An LRS (Learning Record Store) is the persistent store specified by the xAPI standard to receive, hold, and serve xAPI statements. Any conformant LRS must expose the xAPI REST endpoints defined in the specification so that any conformant client can write or read statements using the same interface. In practice an LRS is the data layer that sits beneath a learning analytics stack: video players, mobile apps, simulations, and LMS platforms all write statements to it, and reporting dashboards or ETL pipelines read from it. Some LRS products are standalone services — SCORM Cloud, Learning Locker, watershed — while others are embedded inside an LMS or analytics platform. For video-heavy products the LRS becomes the home for xAPI Video Profile events, giving teams a queryable record of every play, pause, seek, and completion across all learners and videos. A key architectural point is that an LRS does not enforce business rules: it stores what it receives. Deciding which systems are authoritative senders, how to deduplicate statements, and how long to retain them are design decisions the product team must make explicitly.
The handbook · 7 volumes
Fora Soft Video Engineering Handbook
An LRS stores every xAPI statement, so its schema and scale decide what you can report later. We wrote seven volumes that cover the whole video stack; for LRS-backed platforms start with Volume 3, which covers playback events and QoE monitoring, with Volume 2 on delivery and Volume 7 on production infrastructure. Written by Nikolay Sapunov, CEO at Fora Soft.
Choosing or building an LRS for your xAPI video data?
We will compare hosted and self-built LRS options for your event volume and give you a recommendation with schema, cost and reporting plan. 250+ video products shipped since 2005.
