Upload Files to Google Drive Using Express.js

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To set up an Express.js server that uploads files to Google Drive API, follow these steps:

1. Enable Google Drive API & Get Credentials

Go to Google Cloud Console
Create a new project.
Enable Google Drive API.
Go to Credentials → Create credentials → OAuth 2.0 Client ID.
Download the credentials.json file.
Share the My Drive folder with the Service Account email (so it has access).

2. Install Required Dependencies

npm init -y
npm install express multer googleapis cors dotenv

3. Setup Express Server (`server.js`)

import express from 'express';
import multer from 'multer';
import { google } from 'googleapis';
import fs from 'fs';
import dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config();
const app = express();
const PORT = 5000;

// Multer setup (store file temporarily)
const upload = multer({ dest: 'uploads/' });

// Google Drive Authentication
const auth = new google.auth.GoogleAuth({
  keyFile: 'credentials.json', // Path to the downloaded JSON file
  scopes: ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.file'],
});

const drive = google.drive({ version: 'v3', auth });

// Upload File to Google Drive
const uploadToDrive = async (file) => {
  try {
    const response = await drive.files.create({
      requestBody: {
        name: file.originalname,
        parents: [process.env.DRIVE_FOLDER_ID], // Your Google Drive folder ID
      },
      media: {
        mimeType: file.mimetype,
        body: fs.createReadStream(file.path),
      },
    });

    // Make the file public
    await drive.permissions.create({
      fileId: response.data.id,
      requestBody: { role: 'reader', type: 'anyone' },
    });

    // Get Public URL
    const fileUrl = `https://drive.google.com/uc?id=${response.data.id}`;
    return fileUrl;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error uploading to Google Drive:', error);
    return null;
  }
};

// Upload Route
app.post('/upload', upload.single('file'), async (req, res) => {
  if (!req.file) return res.status(400).json({ error: 'File is required!' });

  const fileUrl = await uploadToDrive(req.file);
  fs.unlinkSync(req.file.path); // Remove local temp file

  if (!fileUrl) return res.status(500).json({ error: 'Upload failed!' });

  res.json({ name: req.file.originalname, fileUrl });
});

// Start Server
app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server running on http://localhost:${PORT}`));

4. Setup `.env` File

Create a .env file in your project root and add:

DRIVE_FOLDER_ID=YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID

(Replace YOUR_GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID with the actual Google Drive folder ID where you want to store files.)

5. Run the Server

node server.js

6. How to Upload a File

Use Postman or any API client:

Method: POST
URL: http://localhost:5000/upload
Form Data:
- Key: file
- Value: (Choose a file to upload)

✅ Response Example:

{
  "name": "image.jpg",
  "fileUrl": "https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1AbCdEfG123456"
}

Now, the uploaded file is publicly accessible via Google Drive!

Advantages of Using Google Drive API

✅ Free for small projects (15GB storage).
✅ Secure & Scalable (Google-hosted storage).
✅ Public & Private Access Control (Make files public or restrict access).

Let me know if you need any modifications! 🚀