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Microsoft OneDrive API Essential Guide

Aug 7, 20246 minute read

What type of API does Microsoft OneDrive provide?

API Type

  • OneDrive uses a REST API that is part of the Microsoft Graph API.

API Structure

  • The API uses top-level types to represent addressable resources, such as drives, items, and folders.
  • It supports properties (simple values), facets (complex values), and references (collections of other resources).

Versioning and Compatibility

  • The API includes version numbers to protect against breaking changes.
  • It follows compatibility guidelines to ensure existing apps remain functional when new features are added.

Authentication and Permissions

  • The API uses OAuth for authentication.
  • Different permission scopes are available for various levels of access to files and resources.

Best Practices

  • Treat all URLs returned by the API as opaque URLs.
  • Be resilient to additional properties being added to JSON responses.
  • Use only documented API paths, resources, properties, and enumerated values.

Does the Microsoft OneDrive API have webhooks?

Yes, the official Microsoft OneDrive API does have webhooks. Here are the key points about OneDrive webhooks:

Webhook Support

  1. OneDrive provides service-to-service notifications through webhooks.

  2. Webhooks allow your app to be aware of changes to a user's drive without polling the service.

Event Types

You can subscribe to the following types of events:

  1. Changes to items in a user's drive (the "update" change type).

  2. Security events, such as changes to item permissions (requires the "prefer:includesecuritywebhooks" header).

  3. New site collections being created or deleted, as well as when sub-sites or lists are created (for SharePoint sites).

Key Considerations

  1. Scope of notifications: Webhooks will only send notifications for changes that meet specific criteria, such as the app having access to the changed item.

  2. Response time: Your app has limited time to respond to webhook requests. It's recommended to queue information about updates and process them on a separate thread.

  3. Concurrent notifications: Your app may receive multiple notifications for the same user in quick succession.

  4. Service-to-service: Webhooks should point to a service you control, not directly to client devices.

  5. Error handling: OneDrive uses exponential back-off logic for failed notifications.

Best Practices

  1. Use delta query in conjunction with webhooks to ensure you don't miss any changes.

  2. Acknowledge webhook notifications immediately with a 202 - Accepted code before processing.

  3. Consider using delta query at a reduced interval for drives with heavy traffic patterns.

  4. Use the cTag property to determine if file contents have changed before downloading.

By using webhooks, you can create more efficient applications that respond to changes in OneDrive without constant polling, improving performance and reducing unnecessary API calls.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about API rate limits for the Microsoft OneDrive API:

General Limits

  • Microsoft Graph has a global limit of 130,000 requests per 10 seconds per app across all tenants [2].

  • For OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, and SharePoint Online, the specific service limits are documented in "Avoid getting throttled or blocked in SharePoint Online" [2].

OneDrive-Specific Limits

  • The OneDrive API is part of the Files and Lists service in Microsoft Graph, which has the following limits [2]:

    • Applies to resources like drive, driveItem, permission, etc.
    • Specific limits are not provided in the search results, but are referenced in the SharePoint documentation.

Best Practices

  • Use JSON batching to combine multiple requests into one HTTP call to mitigate potential throttling issues [1].

  • Implement retry logic with exponential backoff when encountering throttling errors [1].

  • For large data extractions, consider using Microsoft Graph Data Connect instead of the REST APIs to avoid throttling limits [1].

Rate Limit Headers

  • Rate limit headers are currently in beta and provided on a best-effort basis [1].

  • They may not always be accurate or present for all conditions [1].

  • There are other limits not presented in the headers, so applications can still be throttled before reaching the stated limits [1].

Identifying Limits

  • Microsoft provides a preview tool called Microsoft Graph Developer Proxy v0.7 to simulate API behaviors including throttling [1].

  • However, identifying the exact limit reached can be challenging due to the "best effort" nature of the rate limit headers [1].

It's important to note that the specific numeric limits for OneDrive were not provided in the search results. For the most up-to-date and accurate limits, it's recommended to consult the official Microsoft documentation directly.

Latest API Version

The most recent version of the Microsoft OneDrive API is the OneDrive file storage API in Microsoft Graph v1.0. Here are the key points to consider:

Current API Version

  1. The latest stable version of the OneDrive API is part of Microsoft Graph v1.0 [1].

  2. There is also a beta version of the OneDrive file storage API in Microsoft Graph, which may contain new features but is not recommended for production use [1].

