Welcome to Thinkific's developer documentation. Whether you're extending your own platform, integrating Thinkific into a larger technology stack, automating workflows with AI agents, or building products for the broader Thinkific customer base — our APIs and developer tools give you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.
Who builds with Thinkific?
Our developer ecosystem serves three primary audiences:
Customers: Organizations, training companies, and subject matter experts who want to extend or integrate Thinkific for their own learners. This includes automating workflows, syncing data with external systems, or embedding Thinkific capabilities directly into your own applications.
Agencies and partners: Teams building customized learning experiences on behalf of Thinkific customers, or creating white-label solutions that run on top of the Thinkific platform.
App developers: Developers building apps for the Thinkific App Store, making tools available to the entire Thinkific customer base.
Our APIs
Thinkific offers two APIs. Both are production-ready, but they are at different stages of the product lifecycle and suited to different use cases.
GraphQL API
Our GraphQL API is where we are actively investing, and where all new platform capabilities are made available first. It offers:
- Flexible querying: Request exactly the data you need in a single call, reducing over-fetching and round trips
- Strongly typed schema: Self-documenting and introspectable, with full IDE support via schema inspection
- Newer platform features: Access to capabilities across communities, events, and other areas added since the REST API was built
- Real-time capabilities: Subscribe to events and build reactive integrations
We recommend the GraphQL API for any new integration. It is actively being expanded, and we want to hear from you as you build. If you run into a use case that isn't yet supported, let us know. Your feedback directly shapes what we prioritize.
REST API
Our REST API (also called the Admin API) is a stable, well-established interface that covers a broad range of core use cases, including some workflows not yet available in the GraphQL API. It is well suited for:
- Enrollments, user management, and course operations
- Integrations built on standard HTTP tooling or existing REST libraries
- Teams that already have a working REST-based integration
The REST API is fully supported and isn't going anywhere. That said, it is not where new platform capabilities are being added; those go into the GraphQL API. If you're starting something new and the REST API has coverage your use case needs that GraphQL doesn't yet, it's a perfectly valid choice. We'd also encourage you to tell us about the gap so we can prioritize closing it.
Authentication
Thinkific supports two authentication methods. Which one you use depends on who is building the integration and who it is built for.
| I am... | Use... |
|---|---|
| A partner or developer building an app for multiple Thinkific customers | OAuth (via Partner Portal) |
| A customer building a custom integration for my own Thinkific site | API Access Token |
OAuth (via Partner Portal)
OAuth is the authentication method for applications and integrations built by partners that will be installed across multiple Thinkific customer accounts. This includes App Store apps, agency-built tools deployed to client sites, and any integration where end users need to authorize access to their own Thinkific account.
OAuth is registered and managed through the Thinkific Partner Portal. Once registered, your app can request access to a customer's site through a Thinkific-hosted consent flow, and will receive access tokens scoped to that customer's account.
Use OAuth when:
- You're building an App Store app used by multiple Thinkific customers
- You're an agency or partner building a tool that will be deployed to one or more client sites
- Your integration needs to act on behalf of different Thinkific accounts
API Access Token
API Access Tokens are available directly to customers through their Thinkific site settings. They are intended for customers building their own custom tools and integrations against their own Thinkific account.
Use an API Access Token when:
- You're a Thinkific customer building a custom integration for your own site
- You're connecting Thinkific to an external system (CRM, HRIS, data warehouse) for your own business
- You're automating workflows against your own account
Webhooks
In addition to the APIs, Thinkific provides webhooks for event-driven workflows. Webhooks let your system react to platform events in real time, without polling.
Supported events include enrollments, course completions, payment transactions, certificate issuance, and user changes. Webhooks are a core building block for integrations that need to stay in sync with activity on your Thinkific site.
Getting started based on your use case
I'm a customer building for my own Thinkific site
- Get Started setting up API Access Token
- Choose between the GraphQL API and REST API. For anything new, start with GraphQL
- Use our GraphQL Playground or explore the Admin REST API to explore available endpoints
- Build and test against your live site.
I'm an agency building a private app for a client's Thinkific site
- Register or sign in to your app in the Partner Portal.
- Set up your first App and set up OAuth so your integration can access your client's site with their consent.
- Review the API Overview and explore the GraphQL API
- Test using a sandbox account
I'm building an App Store app
- Register or sign in to your app in the Partner Portal.
- Set up your first App and set up OAuth so your integration can access your client's site with their consent.
- Review the API Overview and explore the GraphQL API
- Test using a sandbox account
- Review the App Submission Guidelines