The image must be at least 262x147 pixels to be accepted. Thumbnails must be uploaded as multipart/form-data.
Example:
curl -X POST -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" -F "[email protected]" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/thumbnail"
The image file to upload (PNG, GIF, or JPEG)
POST /api/resources/thumbnail HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: multipart/form-data
Accept: */*
Content-Length: 22
{
"thumbnail": "binary"
}{
"url": "text"
}Get a single resource by its ID.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef"
The id of the resource to retrieve
GET /api/resources/{resourceId} HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"description": "text",
"account": {
"id": "text",
"name": "text"
},
"authors": [
{
"id": "text",
"name": "text",
"avatarUrl": "text"
}
],
"courseOutlines": {
"assignments": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text"
}
],
"discussions": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"outcomes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"pages": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
],
"quizzes": [
{
"id": 1,
"title": "text",
"points": 1
}
]
},
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"isCreator": true,
"licenseIds": [
"text"
],
"licenseSpecs": "text",
"meta": {
"links": {
"download": "text",
"review": "text",
"self": "text"
},
"permissions": {
"read": true,
"write": true
}
},
"outcomes": [
{
"id": "text",
"title": "text",
"authorityCode": "text",
"related": "text"
}
],
"scopeIds": [
"text"
],
"sourceId": "text",
"subjectIds": [
"text"
],
"tags": [
"text"
],
"thumbnail": {
"url": "text",
"description": "text"
},
"type": "course",
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versions": [
{
"canvasdocsDocumentId": "text",
"createDate": "text",
"createUserId": "text",
"exportStatus": "text",
"fileType": "text",
"id": "text",
"mediaObjectDuration": "text",
"mediaObjectId": "text",
"mimeType": "text",
"resourceId": "text",
"size": 1,
"updateDate": "text",
"updateUserId": "text",
"versionNotes": "text"
}
]
}Redirects from commons to the Canvas resource page.
Example:
curl -H "X-Session-ID: 0123456789" "https://lor.instructure.com/api/resources/abcdef/source"
The id of the resource to redirect to
GET /api/resources/{resourceId}/source HTTP/1.1
Host: lor.instructure.com
x-session-id: YOUR_API_KEY
Accept: */*
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