How to download files from Google Drive using Elixir

![[attachments/covers/how-to-download-files-from-google-drive-using-elixir.png]] *24 Jul 2020* The documentation around downloading a file from a [Google Drive](https://drive.google.com) account is a bit spread out, so i figured i could make a mini tutorial on how to do this. The scenario is having a CSV file in a folder on my Google Drive and being able to read it from [Elixir](https://elixir-lang.org/). Here's the setup: - Setup a service account using the [Google Developer Console Dashboard](https://console.developers.google.com/apis/credentials) (there are plenty tutorials on the web how to setup service accounts), and save the .json credentials file in your Elixir project somewhere. <figure> <img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/864/1*CDjPWQ_FJfk4KRTGCm8ZOA.png" /> </figure> - Make sure the service account has access to all accounts in your domain (unsure this step is necessary, TBH). <figure> <img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/458/1*ZXs8OThvHzTClITkqhreuw.png" /> </figure> - The service account will have an email associated with it (something along the lines of [email protected]). Share the folder you want to read the files from with that email in your Google Drive interface. <figure> <img src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/496/1*D6YJO9UvhuUfzvghNwgPCA.png" /> </figure> - Now we are ready to move to Elixir. - Install the following two dependencies in mix.exs: ``` {:google_api_drive, "~> 0.15.0"}, {:goth, "~> 1.2.0"}, ``` - Configure goth to use your .json credentials file in config.exs (you can also do it programmatically, just look at [goth's docs](https://github.com/peburrows/goth)): ``` config :goth, json: “google_service_account.json” |> File.read! ``` - Finally, the following snippet will take the first CSV file it finds and read its contents: ``` {:ok, %{token: token}} = Goth.Token.for_scope("https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive") ``` ``` conn = GoogleApi.Drive.V3.Connection.new(token) ``` ``` {:ok, %{files: files} = file_list} = GoogleApi.Drive.V3.Api.Files.drive_files_list( conn, includeItemsFromAllDrives: true, supportsAllDrives: true, corpora: "allDrives" ) ``` ``` [first | _rest] = files |> Enum.filter(&(&1.mimeType == "text/csv")) |> Enum.map(&(Map.take(&1, [:id, :name]))) ``` ``` {:ok, %{body: body}} = GoogleApi.Drive.V3.Api.Files.drive_files_get( conn, first.id, [ mimeType: "text/csv", alt: "media" ], [ decode: false ] ) ``` ``` body ``` Happy Elixir'ing [[tags/download|download]] [[tags/elixir|elixir]] [[tags/elixirlang|elixirlang]] [[tags/google-drive|google-drive]] [[tags/tutorial|tutorial]]