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Most Asked Questions
getting started & account setup
users, roles & permissions
certificates
product introduction — "alison for business"
remote access API
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team management
reports & certificate
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psychometric assessments
roles and permissions
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content library
Most Asked Questions
getting started & account setup
users, roles & permissions
certificates
product introduction — "alison for business"
remote access API
billing & subscription (LMS+)
team management
reports & certificate
group functionality
psychometric assessments
roles and permissions
learning content & assignments
content library
Why is REST API preferred?
REST is stateless, meaning each client request contains all the information needed for processing, without relying on server-side session state. This simplicity makes REST scalable, easy to integrate, and widely adopted for system communication.
What is a REST API and how does Alison API use it?
The Alison API is built using REST (Representational State Transfer) principles, which define a standard way for different software systems to communicate over the internet.
A REST API is a web-based interface that allows systems to exchange data using standard HTTP requests. It is widely used because it is simple, scalable, and compatible with almost all modern programming languages and platforms.
REST APIs are stateless, meaning each request from a client contains all the necessary information for processing. The server does not store session data between requests, which improves scalability and reliability.
REST APIs communicate using standard HTTP methods:
GET – Retrieve data from a server
POST – Create a new resource on the server
PUT – Update an existing resource
PATCH – Partially update an existing resource
DELETE – Remove a resource
These methods allow systems to perform structured operations on data in a consistent way.
REST APIs can support multiple data formats, including:
JSON (most commonly used)
XML
HTML
Plain text
Among these, JSON is the preferred format because it is lightweight, easy to read, and widely supported across programming languages.
REST APIs do not define security by default, but security can be implemented using industry-standard methods such as:
HTTPS encryption
API keys
OAuth authentication
JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Rate limiting
Access can also be controlled through mechanisms such as role-based access control (RBAC), API tokens, or permission-based rules to ensure secure and restricted usage.
REST APIs are designed for high performance and scalability. This is achieved through:
Stateless architecture (no server-side session storage)
Caching mechanisms to reduce repeated data processing
Load balancing across multiple servers
Asynchronous processing for improved responsiveness
These principles allow REST APIs to efficiently handle large numbers of requests.
REST APIs are platform- and language-independent, meaning any system that can make HTTP requests can integrate with them.
They can be accessed using:
Web browsers
HTTP clients
Any programming language (e.g. Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, etc.)
The Alison API uses REST architecture to provide a simple and reliable way for organisations to interact with Alison’s platform.
It allows systems such as LMS platforms, websites, or intranets to:
Retrieve Alison course information (titles and details)
Generate direct links to Alison course pages
Redirect learners to Alison to complete courses on the Alison platform
This ensures a seamless connection between organisational systems and Alison while keeping all learning and course completion within Alison itself.
Alison API Integration Requirements, Setup, and Implementation Time
Integrating the Alison API requires a technical setup handled by an individual or team with relevant development experience. This ensures the integration is configured correctly and aligned with your organisation’s system requirements.
To successfully integrate the Alison API, your technical team should be familiar with:
RESTful or SOAP API integration concepts
API endpoints and request/response structures
Data formats such as JSON and/or XML
Authentication methods (e.g. API keys and secure access protocols)
General software integration practices
We recommend that your team reviews the Alison API Technical Specifications document, available on the API page, before starting implementation.
Once the API solution is purchased, your organisation will receive an API key. This key allows your technical team to begin the integration process immediately and securely connect your system with Alison’s API.
The time required to complete integration can vary depending on your internal technical capability and system complexity. In general, implementation may take:
A few days for experienced integration teams
Up to several weeks for more complex or custom environments
Alison does not impose restrictions on how the API is integrated into your systems. However, it is important that your technical team evaluates your existing LMS, HR system, or internal platform to ensure it supports the required level of customization and integration.
Full technical documentation for the Alison API is available on the API page. This includes integration guidance, authentication details, and endpoint specifications to support your development team throughout the process.
How to Get Alison API Access and API Keys
The Alison API is available through a paid annual subscription designed for organisations that want to connect Alison learning access with their internal systems such as an LMS, intranet, or website.
To use the Alison API, your organisation must purchase a 1-year subscription. This subscription provides:
Access to Alison API functionality
Ability to display Alison course information (titles and direct links) within your system
Support for learner redirection from your platform to Alison for course completion
Organisation-wide integration support based on your setup
Bulk certificate purchasing for learners at a discounted rate
Once payment is completed, your organisation will receive an API key, which allows your technical team to begin the integration process immediately.
