The Navigatr-Moodle integration lets you automatically issue digital badges and certificates from Navigatr when learners complete courses in Moodle. Using the official Navigatr plugin, educational institutions and training providers can bridge Moodle’s learning environment with Navigatr’s professional badging platform, boosting learner motivation, providing evidence of skills, and creating shareable digital credentials.
This guide walks you through how the integration works, how to install and configure the plugin, and how to map badges to course completions so that learners receive their credentials automatically.
Key features of the integration
Automatic Badge Issuance: Create a one-to-one link between a Navigatr digital badge and a Moodle Course. Badges are issued in the background whenever a learner meets the completion criteria you define in Moodle.
Secure API Communication: Requests are authenticated using your Personal Access Token (PAT) and sent over HTTPS
Retry Logic and Audit Trail: Failed badge issuance attempts are retried, logged, and tracked for review
Multi-Environment Support: Use staging and production environments for testing and live issuing
Privacy Compliance: Full GDPR support with user data export and deletion options
Before you begin
Make sure you have the following before installing the plugin:
Moodle Version: 4.1 or later (tested on 4.1, 4.4, and 4.5)
PHP Version: 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3
A Navigatr admin account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for a free trial here: Sign up for a Navigatr Free Trial
Outbound HTTPS access from your Moodle server to
https://api.navigatr.app(orhttps://stagapi.navigatr.appfor staging). If your network has strict outbound firewall rules, see Configuring Your Firewall for the full whitelist.
Installation and setup
Follow these steps to install the Navigatr plugin on your Moodle server:
Download the plugin files from the Plugin Page and place them in the
local/navigatr/directory of your Moodle installationIn Moodle, navigate to Site administration > Plugins > Local plugins > Navigatr, to configure your Navigatr connection
Enter your Navigatr Personal Access Token in the PAT field. Generate a Personal Access Token in your Navigatr User Settings page.
Optionally, you can configure the following:
HTTP Timeout (Advanced): Configure request timeout (default: 30 seconds). Increase if you experience timeout errors
Environment (Advanced): If you would like to test with your account on the Navigatr Staging platform, choose Staging
Click “Test Connection” to verify your PAT is valid and a connection can be made
Once you’re satisfied everything is configured correctly, click “Save Changes”
Important note: You can remove the connection by clicking the “Remove Connection” button that appears when credentials are configured. Removing the connection clears your stored Personal Access Token, and it will disable existing badge mappings on your courses.
Mapping courses to badges
Follow these steps to link a Navigatr badge to a Moodle course.
In Moodle, go to the course you intend to badge.
Navigate to More > Navigatr Badge
Select a provider from the dropdown. This is the provider from which the badge will be issued. Click “Continue to Select Badge”.
Choose a badge from the provider’s badge library. Click “Save Mapping”.
Check that the linking was successful by navigating to More > Navigatr Badge. Here, you can:
View Badge: Opens the badge in Navigatr
Change Badge: Select a different badge to issue upon course completion
Remove Badge: Remove the link between your course and the badge
Your Moodle course has now been successfully linked to a Navigatr badge. The badge will be issued automatically to users who complete the course.
Testing and verification
After mapping courses, verify that everything is working:
Simulate or complete a test learner enrolment and course completion.
Confirm that the badge is issued and appears in the learner’s Navigatr profile (you should also receive an email from Navigatr).
Check the audit logs in the plugin to review issuance status and any errors.
Common errors and what they mean
If a learner's badge fails to issue, the plugin audit log records a status code from the Navigatr API. The most common results and what to do about them are:
Status | Meaning | What to do |
200 / 201 | Badge issued successfully. | No action needed. The learner will receive their badge by email and see it on their Navigatr profile. |
202 | The badge requires a minimum score or evidence that was not met. | Check the course completion criteria in Moodle and the badge requirements in Navigatr. |
400 | The selected badge cannot be issued via the API. This usually means the badge is sourced from Open University or Credly. | Choose a Navigatr-issued badge for this course mapping, or contact [email protected]. |
401 | Your Personal Access Token is invalid, expired, or has been revoked. | Generate a new token in your Navigatr account and reconnect the plugin in Moodle. |
404 | The badge or provider could not be found. | Re-map the course to a current badge from More > Navigatr Badge. |
422 | The badge has been unpublished or the provider has been deactivated on Navigatr. | Publish the badge again on Navigatr, or re-map the course to a different badge. |
Next steps
Personal Access Tokens for API and Integrations explains how to generate and manage your token.
For more advanced features and information on the Navigatr Moodle plugin, consult the plugin documentation.
The Navigatr Moodle plugin is an open source project. If you’re interested in contribution, visit our GitHub repository.
Tip: If you’re stuck or need assistance, you can contact Navigatr Support at [email protected].