Lambda function encountering Google Drive API rate limit

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1

Google Drive API rate limiting in AWS Lambda

I’m facing a problem with my Lambda function that creates files in a shared Google Drive folder. It’s been working fine for months but suddenly started failing last week. The error message suggests we’re hitting a rate limit:

Error: Too Many Requests

The function only runs about 10-20 times daily but sometimes processes 5 requests at once. Folder creation still works and Google Storage backups are fine.

Here’s a snippet of my original code:

creds = ServiceAccountCreds.from_file('creds.json', scopes=['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive'])
drive_service = build('drive', 'v3', credentials=creds)
new_file = drive_service.files().create(body=metadata, media_body=content, fields='id').execute()

I tried switching to OAuth 2.0 with refresh tokens but it’s tricky to set up in Lambda:

creds = Credentials(
    token=tokens['access'],
    refresh_token=tokens['refresh'],
    token_uri='https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token',
    client_id='my_client_id',
    client_secret=os.environ['SECRET'],
    scopes=['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file']
)

I’ve added exponential backoff and delays but no luck. It works fine when debugging locally. Has anyone else run into this? Any ideas?

2

I’ve dealt with this exact issue before. One thing that helped was implementing a token bucket algorithm for rate limiting within the Lambda function itself. This way, you can control the rate of API calls more precisely.

Also, consider using the Google Drive API’s batch requests feature. It allows you to group multiple operations into a single HTTP request, which can significantly reduce the number of API calls you’re making.

Another approach is to use AWS Step Functions to orchestrate your Lambda executions. This gives you more fine-grained control over the execution flow and can help prevent concurrent executions that might trigger rate limits.

Lastly, make sure you’re properly handling and logging all API errors. Sometimes, what looks like a rate limit issue could be something else entirely. Detailed logs can provide valuable insights for troubleshooting.

3

I’ve encountered similar issues with Google Drive API rate limits in Lambda functions. One approach that worked for me was implementing a queuing system using AWS SQS.

Instead of processing multiple requests simultaneously, I modified the Lambda to push tasks to an SQS queue. Then, I set up a separate Lambda function triggered by the SQS queue to process items one at a time.

This helped spread out API calls and reduced the likelihood of hitting rate limits. It also improved overall reliability since failed tasks could be retried automatically.

Additionally, I found that using application-specific credentials instead of a service account sometimes helped with quota allocation. You might want to explore creating a separate project in Google Cloud Console specifically for this Lambda function.

Lastly, double-check your Google Cloud Console quotas. Sometimes they can be adjusted if you contact Google support and explain your use case. Hope this helps!

4

hey, i had a similar issue. try using google drive api v2 instead of v3. it has different rate limits and might solve ur problem. also, make sure ur not sharing the same service account across multiple lambdas. each lambda should have its own creds to avoid hitting limits. good luck!