The Alison API is designed to support secure and seamless learning access across your organisation. Key features include:
Seamless Content Access – After verification, learners are granted access based on their assigned roles and permissions
User Authentication – Ensures only verified and authorised users can access the system
Enhanced User Experience (SSO) – Single Sign-On reduces the need for multiple logins and improves accessibility
Comprehensive Metrics – Provides visibility into learning strategy performance and effectiveness
Engagement Analytics – Tracks course activity, completion rates, and learner engagement levels
Improved Security – Centralised authentication reduces security risks and improves access control
Alison does not offer a free trial for the API. However, organisations may be eligible for a reduced-cost first month, allowing them to evaluate the solution before committing to the full annual subscription.
The API is provided under a 1-year contract, billed upfront
The subscription renews annually
Payments are required before API access and key issuance
The API subscription cannot be cancelled mid-term
Refunds are not available once the subscription has started
Accepted payment methods include:
Major credit cards
Bank transfers
Selected online payment gateways
An Ads-free experience for learners is available as an optional add-on. This feature:
Is billed separately from the API subscription
Requires upfront annual payment
Is renewed on the same yearly cycle
To subscribe to the Alison API, request pricing, or receive API keys after payment, please contact: 📩 [email protected].
Our team will guide you through the onboarding process and provide all necessary technical documentation and access once your subscription is confirmed.
What kind of data and reports does the Alison API provide?
The Alison API provides structured learning activity reports based on the users and traffic your organisation sends to Alison.
You can receive daily, weekly, or monthly reports that give visibility into learner engagement and progress.
The available data includes:
Number of registrations
Number of course enrollments
Number of course completions
Number of successful graduates
These insights help organisations monitor learner activity and evaluate engagement across courses accessed through their platform.
For more detailed information about available endpoints, data structures, and request types, please refer to the API page.
What is the Alison API and How Does It Work?
The Alison API (Application Programming Interface) is a technical integration solution that enables your organisation’s systems—such as an LMS, website, or intranet—to communicate with Alison’s platform.
Rather than hosting courses within your own system, the API allows you to surface Alison course information, such as course titles and direct links, within your platform. When a learner selects a course, they are redirected to Alison to complete the learning directly on the Alison website.
In simple terms, the API does not deliver or run courses inside your system. Instead, it acts as a secure connection that provides access points to Alison’s learning content while keeping all learning activity and course completion on Alison.
For administrators and managers, the API provides a streamlined way to guide and monitor learning activity across the organisation.
With the Alison API, you can:
Display Alison course titles within your organisation’s system
Provide direct links to Alison course pages for easy access
Guide learners toward selected or relevant training content
Enable visibility of course selection and learning engagement (depending on your internal setup)
Access structured reporting on learner activity (daily, weekly, or monthly), including registrations, enrollments, completions, and successful graduates
The API helps organisations gain a clearer view of learning activity and supports data-driven training strategies.
Any advanced reporting or analytics configuration depends on your organisation’s technical implementation.
For learners, the experience is simple and seamless.
They can:
Access Alison courses directly from your organisation’s platform
Be redirected to Alison to view, enrol, and complete selected courses
Complete all learning on the Alison platform
Have their progress automatically recorded in their Alison account
There is no need to search for courses manually, as learners are taken directly to the relevant Alison course pages through your system.
The Alison API is designed to improve accessibility, engagement, and learning visibility across organisations. Key benefits include:
Single Sign-On (SSO) capability – learners can access Alison using their existing organisational login, removing the need for separate registration or multiple logins
Seamless user experience – learners move directly from your system to Alison without friction
Centralised learning access – organisations can present selected learning content in one place
Improved engagement visibility – track learner interest, activity, and completion trends
Comprehensive reporting – access structured data on registrations, enrollments, completions, and graduates
Improved workforce development – support employee upskilling and professional growth through structured learning access
Stronger talent insights – identify motivated learners based on engagement and performance
Optional psychometric insights (where enabled) – support workforce development planning through additional assessment tools
The Alison API acts as a secure bridge between Alison and your organisation’s system, allowing you to surface learning opportunities, streamline access for learners, and gain valuable insights into training engagement—all while keeping learning and certification fully hosted on Alison.
How many users can I have with Alison’s bespoke API?
Your organisation can have an unlimited number of users if you have invested in our bespoke annual API solution.
What benefit does an Alison API integration offer my business?
One of the primary benefits of our API integration is the Single Sign-On (SSO) feature. With SSO, learners can seamlessly access Alison using their existing platform login, eliminating the need for double sign-ins. Additionally, Alison's platform offers opportunities for employees to enhance their skills, fostering loyalty, productivity, and improving work quality. Our platform also helps identify motivated employees through course engagement and results, while our psychometric tests aid in crafting professional growth plans.
API provides reports on learning activity. What kind of data can I expect?
