Google Cloud Console API Setup Guide
Complete step-by-step tutorial for building applications with Google Cloud APIs
📚 What You'll Learn
🚀 Build Your Downloader App
Choose a platform to create your app with Google Cloud API integration:
Before you begin:
- • Google Account: You need a valid Gmail or Google Workspace account
- • Billing Account: Some APIs require a billing account (free tier available)
- • Basic Knowledge: Understanding of APIs and HTTP requests is helpful
💡 Tip: Google Cloud offers $300 in free credits for new users to explore and test services!
- 1.
Go to Google Cloud Console
- 2.
Click on the project dropdown at the top of the page (next to "Google Cloud")
- 3.
Click "New Project" button
- 4.
Enter a descriptive Project Name (e.g., "My Video App Project")
- 5.
Select your Organization (if applicable) or leave as default
- 6.
Click "Create"
⚠️ Important: Project names must be unique and cannot be changed once created. Choose wisely!
- 1.
In the Cloud Console, open the navigation menu (☰) and select "Billing"
- 2.
Click "Link a billing account"
- 3.
Either select an existing billing account or create a new one
- 4.
Enter your payment information (credit/debit card)
- 5.
Accept the terms and click "Start my free trial" (for new users)
💰 Free Tier: Many Google Cloud services have generous free tier quotas. You won't be charged unless you exceed these limits!
- 1.
Navigate to "APIs & Services" → "Library" from the navigation menu
- 2.
Search for the APIs you need (e.g., "YouTube Data API v3", "Cloud Storage API")
- 3.
Click on the API name from the search results
- 4.
Click the "Enable" button
- 5.
Repeat for all APIs your application needs
Common APIs for Applications:
Cloud Storage API
For file storage and retrieval
Cloud Firestore API
For real-time database
Cloud Functions API
For serverless backend logic
Identity Platform
For user authentication
💡 Tip: Only enable APIs you actually need to keep your project organized and secure.
Choose Your Credential Type:
Option 1: API Key (Simplest)
- 1. Go to "APIs & Services" → "Credentials"
- 2. Click "+ Create Credentials" at the top
- 3. Select "API Key"
- 4. Your API key will be generated and displayed
- 5. Click "Restrict Key" to add security restrictions
Option 2: OAuth 2.0 Client ID (For User Authentication)
- 1. Click "+ Create Credentials" → "OAuth client ID"
- 2. Configure the OAuth consent screen first (if prompted)
- 3. Select application type (Web application, Android, iOS, etc.)
- 4. Add authorized redirect URIs (e.g., https://yourapp.com/callback)
- 5. Click "Create" and save your Client ID and Client Secret
Option 3: Service Account (For Server-to-Server)
- 1. Click "+ Create Credentials" → "Service account"
- 2. Enter service account details (name and description)
- 3. Grant appropriate roles (e.g., Storage Admin, Firestore User)
- 4. Click "Done"
- 5. Create and download a JSON key file for authentication
🔒 Security Warning: Never commit API keys or service account files to public repositories! Use environment variables instead.
Application Restrictions:
- 1.
Go to your API key in the Credentials page
- 2.
Under "Application restrictions", choose:
- • HTTP referrers - For websites (e.g., *.yourdomain.com/*)
- • IP addresses - For servers with static IPs
- • Android apps - Package name and SHA-1 fingerprint
- • iOS apps - Bundle identifier
API Restrictions:
- 1. Under "API restrictions", select "Restrict key"
- 2. Choose only the APIs this key should access
- 3. Click "Save"
✅ Best Practice: Always restrict API keys to specific APIs and domains. This prevents unauthorized usage if your key is exposed.
Test your API key with a simple HTTP request:
Example: Testing with cURL
Example: Testing with JavaScript (Fetch)
Common Response Codes:
- 1.
Navigate to "APIs & Services" → "Dashboard"
- 2.
View traffic statistics, error rates, and latency for each API
- 3.
Click on specific APIs to see detailed metrics
- 4.
Go to "APIs & Services" → "Quotas" to view and request quota increases
- 5.
Set up billing alerts in "Billing" to avoid unexpected charges
📊 Monitoring Tip: Regularly check your API usage to optimize costs and identify potential issues early.
Never Expose Credentials in Client-Side Code
Use environment variables and backend proxies for sensitive operations
Rotate API Keys Regularly
Create new keys and delete old ones periodically (every 90 days recommended)
Use Least Privilege Principle
Grant only the minimum permissions needed for each service account or API key
Enable 2-Factor Authentication
Protect your Google Cloud account with 2FA to prevent unauthorized access
Monitor Audit Logs
Review Cloud Audit Logs regularly to detect suspicious activity
Implement Rate Limiting
Add rate limiting to your application to prevent abuse and manage costs
For a video application project, here's the recommended order:
Setup Google Cloud Project First
Create project, enable billing, and enable all required APIs before writing any code
Plan Your Architecture
Decide which services you'll use (Cloud Storage, Firestore, Cloud Functions, etc.)
Create Service Accounts & Credentials
Generate all necessary credentials for your services
Setup Development Environment
Install SDKs, configure environment variables, setup local testing
Build & Test Your Application
Develop features incrementally, testing API integration at each step
Deploy & Monitor
Deploy to production and setup monitoring, logging, and alerts
💡 Key Insight: Always setup your Google Cloud infrastructure BEFORE building your app. This ensures you can test API integrations early and avoid refactoring later.
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