Application Insights API Access with Microsoft Entra authentication

You can submit a query request by using the Azure Monitor Application Insights endpoint https://api.applicationinsights.io. To access the endpoint, you must authenticate through Microsoft Entra ID.

Set up authentication

To access the API, you register a client app with Microsoft Entra ID and request a token.

  1. Register an app in Microsoft Entra ID.

  2. On the app's overview page, select API permissions.

  3. Select Add a permission.

  4. On the APIs my organization uses tab, search for Application Insights and select Application Insights API from the list.

  5. Select Delegated permissions.

  6. Select the Data.Read checkbox.

  7. Select Add permissions.

Now that your app is registered and has permissions to use the API, grant your app access to your Application Insights resource.

  1. From your Application Insights resource overview page, select Access control (IAM).

  2. Select Add role assignment.

  3. Select the Reader role and then select Members.

  4. On the Members tab, choose Select members.

  5. Enter the name of your app in the Select box.

  6. Select your app and choose Select.

  7. Select Review + assign.

  8. After you finish the Active Directory setup and permissions, request an authorization token.

Note

For this example, we applied the Reader role. This role is one of many built-in roles and might include more permissions than you require. More granular roles and permissions can be created.

Request an authorization token

Before you begin, make sure you have all the values required to make the request successfully. All requests require:

  • Your Microsoft Entra tenant ID.
  • Your App Insights App ID - If you are currently using API Keys, this is the same app ID.
  • Your Microsoft Entra client ID for the app.
  • A Microsoft Entra client secret for the app.

The Application Insights API supports Microsoft Entra authentication with three different Microsoft Entra ID OAuth2 flows:

  • Client credentials
  • Authorization code
  • Implicit

Client credentials flow

In the client credentials flow, the token is used with the Application Insights endpoint. A single request is made to receive a token by using the credentials provided for your app in the previous step when you register an app in Microsoft Entra ID.

Use the https://api.applicationinsights.io endpoint.

Client credentials token URL (POST request)

    POST /<your-tenant-id>/oauth2/token
    Host: https://login.microsoftonline.com
    Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
    
    grant_type=client_credentials
    &client_id=<app-client-id>
    &resource=https://api.applicationinsights.io
    &client_secret=<app-client-secret>

A successful request receives an access token in the response:

    {
        token_type": "Bearer",
        "expires_in": "86399",
        "ext_expires_in": "86399",
        "access_token": ""eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJ.....Ax"
    }

Use the token in requests to the Application Insights endpoint:

    POST /v1/apps/yous_app_id/query?timespan=P1D
    Host: https://api.applicationinsights.io
    Content-Type: application/json
    Authorization: Bearer <your access token>

    Body:
    {
    "query": "requests | take 10"
    }

Example response:

  "tables": [
    {
      "name": "PrimaryResult",
      "columns": [
        {
          "name": "timestamp",
          "type": "datetime"
        },
        {
          "name": "id",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "source",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "name",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "url",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "success",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "resultCode",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "duration",
          "type": "real"
        },
        {
          "name": "performanceBucket",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "customDimensions",
          "type": "dynamic"
        },
        {
          "name": "customMeasurements",
          "type": "dynamic"
        },
        {
          "name": "operation_Name",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "operation_Id",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "operation_ParentId",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "operation_SyntheticSource",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "session_Id",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "user_Id",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "user_AuthenticatedId",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "user_AccountId",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "application_Version",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_Type",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_Model",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_OS",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_IP",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_City",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_StateOrProvince",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_CountryOrRegion",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "client_Browser",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "cloud_RoleName",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "cloud_RoleInstance",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "appId",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "appName",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "iKey",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "sdkVersion",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "itemId",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "itemType",
          "type": "string"
        },
        {
          "name": "itemCount",
          "type": "int"
        }
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "2018-02-01T17:33:09.788Z",
          "|0qRud6jz3k0=.c32c2659_",
          null,
          "GET Reports/Index",
          "http://fabrikamfiberapp.azurewebsites.net/Reports",
          "True",
          "200",
          "3.3833",
          "<250ms",
          "{\"_MS.ProcessedByMetricExtractors\":\"(Name:'Requests', Ver:'1.0')\"}",
          null,
          "GET Reports/Index",
          "0qRud6jz3k0=",
          "0qRud6jz3k0=",
          "Application Insights Availability Monitoring",
          "9fc6738d-7e26-44f0-b88e-6fae8ccb6b26",
          "us-va-ash-azr_9fc6738d-7e26-44f0-b88e-6fae8ccb6b26",
          null,
          null,
          "AutoGen_49c3aea0-4641-4675-93b5-55f7a62d22d3",
          "PC",
          null,
          null,
          "52.168.8.0",
          "Boydton",
          "Virginia",
          "United States",
          null,
          "fabrikamfiberapp",
          "RD00155D5053D1",
          "cf58dcfd-0683-487c-bc84-048789bca8e5",
          "fabrikamprod",
          "5a2e4e0c-e136-4a15-9824-90ba859b0a89",
          "web:2.5.0-33031",
          "051ad4ef-0776-11e8-ac6e-e30599af6943",
          "request",
          "1"
        ],
        [
          "2018-02-01T17:33:15.786Z",
          "|x/Ysh+M1TfU=.c32c265a_",
          null,
          "GET Home/Index",
          "http://fabrikamfiberapp.azurewebsites.net/",
          "True",
          "200",
          "716.2912",
          "500ms-1sec",
          "{\"_MS.ProcessedByMetricExtractors\":\"(Name:'Requests', Ver:'1.0')\"}",
          null,
          "GET Home/Index",
          "x/Ysh+M1TfU=",
          "x/Ysh+M1TfU=",
          "Application Insights Availability Monitoring",
          "58b15be6-d1e6-4d89-9919-52f63b840913",
          "emea-se-sto-edge_58b15be6-d1e6-4d89-9919-52f63b840913",
          null,
          null,
          "AutoGen_49c3aea0-4641-4675-93b5-55f7a62d22d3",
          "PC",
          null,
          null,
          "51.141.32.0",
          "Cardiff",
          "Cardiff",
          "United Kingdom",
          null,
          "fabrikamfiberapp",
          "RD00155D5053D1",
          "cf58dcfd-0683-487c-bc84-048789bca8e5",
          "fabrikamprod",
          "5a2e4e0c-e136-4a15-9824-90ba859b0a89",
          "web:2.5.0-33031",
          "051ad4f0-0776-11e8-ac6e-e30599af6943",
          "request",
          "1"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Authorization code flow