Absolutely! The Alison API provides Daily/Weekly/Monthly reports on all learning activity generated by the traffic you send to Alison. This includes:
Number of Registrations
Number of Enrollments
Number of Course Completions
Number of Successful Graduates
For additional information on the calls and requests clients can make, please review our API documentation
What is the price of Alison’s bespoke API solution?
The annual API cost is €5,000 with ads
An ads-free version is available for an additional €10,000. This fee is paid upfront and renewed annually.
Do you have a free trial for the API?
While we don't offer a completely free trial for the API, we do provide the first month at a low cost to allow organizations to trial the solution without committing to the annual plan.
How much does the Ads-free API cost?
The Ads-free API is available at an additional cost of €2500. Thus, when combined with the bespoke API solution, the total comes to €5000.
What are the payment options for the API?
Major credit cards, bank transfers, and certain online payment gateways are accepted for the API. For specific payment methods or queries, please contact our sales team.
Can my organisation purchase printed or framed certificates and diplomas for our user/employees and still avail of the discount?
At this time, only digital Certificates and digital Diplomas are available at a discounted rate through the Free LMS or Alison API products. If you would like to purchase printed or framed options for your users/employees, please contact us at [email protected] and we would be happy to discuss your individual requirements.
Can my organisation purchase certificates or diplomas without subscribing to any monthly plan?
As a business, you can purchase Digital Certificates or Digital Diplomas on behalf of your employees/users. We provide substantial discounts of up to 60% to organisations for Digital Certificates and Digital Diplomas if purchased in bulk. Contact [email protected] to learn more. These discounts are not available to individual users, only to organisations. The discounts are on a per order basis, not a cumulative total of orders.
What is a REST API?
A REST (Representational State Transfer) API (Application Programming Interface) allows for interaction between different software systems over the internet. It adheres to a set of constraints that make it ideal for web services.
Will I be notified of updates or changes to the API?
Typically, clients are informed of significant changes via documentation updates, email notifications, or developer portals.
What are the primary methods used in REST API?
REST APIs use standard HTTP methods:
* GET: Retrieve data from the server.
* POST: Submit data to the server to create a new resource.
* PUT: Update an existing resource on the server.
* DELETE: Remove a resource from the server.
* PATCH: Partially update an existing resource .
How does REST API handle data formats?
REST APIs can handle multiple data formats such as JSON, XML, HTML, or plain text. However, JSON is the most commonly used format because it is lightweight, easy to read, and widely supported across programming languages.
How secure is the REST API?
REST doesn't define security methods, but RESTful services can use standard techniques like HTTPS, OAuth, JWT tokens, and API keys.
Can I limit who accesses our REST API?
You can limit access to your REST API by implementing access control mechanisms such as API keys, tokens, OAuth or Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
How does the REST API ensure high performance?
REST APIs ensure high performance by implementing some techniques like Caching, Statelessness, Load Balancing, Asynchronous Processing.
Is REST API scalable?
Yes, REST APIs are scalable due to their stateless nature, which allows them to serve more requests by adding servers.
Is the REST API compatible with any system?
REST APIs are platform and language-agnostic. Any system or programming language that can supports HTTP requests can integrate with a REST API.
Do I need specialized software to work with a REST API?
No, a REST API can be accessed using standard HTTP clients, browsers, or any programming language capable of HTTP requests.
Do I need technical expertise for Alison’s API integration?
Yes, an individual or a team with technical expertise is required for integrating Alison’s API solution. Familiarity with programming languages that support SOAP or RESTful APIs, and a grasp on API integrations, endpoints, request/response structures, data formats like XML or JSON and authentication protocols are essential. We suggest reviewing our API Technical Specifications document available in our Resources section.
How long does an API integration take to implement?
The duration for integrating Alison’s API can vary, ranging from a few days to a few weeks, contingent on the API integration proficiency of your in-house team. Upon purchasing our API, you receive an API key which enables your technical team to commence integration immediately.
Is the Alison API compatible with the LMS or HR software used by my business?
Alison doesn't impose any restrictions on software integrations. However, we advise your tech team to determine the customizability of your LMS or HR software prior to purchasing our API solution. Comprehensive technical documentation for our API can be located in the Business Resources section.
Are there rate limits on the API calls?
Yes, to ensure fair usage and system stability, rate limits might be set on API call numbers within a given time frame. API documentation provides these details.
Where can I find documentation for the REST API?
Comprehensive documentation for the API, including endpoints, methods, and sample requests, is available on our API website
What support do you offer if I face issues with the API?
We offer dedicated API client support, including email support, a knowledge base, and community forums. Premium support may also be available for critical applications.
How do you handle versioning with the REST API?
API versioning can be managed using URI paths, request headers, or query parameters. This ensures current integrations continue working when updates occur.
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