Google Drive APIConnect Google Drive without building on its API
Google Drive has a REST API. Self-serve for any developer through a Google Cloud project. If you're reading the docs because you need Google Drive to talk to the rest of your stack, Caddi does that without you writing or maintaining integration code: you show it the job once, and it runs it across Google Drive and your other tools.
- APIREST (JSON)
- AuthOAuth 2.0
- AccessSelf-serve
What the Google Drive API gives you
- Type
- REST (JSON)
- Authentication
- OAuth 2.0 (Google Workspace API auth)
- Who can get access
- Self-serve for any developer through a Google Cloud project.
- What it covers
- Files, folders, shared drives, permissions, comments, revisions, and change notifications.
- Limits
- 1,000,000 quota units per minute per project and 325,000 per minute per user per project (files.get costs 5 units, files.list 100), with a 750 GB/day upload cap per user.
Official docs: developers.google.com. Checked September 2026. Vendors change access terms, so confirm with Google Drive before you build.
Building on the Google Drive API vs. having Caddi run it
| The job | Build it on the API | With Caddi |
|---|---|---|
| Getting access | Register an app, get Google Drive credentials, and manage tokens and refreshes. | Connect your Google Drive account once. Caddi holds the connection. |
| Writing the integration | A developer maps fields, handles pagination, retries and rate limits, and writes the sync. | You show Caddi the Google Drive task the way you'd train a new hire. It writes verified code for it. |
| Steps the API doesn't cover | Screens with no endpoint stay manual, or need a separate RPA tool. | Caddi uses a secure, audited browser session where there's no API, in the same automation. |
| The other systems in the loop | Each extra tool is another API, another set of credentials, another integration to own. | One automation runs across all the tools the job touches. |
| Keeping it running | Someone owns the code when the API version, fields or your process change. | Every automation is reviewed before it runs in production, and every run is logged. |
Building on the API is the right call when you have engineers and the integration is your product. When the goal is getting Google Drive work off someone's desk, the build is the slow part.
What teams usually want the Google Drive API for
Vendor Bill Creation
Caddi reads vendor payout rows and creates matching bills with the correct vendor, expense categories, and payment terms, reducing manual bill entry for billing and finance teams.
Inbound document classifier
Caddi watches a Drive folder for new uploads, classifies each by document type, and routes it to the right destination with metadata.
Signed-doc archive
When a signed envelope lands in Drive, Caddi files it with the right metadata and updates the CRM record.
Cross-storage sync
Caddi mirrors approved files from Drive to SharePoint or Box with the right metadata applied at the destination.
Google Drive API questions
Does Google Drive have an API?
Yes. Google Drive has a REST API, authenticated with OAuth 2.0 (Google Workspace API auth). The official documentation is at https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/api/guides/about-sdk.
How do I get access to the Google Drive API?
Self-serve for any developer through a Google Cloud project.
Does the Google Drive API have rate limits?
1,000,000 quota units per minute per project and 325,000 per minute per user per project (files.get costs 5 units, files.list 100), with a 750 GB/day upload cap per user.
Can I connect Google Drive to my other tools without writing code against its API?
Yes. With Caddi you show the Google Drive task once, the way you'd train a new hire, and Caddi builds it as verified code that runs across Google Drive and the other tools the job touches. Where a step has no API, Caddi uses a secure, audited browser session in the same automation.
Do I need a developer to automate Google Drive with Caddi?
No. There is no integration code for you to write or maintain. Every automation Caddi builds for Google Drive is reviewed before it runs in production, and every run is logged.
Connect Google Drive without the build.
Drop your work email and pick a time. We'll show you Caddi running your Google Drive workflow end to end.