The main OAuth2 flow supported is through authorization codes. This method requires two HTTP requests to acquire a token with which to call the Azure Monitor Application Insights API. There are two URLs, with one endpoint per request. Their formats are described in the following sections.

Authorization code URL (GET request)

    GET https://login.microsoftonline.com/YOUR_Azure AD_TENANT/oauth2/authorize?
    client_id=<app-client-id>
    &response_type=code
    &redirect_uri=<app-redirect-uri>
    &resource=https://api.applicationinsights.io

When a request is made to the authorize URL, the client_id is the application ID from your Microsoft Entra app, copied from the app's properties menu. The redirect_uri is the homepage/login URL from the same Microsoft Entra app. When a request is successful, this endpoint redirects you to the sign-in page you provided at sign-up with the authorization code appended to the URL. See the following example:

    http://<app-client-id>/?code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE&session_state=STATE_GUID

At this point, you've obtained an authorization code, which you need now to request an access token.

Authorization code token URL (POST request)

    POST /YOUR_Azure AD_TENANT/oauth2/token HTTP/1.1
    Host: https://login.microsoftonline.com
    Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
    
    grant_type=authorization_code
    &client_id=<app client id>
    &code=<auth code fom GET request>
    &redirect_uri=<app-client-id>
    &resource=https://api.applicationinsights.io
    &client_secret=<app-client-secret>

All values are the same as before, with some additions. The authorization code is the same code you received in the previous request after a successful redirect. The code is combined with the key obtained from the Microsoft Entra app. If you didn't save the key, you can delete it and create a new one from the keys tab of the Microsoft Entra app menu. The response is a JSON string that contains the token with the following schema. Types are indicated for the token values.

Response example:

    {
        "access_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJ.....Ax",
        "expires_in": "3600",
        "ext_expires_in": "1503641912",
        "id_token": "not_needed_for_app_insights",
        "not_before": "1503638012",
        "refresh_token": "eyJ0esdfiJKV1ljhgYF.....Az",
        "resource": "https://api.applicationinsights.io",
        "scope": "Data.Read",
        "token_type": "bearer"
    }

The access token portion of this response is what you present to the Application Insights API in the Authorization: Bearer header. You can also use the refresh token in the future to acquire a new access_token and refresh_token when yours have gone stale. For this request, the format and endpoint are:

    POST /YOUR_AAD_TENANT/oauth2/token HTTP/1.1
    Host: https://login.microsoftonline.com
    Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded
    
    client_id=<app-client-id>
    &refresh_token=<refresh-token>
    &grant_type=refresh_token
    &resource=https://api.applicationinsights.io
    &client_secret=<app-client-secret>

Response example:

    {
      "token_type": "Bearer",
      "expires_in": "3600",
      "expires_on": "1460404526",
      "resource": "https://api.applicationinsights.io",
      "access_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJ.....Ax",
      "refresh_token": "eyJ0esdfiJKV1ljhgYF.....Az"
    }

Implicit code flow

The Application Insights API supports the OAuth2 implicit flow. For this flow, only a single request is required, but no refresh token can be acquired.

Implicit code authorize URL

    GET https://login.microsoftonline.com/YOUR_AAD_TENANT/oauth2/authorize?
    client_id=<app-client-id>
    &response_type=token
    &redirect_uri=<app-redirect-uri>
    &resource=https://api.applicationinsights.io

A successful request produces a redirect to your redirect URI with the token in the URL:

    http://YOUR_REDIRECT_URI/#access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN&token_type=Bearer&expires_in=3600&session_state=STATE_GUID

This access_token can be used as the Authorization: Bearer header value when it's passed to the Application Insights API to authorize requests.