Tin Can API was the working project name given to the xAPI specification while it was being developed by Rustici Software under an ADL contract around 2011-2013. The name came from a metaphor of two tin cans connected by a string, representing a simple communication channel between a content piece and a tracking system. When ADL published the formal specification it was renamed Experience API (xAPI), and version 1.0 was released in 2013. The two names refer to the identical technical standard; no feature difference exists between the Tin Can name and the xAPI name. In practice you will still encounter Tin Can API in older documentation, blog posts, vendor marketing, and legacy system labels, which is why the glossary includes it. When evaluating a vendor's LRS or authoring tool, Tin Can support is equivalent to xAPI support. The only reason to note the distinction is accuracy: using the Tin Can name in a new specification or procurement document signals that the author has not kept up with the current standard name. This can create confusion in cross-vendor conversations and should be corrected to xAPI in any new technical writing.
