README

A Laravel filesystem disk implementation for Google Drive using Google Service Accounts. Designed for backend storage, media distribution, and controlled file access.

Why use this package

Unlike Flysystem adapters, this package is designed for Laravel-first usage with signed temporary URLs, Shared Drive support, and minimal refactoring from existing Storage-based code.

Requirements

PHP >= 8.1
Laravel >= 10
Google Drive API enabled

Installation

1. Create Google Service Account & Download Credentials

This package uses Google Service Account authentication, not OAuth user login.

a. Open Google Cloud Console

https://console.cloud.google.com/
Select or create a Project

b. Enable Google Drive API

Navigate to APIs & Services → Library
Search for Google Drive API
Click Enable

c. Create Service Account

Go to APIs & Services → Credentials
Click Create Credentials → Service Account
Fill in:
- Service account name (e.g. laravel-gdrive-storage)
Click Done

d. Generate JSON Key

Open the created service account
Go to Keys tab
Click Add Key → Create new key
Select JSON
A file will be downloaded:

service-account.json

Security Notes

Never commit service-account.json to version control
Store credentials outside the public directory
Rotate service account keys periodically

2. Share Target Google Drive Folder

This package does not operate on the root Drive. You must use a specific folder. This folder may exist in My Drive or a Shared Drive.

Open Google Drive
Create a folder (example: Laravel Storage)
Right-click → Share
Add the service account email (format: xxxx@xxxx.iam.gserviceaccount.com)
Permission: Editor
Copy the Folder ID

Example URL:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1AbCDefGhIJkLmNop 
                                            ↑
                                        folder_id

3. Install Package via Composer

composer require sinapsteknologi/laravel-gdrive-storage

4. Publish Configuration

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=gdrive-storage-config

This will create:

config/gdrive-storage.php

5. Configure Environment Variables

By default, the package looks for the service account file at:

storage/app/google/service-account.json

If you want to use a different location, specify the path in your .env file.

Example:

Place the service-account.json file in storage/service-account.json, then add the path information to your .env file.

GDRIVE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH=storage/service-account.json

Then add the folder_id information to your .env file:

GOOGLE_DRIVE_SHARED_FOLDER_ID=1AbCDefGhIJkLmNop

6. Configure Filesystem Disk

Add the disk configuration to config/filesystems.php:

'disks' => [

    'gdrive' => [
        'driver' => 'gdrive',
    ],

],

7. Basic Usage

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Storage;

Storage::disk('gdrive')->put('hello.txt', 'Hello Google Drive');

Storage::disk('gdrive')->files();

Storage::disk('gdrive')->exists('hello.txt');

8. Temporary Download URL

$url = Storage::disk('gdrive')->temporaryUrl(
    'hello.txt',
    now()->addMinutes(5)
);

The generated URL is signed and expires automatically. The URL points to a signed Laravel route and will return a streamed response from Google Drive when accessed.

Available Filesystem Methods

The gdrive disk is designed to be API-compatible with Laravel's filesystem, so it can be used as a drop-in replacement for other cloud disks (such as S3 or Dropbox) with minimal or no code changes.

Method	Description
`exists($path)`	Check whether a file or directory exists
`put($path, $contents)`	Create or overwrite a file
`putFileAs($directory, $file, $name)`	Upload a file with a specific name
`get($path)`	Get file contents
`size($path)`	Get file size in bytes
`files($directory = '')`	List files in a directory
`directories($directory = '')`	List subdirectories
`delete($path)`	Delete a file
`copy($from, $to)`	Copy a file
`move($from, $to)`	Move or rename a file
`makeDirectory($path)`	Create directories recursively
`deleteDirectory($path)`	Delete a directory recursively
`lastModified($path)`	Get last modified timestamp
`mimeType($path)`	Get MIME type
`url($path)`	Get Google Drive viewer URL
`download($path, $name = null)`	Stream file as HTTP download
`readStream($path)`	Get PHP stream resource
`temporaryUrl($path, $expiration, $options = [])`	Generate signed temporary download URL

Notes

All paths are relative to the configured root folder ID
Fully supports Shared Drives

If the folder is located inside a Shared Drive, make sure the service account is added as a member of the Shared Drive, not only to the folder itself.

Directory deletion is recursive
temporaryUrl() does not require public file sharing; it uses Laravel signed routes

Important Notes

✅ Uses Google Drive API directly
✅ Service Account based (no user OAuth)
✅ Suitable for:
- Media storage
- Backup
- Controlled file distribution
❌ Not suitable for:
- Realtime filesystem mounting
- Extremely high write frequency workloads

License

MIT

sinapsteknologi / laravel-gdrive-storage

Maintainers

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