Build Python apps with Microsoft Graph and app-only authentication

This tutorial teaches you how to build a Python console app that uses the Microsoft Graph API to access data using app-only authentication. App-only authentication is a good choice for background services or applications that need to access data for all users in an organization.

Note

To learn how to use Microsoft Graph to access data on behalf of a user, see this user (delegated) authentication tutorial.

In this tutorial, you will:

Tip

As an alternative to following this tutorial, you can download or clone the GitHub repository and follow the instructions in the README to register an application and configure the project.

Prerequisites

Before you start this tutorial, you should have Python and pip installed on your development machine.

You should also have a Microsoft work or school account with the Global administrator role. If you don't have a Microsoft 365 tenant, you might qualify for one through the Microsoft 365 Developer Program; for details, see the FAQ. Alternatively, you can sign up for a 1-month free trial or purchase a Microsoft 365 plan.

Note

This tutorial was written with Python version 3.10.4 and pip version 20.0.2. The steps in this guide may work with other versions, but that has not been tested.