Microsoft Graph API Throttling Limits Its Usefulness

• The Microsoft Graph API offers developers access to most Microsoft 365 functions.
• High-volume usage of the API is throttled, and additional capacity is not available for purchase.
• These limitations could make it impossible to develop business-crucial workflows that leverage the Graph API.

The Microsoft Graph API is a developer feature offering a single URL endpoint that exposes most functionality provided by Microsoft 365 services and Dynamics 365 Business Central services. It is the best supported and most future-proof way developers can access Microsoft 365 services in applications or scripts, and is often wrapped in SDKs or connectors for offerings like the Power Automate workflow platform. However, high-rate usage of the Graph API is disabled by service throttling, which makes it unsuitable for some operations such as data backups.

What Is the Graph API?

The Graph API encompasses access to data and functions from APIs provided by Microsoft 365 services, often replacing the APIs offered by individual services like Exchange Online. (On-premises applications such as Office Professional Plus suites and SharePoint Server are not included in the Graph API.)