Key Points

  • OneDrive is integrated into Microsoft Graph, which provides a unified API for accessing various Microsoft 365 services [1].

  • The API allows developers to tap into an ecosystem with billions of files, enabling access to OneDrive data for both personal and business users [1].

  • OneDrive enables real-time coauthoring in familiar apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, which can be leveraged through the API [1].

  • The API provides access to rich features such as thumbnails for hundreds of formats, video streaming, and analytics [1].

Best Practices

  1. Use the stable v1.0 version of the Microsoft Graph API for production applications [1].

  2. Consider exploring the beta version for testing new features, but be aware that it may change without notice [1].

  3. When working with file versions, be aware that OneDrive does not preserve complete metadata for previous versions of a file [5].

  4. For specific OneDrive API questions or issues, it's recommended to post in the Microsoft Tech Community - OneDrive Developer forum for more targeted assistance [4].

Additional Information

  • The OneDrive sync app for Windows and Mac is regularly updated. As of July 19, 2024, the latest production version for Windows is 24.132.0701.0002, and for Mac it's also 24.132.0701.0002 [2].

  • Microsoft provides SDKs and sample apps in various programming languages to help developers get started with the OneDrive API quickly [3].

By using the latest version of the OneDrive API through Microsoft Graph, developers can take advantage of the most up-to-date features and improvements in file storage and synchronization capabilities.

How to get a Microsoft OneDrive developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for Microsoft OneDrive and create an API integration, you need to follow these steps:

Register Your Application

  1. Go to the Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com/) and sign in with your Microsoft account.

  2. Navigate to "App registrations" and click on "New registration".

  3. Give your app a name and select the appropriate account types (personal Microsoft accounts, work accounts, or both).

  4. For the redirect URI, use http://localhost:3000/auth/callback for development purposes.

  5. Click "Register" to create your application.

Set Up Authentication

  1. After registration, you'll receive a Client ID (Application ID) for your app.

  2. Go to "Certificates & secrets" and create a new client secret. Make sure to copy and store this securely, as you won't be able to see it again.

  3. Under "API permissions", add the necessary permissions for OneDrive API (e.g., Files.ReadWrite.All).

Implement OAuth 2.0 Flow

  1. Use the OAuth 2.0 flow to authenticate users and obtain access tokens.

  2. Create an authentication URL using your Client ID and redirect URI.

  3. After user authorization, exchange the received code for access and refresh tokens.

Key Points to Consider

  • Treat the client secret with the same level of security as a password.
  • Store access and refresh tokens securely.
  • Implement token refresh mechanisms to maintain long-term access.

What can you do with the Microsoft OneDrive API?

Based on the provided information, here's a list of data models you can interact with using the Microsoft OneDrive API, along with what is possible for each:

Drive

  • Access and manage drives (personal OneDrive or SharePoint document libraries)
  • Create, read, update, and delete files and folders within drives
  • Share files and folders with other users
  • Access file metadata without downloading the binary content

File

  • Upload, download, and modify files
  • Access file metadata (e.g., name, size, creation date)
  • Work with file content without downloading the binary (for supported file types)
  • Extract metadata from photo, audio, and video files
  • Use the Excel API to work directly with data in Excel workbooks
  • Use the Notes API to access contents of OneNote notebooks

Folder

  • Create, read, update, and delete folders
  • Manage folder contents (files and subfolders)
  • Share folders with other users

Sharing

  • Create sharing links for files and folders
  • Manage permissions and access levels for shared items
  • View and modify sharing information for files and folders
  • Search for files and folders across drives
  • Use query parameters to filter search results

Thumbnails

  • Generate and retrieve thumbnails for various file formats

Versioning

  • Access and manage file versions
  • Restore previous versions of files

Synchronization

  • Implement file synchronization between local devices and OneDrive
  • Use delta queries to efficiently sync changes

Webhooks

  • Set up notifications for changes to files and folders
  • Subscribe to events for specific resources

Site Collections (SharePoint integration)

  • Access and manage SharePoint site collections
  • Enumerate sites and receive notifications about new site collections

Security and Compliance

  • Implement and manage security settings for files and folders
  • Apply compliance policies to OneDrive content

By leveraging these data models and their associated functionalities, developers can create robust applications that integrate seamlessly with OneDrive, enabling a wide range of file storage, sharing, and collaboration features.