Graph API Requests

How Microsoft Graph API Requests Work

Every Graph API call has a basic structure:

cssCopyEdithttps://graph.microsoft.com/{version}/{resource}?[query_parameters]

Part	Example	Description
Base URL	https://graph.microsoft.com	Always the same.
Version	v1.0 or beta	v1.0 = stable; beta = in development.
Resource	/users, /me, /groups	The Microsoft 365 resource you want to access.
Query Parameters	$filter, $select, etc.	Control what data you get back.

Example:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users

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Important HTTP Methods

Method	Purpose	Example
GET	Read data	Fetch user profiles.
POST	Create new data	Create a new user.
PATCH	Update existing data	Update a user’s phone number.
DELETE	Remove data	Delete a user or group.

These methods map directly to CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete).

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Common Request Example: Get My Profile

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

✅ This will return a JSON object with your user details.

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Understanding Query Parameters

You can make your API requests smarter and faster using OData query parameters.

Here are the most important ones:

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1. $select → Only Get Specific Fields

By default, Graph returns all fields for a resource. You can use $select to limit the fields you get back.

Example: Get only displayName and mail for a user.

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me?$select=displayName,mail

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2. $filter → Only Get Items Matching a Condition

Use $filter to retrieve only matching records.

Example: Get users where department = "Sales".

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users?$filter=department eq 'Sales'

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3. $orderby → Sort the Results

Sort your results by a field.

Example: Order users by displayName alphabetically.

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users?$orderby=displayName

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🎯 4. $expand → Bring in Related Data

Pull related data into one query.

Example: Get a user and their manager details:

httpCopyEditGET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me?$expand=manager

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Combining Query Options

You can combine multiple options!

Example: Get users in the Sales department, selecting only displayName and mail, ordered by name:

GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users?$filter=department eq 'Sales'&$select=displayName,mail&$orderby=displayName

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Common Pitfalls

Mistake	Problem	Solution
Forgetting $ before select, filter, etc.	API returns an error.	Always prefix options with $.
Typos in field names	API returns Invalid filter clause error.	Double-check field names in the Graph documentation.
Not setting correct permissions	API returns 403 Forbidden.	Make sure your app has the right Graph permissions.