I’m working on a desktop app that needs to connect to Google Drive API. The app gets installed on user computers and I want it to access their Google Drive files automatically after the initial setup.
Right now I’m using OAuth 2.0 but it looks like the access tokens expire pretty quickly. Is there a way to keep the authorization working for a long time without asking the user to log in again?
What I’m trying to do is let users authorize the app once during installation. Then the app should be able to access their Google Drive whenever it needs to, even weeks or months later. I want to save some kind of credentials on their computer that won’t expire.
Can I use refresh tokens for this? Or is there another approach that works better for desktop applications that need ongoing access to Google Drive?
I’ve used this exact pattern in several desktop apps and refresh tokens work great for long-term access. Watch out though - Google’s refresh tokens expire if you don’t use them for about 6 months (for unverified apps). To avoid this, have your app refresh the access token in the background periodically, even when it doesn’t need Drive access right away. Also handle cases where refresh tokens go invalid - user password changes, security events, etc. Always add proper error handling so you can gracefully ask for re-authorization when needed. The offline access approach is solid in my experience, just make sure you handle token storage and rotation correctly.
Using refresh tokens is indeed the best solution for maintaining long-term access. Ensure that when you set up the OAuth 2.0 authorization request, you include access_type=offline to obtain a refresh token alongside the access token. It’s critical to store the refresh token securely, ideally using the operating system’s credential storage like Windows Credential Manager or macOS Keychain, rather than in plain text. Also, remember that refresh tokens are provided only during the first authorization, so if your users have to reauthorize, include prompt=consent in your request to obtain a new one.
totally! refresh tokens r the way. just ask for offline access with oauth to get both tokens. keep the refresh token safe on the device and use it to get new access tokens as needed. oh, and be sure to handle errors properly too!