Google Drive API Simple Upload: Purpose and Use Cases with Concrete Examples

[kangk]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to ask about the Simple Upload feature in the Google Drive API. Simple Upload allows uploading file data without any file metadata.

The documentation states that "Simple Upload can be used when you have small files and file metadata is not important." However, I find it lacking in specific examples of when Simple Upload would be useful in practice.

Could you provide some realistic and concrete examples of the purpose of this feature and when it can be used effectively?

[Willbin · Accepted solution]

Hello @kangk,

Welcome to Google Cloud Community!

Simple Upload is a valuable option in the Google Drive API when dealing with small, temporary files, streaming data, or situations where metadata creation adds unnecessary overhead. By understanding its use cases and limitations, you can leverage this feature for efficient file uploads within your applications.

Here are some examples where Simple Upload might be a good choice:

1. Uploading Temporary Data:

• Imagine an application that captures user-generated content (like a drawing or a short audio clip). If this content is temporary and not meant for long-term storage, uploading it with Simple Upload avoids cluttering your Drive with unnecessary metadata. Once the temporary data serves its purpose, you can delete it.

2. Uploading Logs or Metrics:

• If your application generates log files or collects performance metrics, you might choose Simple Upload for efficiency. Since the metadata for these files (like creation time) might not be crucial, the faster and simpler approach of Simple Upload can be beneficial.

3. Batch Uploading Small Files:

• When dealing with a large number of small files (e.g., sensor readings, thumbnails), Simple Upload can be faster than creating separate metadata entries for each file. You might later process these files and add metadata programmatically after upload.

4. Streaming Uploads:

• Simple Upload works well for streaming scenarios where the file content is available as a continuous stream. You can directly feed the data to the API without pre-defining metadata.