Uploading Files to Google Drive Using Service Account: A Comprehensive Guide

In this post, we will explore how to upload files to Google Drive using a Service Account without requiring user intervention. This method is particularly useful when you need to perform background jobs in your MVC application or automate file uploads without prompting users for their Google credentials.

Before we begin, ensure that you have created a project in the Google Developer Console and enabled the Google Drive API. If you haven't already done so, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Google account and navigate to the Google Cloud Platform Console.

2. Select your project from the top-left dropdown menu and click on 'Create Service Account' to create a new service account.

Next, you need to generate a key for your Service Account. To do this:

1. Click on three vertical dots next to your Service Account and select 'Create Key.'

2. Choose 'JSON' as the key type and click 'Create.' Extract the key from the generated JSON file; we will use it later.

Now that you have created your Service Account, let's explore how to enable domain-wide delegation. This feature allows us to upload files without requiring user intervention, making it a crucial step in our process.

To enable domain-wide delegation:

1. Select your project and navigate to the 'APIs & Services' > 'Dashboard' page.

2. Click on 'Enable APIs and Services' and search for 'Google Drive API.'

3. Click on the result and then click on the 'Enable' button.

With domain-wide delegation enabled, you can now use your Service Account to upload files to Google Drive without prompting users for their credentials. This approach is particularly useful when building background jobs in MVC or automating file uploads without user intervention.

In a future post, we will explore how to use OAuth to upload files to Google Drive in MVC. However, in this article, we will focus on using Service Accounts to achieve the same goal.

By following these steps and utilizing the Service Account API scope, you can easily upload files to Google Drive from your MVC application without requiring user intervention. This approach offers a convenient and efficient way to automate file uploads, making it an essential tool for developers working with cloud-based storage solutions.

Google drive api scope