I know how to work with server databases in Android apps using PHP and HTTP connections. Now I’m wondering if Google Docs API can be used instead of traditional databases. Can I make my Android app read from and write to Google Docs? I want to update app content dynamically without pushing new versions to users. Is this approach feasible with Google’s APIs?
I implemented a similar solution using Google Sheets API, which I found to be effective. However, the authentication process can be cumbersome as managing credentials and refreshing tokens requires careful attention. While the performance is reasonable, it tends to lag behind traditional databases. Since Google Docs is primarily designed for document editing rather than structured data management, opting for Sheets would better suit your needs. Additionally, while the quotas are generally sufficient for smaller applications, consider implementing local caching to mitigate the impact of rate limits during high usage periods.
Yes, you can integrate Google Docs API into your Android app for data exchange - I’ve done it with Google Sheets API before. The OAuth 2.0 setup is pretty tricky at first, but Google’s Android docs are solid. Just heads up: the API has rate limits and won’t be as fast as regular databases if you’re doing lots of reads/writes. If you need dynamic content updates, Firebase Realtime Database or Cloud Firestore will probably work better for mobile apps.
yeah, totally doable but depends what you’re building. google docs api handles basic content updates fine, but it’s a pain with complex data. i’ve used it for simple text edits - worked okay. just build in offline handling since people won’t always be connected. performance is decent but don’t expect database speeds.