What Is xAPI / Tin Can API?

xAPI (Experience API), originally developed under the name Tin Can API before its formal adoption by the ADL Initiative, is a modern e-learning data specification that enables the tracking of learning activities in a standardized, machine-readable format across any system, platform, device, or context. This represents a fundamental advance over SCORM, which can only track learning activities that occur within a web browser inside an LMS environment. xAPI removes these constraints entirely — it can capture and report on learning experiences from mobile applications, virtual reality and augmented reality simulations, serious games, on-the-job observations by supervisors, social media interactions related to professional development, podcast and audiobook consumption, conference attendance, and any other activity an organization considers part of the learning ecosystem. All xAPI data follows a consistent Actor-Verb-Object statement format, such as 'Jane completed Module 3' or 'Ahmed scored 95% on Safety Assessment,' which can be generated by any xAPI-conformant system and stored in a centralized Learning Record Store (LRS). This architecture enables organizations to build a comprehensive, cross-platform picture of all formal and informal learning — not just what happens inside LMS courses. Arythmatic supports xAPI alongside SCORM for organizations that need modern, multi-context learning analytics.