Google Drive API Setup for Laravel 11 Integration (Part 1)

2025 UPDATE

Note:

Our previously published guide on Google Drive integration with Laravel has become our most viewed blog post, showing that there’s a big interest in cloud storage solutions within the Laravel community. Because this topic is so important and people need up-to-date information, we’ve written this new version of the guide for Laravel 12.

Setup Google Drive API for Laravel 12

Integrating cloud storage like Google Drive with web apps is getting more common. Laravel, a powerful PHP framework, lets you integrate with different services, including Google Drive, to add more features to your apps. In this guide, we’ll show you how to connect Google Drive storage with Laravel 12, step by step. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have your Google API credentials and know how to use them with Laravel Storage, offering more options for your app.

Getting your Client ID and Secret

To start, sign in to your Google Account and go to the Google Developers Console at https://console.developers.google.com/.

Creating a new project

Once in the Google Developers Console, you’ll use the dropdown menu at the top of the page to create a new project. This is a straightforward process, but remember that it may take a few seconds for your new project to be ready.

Enabling the Google Drive API

With your project selected, head to the Library section to find and enable the Google Drive API. This is an important step as it allows your Laravel application to communicate with Google Drive.

Creating credentials

Navigate to the OAuth Consent Screen tab and provide the necessary details. This includes your application’s name, a user support email, and developer contact information. You can leave the other fields as default for the moment.

Scopes and adding test users

The scopes can be left as default, feel free to skip that step. To test properly, add the emails of users who are allowed to test.

Creating OAuth Client ID

In the Credentials section, select Create Credentials and choose OAuth Client ID from the dropdown.

Setting up your web application for OAuth

Choose Web Application as the application type and provide a meaningful name. You’ll also need to add the authorized redirect URI, which for now will be https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground. You’ll need this to get your refresh token; you can remove it later. Click Create and write down your Client ID and Client Secret, as you’ll need them later.

Getting your Refresh Token

Visit https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground to configure your own OAuth credentials. Enter your Client ID and Client Secret.

Selecting Drive API scope

On the left menu, scroll down to Drive API v3 and select the /auth/drive/ option. Click on Authorize APIs and allow access to your account when asked. You might get some warnings, but it’s fine to keep going.

Auto-refresh your token

After authorizing the APIs, select the option to auto-refresh the token before it expires. Finally, exchange the authorization code for tokens.

Accessing your Refresh Token in step 3

In the last step, you’ll be able to retrieve your refresh token, which is necessary for your Laravel application to communicate with Google Drive. We will need this token when we configure our Laravel application.

Configuring Laravel for Google Drive integration

Now that you’ve got your Google Drive API ready for your Laravel project, the next step is to configure your Laravel application to connect with Google Drive. We’ll show you how to do this in the next article.

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