Add a file to Moodle (as a file resource) from an external repository (filesystem for example, or dropbox or equella or box.net) As admin, enable "Mobile services": Site administration ► Mobile app ► Mobile settings Create a Token in the mobile app service for one user: Click on Site administration ► Plugins ► Web services ► Manage tokens Next, you can do a CURL REST call simulating a WS client with the user. You need to replace the wstoken, the course id and the URL of your moodle instance curl 'http://localhost/m/stable_master/webservice/rest/server.php?moodlewsrestformat=json' --data 'moodlewssettingfilter=true&moodlewssettingfileurl=true&wsfunction=mod_resource_get_resources_by_courses&courseids [0] =4&wstoken=12a2a65aeea2a177055e233f9e303218' --compressed | python -m "json.tool" Check that you receive the file information and the isexternalfile field is set to true and the repositorytype field is the name of the plugin of the repository you used. Now, execute the following curl request replacing the course id and the cmid with the resource file cmid: curl 'http://localhost/m/stable_master/webservice/rest/server.php?moodlewsrestformat=json' -H 'Origin: http://localhost:8100 ' --data 'courseid=4&options%5B0%5D%5Bname%5D=cmid&options%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=441&moodlewssettingfilter=true&moodlewssettingfileurl=true&wsfunction=core_course_get_contents&wstoken=12a2a65aeea2a177055e233f9e303218' --compressed | python -m "json.tool" Check that you receive the file information and the isexternalfile field is set to true and the repositorytype field is the name of the plugin of the repository you used.