DEV Community

Chiem The
Chiem The

Posted on

Google api

Hi everyone,
Recently, I’ve been working on a small app and decided to go all-in with Google APIs. I’d like to share some thoughts for anyone who’s considering this approach.
What I’m using
Google Sign-In (standard OAuth2)
Google Drive API for backup & restore
Offline-first architecture:
The app works normally even without an internet connection
A sync queue is maintained and automatically syncs once the network is back
What this enables
Data backup to Google Drive (private app folder)
Multi-device sync when users sign in with the same Google account
What I like about this approach
No need for users to create a new account → Google login is enough
Switching devices or resetting the phone doesn’t cause data loss
Drive API is quite safe if you use the right scopes (no sensitive permissions)
Much smoother user experience compared to local-only storage
Some technical notes (for fellow devs)
You need to design the data model for offline-first from day one (conflicts, versioning)
Sync logic shouldn’t be “push everything” — batching + checksums matter
Limit Drive scopes (e.g. appDataFolder) to pass review more easily
Always handle the case where users revoke Google permissions
I think this approach fits well for
Personal apps / utility tools
Apps that want to avoid maintaining a complex backend
👉 App link (would appreciate your support and feedback):
https://lnkd.in/gyZ_wA-i
👉 Product page:
https://lnkd.in/guc3PVzy
Thanks for reading!

Top comments (0)