LinkedIn API Access & r_fullprofile Access

Last updated 02/22/2024

When creating a LinkedIn App for use with Bread & Butter IO, you’ll get access to a specific set of data for each authenticated user.

As seen in Step 5 here:

https://breadbutter.io/custom-linkedin-identity-provider/

The available products are Marketing Developer Platform, Share on LinkedIn, and Sign In with LinkedIn.

For Bread & Butter IO authentication, only the Sign in with LinkedIn Product is required. The others are optional, depending on your specific needs.

Sign In with LinkedIn

Sign in with LinkedIn gives you access to two scopes:

  • r_liteprofile
  • r_emailaddress

Between these 2 scopes, you get access to basic user information:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/shared/references/v2/profile/lite-profile?context=linkedin/consumer/context

This information is returned to your site as part of GetAuthentication in the auth process.

Share on LinkedIn

Share on LinkedIn gives you access to an additional scope:

  • w_member_social

This allows you to create a LinkedIn post on behalf of the authenticated member.

However, use of this functionality is not directly provided by Bread & Butter IO. Instead, Bread & Butter IO returns a LinkedIn Auth Token to your site as part of GetAuthentication. You can then use this Auth Token with the LinkedIn API to do the action.

For more information on Auth Tokens, check out our help page:

https://breadbutter.io/access-tokens/

Marketing Developer Platform

Marketing Developer Platform gives you access to various additional scopes and features. However, you will need to apply to the Marketing Developer Platform to gain access. For more information:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/

As with Share on LinkedIn, use of these additional scopes and access are not directly provided by Bread & Butter IO. Instead, Bread & Butter IO returns a LinkedIn Auth Token to your site as part of GetAuthentication. You can then use this Auth Token with the LinkedIn API to do the action.

For more information on Auth Tokens, check out our help page:

https://breadbutter.io/access-tokens/

r_fullprofile Scope Access

A legacy scope that was previously available prior to 2015 is the r_fullprofile scope:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/shared/references/v2/profile/full-profile?context=linkedin/consumer/context

As of February 2015, you could only gain access to this scope by joining the “Apply with LinkedIn” program:

https://developer.linkedin.com/blog/posts/2015/transition-faq

However, this program appears to have been discontinued, as related pages and links have been removed from LinkedIn. Further investigation by users has reported that LinkedIn is no longer accepting requests for this access:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65928323/how-to-get-linkedin-r-fullprofile-access-on-linkedin-api

Therefore it appears that this scope access is no longer available, even though documentation for it still exists.