Microsoft to Retire Azure AD Graph APIs Next Month
Microsoft is retiring the Azure AD Graph API by February 1, 2025.
Published: Jan 21, 2025
Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft is retiring the Azure AD Graph API, with a complete cutoff for requests from existing applications effective February 1, 2025.
- Developers are encouraged to migrate to the Microsoft Graph API.
- Temporary workarounds are available to support legacy applications.
Microsoft is moving forward with the phased retirement of its Azure AD Graph API service, which began in September 2024. The company has confirmed that starting February 1, 2025, existing applications will no longer be able to send requests to the Azure AD Graph API.
Azure AD Graph API was a service that allowed developers to interact programmatically with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). It enabled the management of directory resources like users, groups, and applications through RESTful endpoints.
However, Azure AD Graph API has been deprecated and Microsoft recommends using Microsoft Graph API instead. Microsoft Graph API was launched in 2017, and it offers a more comprehensive set of features, enhanced security, and better integration capabilities.
In 2021, Microsoft provided a tool to help customers find and replace any Azure AD Graph dependencies. The Microsoft Entra recommendation feature also helps IT admins identify and address outdated dependencies within their Azure AD environment.
“Microsoft Graph represents our best-in-breed API surface. It offers a single unified endpoint to access Microsoft Entra services and Microsoft 365 services such as Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Intune. All new functionalities will only be available through Microsoft Graph. Microsoft Graph is also more secure and resilient than Azure AD Graph,” Microsoft explained.
How to extend Azure AD Graph API access for an app?
Microsoft is gradually rolling out this change to all tenants, with full availability anticipated by the end of February. The company has also provided a temporary workaround to help organizations with legacy applications that still need access to the Azure AD Graph API.
Microsoft notes that administrators will need to update the application’s configuration to set the blockAzureADGraphAccess attribute to false in the app’s authenticationBehaviors configuration. This configuration change will allow the application to continue using the Azure AD Graph API until June 30, 2025.