Accessing Google Drive API in Expo App Using a Service Account

Other Questions Google drive
1

I’m new to Expo and React Native. I want my app to read files from a specific Google Drive folder without requiring user login. I set up a service account with editor access and shared the folder with it. Currently, I’m working in an Expo development build.

I attempted to use the ‘google-auth-library’ as suggested by some AI resources, but I keep encountering a TypeError regarding the prototype. Although the Expo documentation recommends ‘@react-native-google-signin/google-signin’, that library is tailored for user authentication, which is not my case.

Below is a revised snippet I tried:

import { GoogleAuth } from 'google-auth-library';

const auth = new GoogleAuth({
  credentials: {
    type: 'service_account',
    project_id: 'my_project_id',
    private_key: 'my_private_key',
    client_email: 'my_client_email',
  },
  scopes: ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive'],
});

async function fetchAccessToken() {
  const client = await auth.getClient();
  const tokenInfo = await client.getAccessToken();
  return tokenInfo.token;
}

How can I correctly use the Google Drive API in my Expo app utilizing a service account?

2

I’ve faced similar challenges when integrating Google Drive API with Expo. Instead of using ‘google-auth-library’, which can be problematic in React Native environments, consider using the ‘googleapis’ package. It’s more compatible and easier to set up.

First, install it with ‘npm install googleapis’. Then, you can use it like this:

import { google } from 'googleapis';

const auth = new google.auth.JWT(
  CLIENT_EMAIL,
  null,
  PRIVATE_KEY,
  ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly']
);

const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth });

// Use drive.files.list() or other methods to interact with Drive

This approach should work well in an Expo environment. Remember to handle potential network errors and implement proper error logging. Also, ensure your service account has the necessary permissions for the specific Drive folder you’re trying to access.

3

I’ve been down this road before, and I can tell you it’s a bit tricky. Have you considered using the ‘google-apis-nodejs-client’ library? It’s been pretty reliable for me in Expo projects.

Here’s a quick snippet to get you started:

import { google } from 'googleapis';

const jwtClient = new google.auth.JWT(
  SERVICE_ACCOUNT_EMAIL,
  null,
  SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PRIVATE_KEY,
  ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly']
);

jwtClient.authorize((err, tokens) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error('Authorization failed');
    return;
  }
  
  const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth: jwtClient });
  // Now you can use drive.files.list() or other methods
});

Just make sure you’ve got your service account credentials properly set up. And don’t forget to handle any potential errors - Google’s API can be a bit finicky sometimes. Good luck with your project!

4

hey, i’ve dealt with this before. try using the ‘axios’ library instead. it’s simpler and works great with expo. just install it and set up your api calls like this:

import axios from 'axios';

const token = 'your_service_account_token';
axios.get('https://www.googleapis.com/drive/v3/files', {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` }
})

remember to handle errors tho!