I’m having some trouble with the new Drive API. I just switched our app from using the old Docs API to the Drive API, and I’ve noticed it’s way slower. Even a basic files.list request takes about 2.5 seconds, which is around 3 times longer than what we had before.
At first, I thought it might be because of the response size, but that’s not it. The Docs API actually sends back bigger XML files compared to Drive’s JSON. I even tested this out on Google’s OAuth Playground to make sure it wasn’t just my setup causing issues.
// Old Docs API call (fast)
const docsResponse = await docsApi.files.list();
console.log(docsResponse.data); // Quick response
// New Drive API call (slow)
const driveResponse = await driveApi.files.list();
console.log(driveResponse.data); // Takes ~2.5 seconds
Has anyone else run into this? Do you know if there’s a way to make the Drive API faster? It’s really slowing down our app and I’m not sure what to do. Any tips would be super helpful!
I’ve encountered similar performance issues when migrating from Docs to Drive API. In my experience, the slowdown often stems from how Drive API handles permissions and metadata.
One approach that significantly improved speed for me was implementing batch requests. Instead of making individual API calls, I grouped multiple operations into a single HTTP request. This reduced network overhead and boosted overall performance.
Another optimization I found helpful was fine-tuning the fields parameter. By specifying only the fields you actually need, you can cut down on unnecessary data transfer. For instance:
I’ve dealt with similar performance issues when transitioning to the Drive API. One effective strategy I implemented was pagination. By limiting the number of results per request and using the ‘pageToken’ parameter, I significantly reduced response times.
Another approach that yielded positive results was optimizing query parameters. Utilizing the ‘q’ parameter to filter results server-side can drastically cut down on data transfer and processing time.
Additionally, consider leveraging the ‘fields’ parameter as others have mentioned, but also explore using partial responses with field masks. This allows for even more granular control over the returned data.
Lastly, if applicable, look into using change tokens to sync only modified data since your last request, rather than fetching everything each time. This can lead to substantial performance improvements in certain scenarios.
hey there, i’ve seen this issue too. one thing that helped me was using partial responses. you can add a ‘fields’ parameter to your request to only get the data you need. like this: