Open Source

We believe that open source is a critical part of the future of educational software, and the closed systems that propagate vendor lock-in are holding back students and educators. The Canvas LMS source code is primarily developed at Instructure, but is supported by a global community of developers that share our vision. Canvas LMS code is open and available on our GitHub project page.

Modern Web Technologies

In the 1990s it was Java and in the 2000s it was PHP and .NET. The platform for Web 2.0 and beyond is Ruby. Some of the world’s easiest and most fun-to-use websites are built on this flexible, powerful and scalable technology: Twitter, Hulu, Basecamp, Github, Lonely Planet and Scribd. Canvas also leverages other modern technologies like HTML5, jQuery, OAuth, and numerous external service integrations. All of these high-performing best-of-the-web solutions, through Canvas, are here to help your educators and learners collaborate more effectively.

Instructure Canvas in the Cloud

The Canvas LMS is hosted in a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. Instructure has partnered with Amazon Web Services to assure a truly robust, secure global network of servers. With 128-bit SSL encryption, ISO 27001 certification and SAS70 Type II audits you can be confident that your data is reliable and secure. Canvas also integrates in useful ways with other websites and online services. Facebook, Google Docs, Kaltura online video, LinkedIn, Scribd, and even Twitter, all make appearances in Canvas, and there's more on the way!

Accessibility

We've spent a lot of time making sure that the user experience for Canvas is easy, simple, and intuitive, and we don't want to leave anyone out. In fact, Canvas received the "Gold" certification from the National Federation of the Blind, becoming the fastest LMS ever to do so.

Canvas conforms with the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WAI WCAG) 2.0 AA and Section 508 guidelines.