Outlook Calendar Event integration in Laravel lets you create, update and manage events directly through Microsoft 365. It’s ideal for apps that need real-time scheduling, meeting automation or user-based calendar tracking.
Whether you're building a CRM, booking system or team dashboard this integration removes the manual hassle and gives your app seamless access to Calendar features users already rely on.
Why Outlook Calendar Integration Matters in Laravel
Adding calendar functionality lets your Laravel app handle time-sensitive actions without third-party tools. No more jumping between platforms just schedule, sync and manage it all in-app.
Common Use Cases:
- Book meetings or demos automatically
- Sync events from internal systems to client-facing apps
- Track availability and send reminders in real time
Why Use Microsoft Graph API?
Microsoft Graph is your single gateway to Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and more. It handles everything from authentication to event syncing securely and at scale.
Benefits:
- Unified API for multiple Microsoft 365 services
- Handles OAuth, access tokens and refresh logic
- Ideal for dynamic, enterprise-grade scheduling
Did You Know?
Laravel powers over 688,000 live websites globally with the United States leading the charge at 271,748 sites followed by Germany with 45,101 and India at 27,183.
Pre-Setup Essentials
Before diving in, make sure you're set up with the right environment and permissions.
- Laravel: Version 9 or above
- PHP: 8.1+
- Azure App: Registered on Azure Portal
- Permissions: Enable Calendars.ReadWrite and offline_access
Add this to your .env file:
AZURE_TENANT_ID=your-tenant-id AZURE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
AZURE_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:8000/callback
Installing Microsoft Graph in Laravel
First, install the SDK via Composer:
composer require microsoft/microsoft-graph
Then, initialize the Graph client with your access token:
use Microsoft\Graph\Graph;
$graph = new Graph();
$graph->setAccessToken($accessToken);
Also Read: Why Laravel is the Best PHP Framework In 2025?
Creating a Calendar Event in Laravel
Once you're authenticated, create an event object and send it via POST to Graph’s /me/events endpoint.
Define the Event:
$event = [ 'subject' => 'Client Demo Call',
'start' => ['dateTime' => '2025-08-01T14:00:00', 'timeZone' => 'Pacific Standard Time'],
'end' => ['dateTime' => '2025-08-01T15:00:00', 'timeZone' => 'Pacific Standard Time'],
'attendees' => [[
'emailAddress' => ['address' => '[email protected]'],
'type' => 'required'
]]
];
Send It:
$response = $graph->createRequest("POST", "/me/events") ->attachBody($event)
->execute();
Handling API Responses and Issues
Always validate the API response and log event IDs. Use try-catch to handle token errors and failed requests.
- Refresh tokens when they expire
- Log and retry failed responses
- Consider a service class to handle token lifecycle
Use try-catch to handle token errors and failed requests.
Tip: Getting a 401 or 403 from Microsoft Graph? Double-check your token scope, expiration and Azure App permissions. [Microsoft’s Graph error codes] can help you pinpoint the issue.
Alternative: Use .ics Calendar Invites
If Graph API feels like overkill, you can simply send .ics invites via email. It’s quick, simple and doesn’t need OAuth.
Use .ics When:
- Recipient isn’t on Microsoft 365
- You only need one-way calendar updates
- API setup is too complex for the project scope
Basic Example in Laravel:
Mail::to('[email protected]')->send(new CalendarInvite());
Attach the .ics file using a custom Mailable class and set proper headers.
Conclusion
- Use Microsoft Graph API when your app needs full calendar functionality like syncing, reminders, and dynamic event tracking.
- Go with .ics files if you're just sending basic invites and don’t want to deal with authentication or API setup.
Choose based on your project's complexity, scale and how much control you actually need.
