🚀 Google Drive Remote File Upload API

A high-performance PHP application that enables seamless remote file uploads to Google Drive with real-time progress tracking, intelligent caching, and optimized transfer speeds.

Perfect for content creators, webmasters, and businesses who need to automatically backup or transfer files from remote URLs directly to Google Drive without manual downloading.

---

📋 Table of Contents

1. Features
2. What This Does (Simple Explanation)
3. Who Is This For?
4. Live Demo
5. Requirements
6. Installation Guide
7. Google Cloud Setup
8. Configuration
9. How to Use
10. Troubleshooting
11. Performance Optimization
12. Security Best Practices
13. FAQ
14. Support
15. License

---

✨ Features

Core Functionality

• 🌐 Remote File Upload - Upload files from any URL directly to Google Drive
• ⚡ High-Speed Transfer - Optimized for fast downloads (up to 55 MB/s) and uploads
• 📊 Real-Time Progress - Live progress bars with speed metrics and ETA
• 💾 Intelligent Caching - Automatically stores files locally to avoid re-downloading
• 🔄 Resumable Uploads - Large file support with automatic resumption
• 🔐 OAuth 2.0 Security - Secure Google authentication
• 🎯 Public Link Generation - Automatically generates shareable Google Drive links
• 📱 Responsive UI - Beautiful, mobile-friendly interface

Technical Highlights

• Dynamic chunk sizing for optimal upload performance
• HTTP/2 support for faster connections
• Memory-optimized for large files (up to 6GB RAM usage)
• No timeout limitations for huge files
• Real-time streaming progress updates
• File existence checking to prevent duplicates

---

🎯 What This Does (Simple Explanation)

Imagine this scenario:

You have a large file (like a video, archive, or software installer) hosted somewhere on the internet, and you want to save it to your Google Drive. Normally, you would:

1. Download the file to your computer (takes time)
2. Upload it to Google Drive (takes time again)
3. Delete the local copy to free space

This tool does ALL of that automatically:

Just give it the file's URL, and it will:

• ✅ Download the file directly to your server
• ✅ Upload it to your Google Drive
• ✅ Give you a shareable Google Drive link
• ✅ Keep a cached copy for future uploads (optional)

All with beautiful progress bars showing download/upload speed!

---

👥 Who Is This For?

• Content Creators - Backup videos, images, and media to Google Drive automatically
• Website Owners - Transfer files between servers via Google Drive
• Digital Marketers - Archive campaign assets and media files
• Developers - Integrate file transfer capabilities into your applications
• Businesses - Automate file backup workflows
• Students - Backup educational resources and materials
• Anyone - Who needs to transfer files from the web to Google Drive without downloading locally

---

🎬 Live Demo

Try it yourself:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/file.zip

(Replace with your actual domain after installation)

---

📦 Requirements

Server Requirements

• PHP: Version 7.4 or higher
• Composer: PHP dependency manager
• cURL: For file downloads (usually pre-installed)
• OpenSSL: For secure connections
• Memory: At least 512MB available (6GB recommended for large files)
• Storage: Sufficient space for temporary file caching

Google Requirements

• Google Account (Free Gmail account works)
• Google Cloud Console access (Free)
• Google Drive API enabled (Free)

Knowledge Requirements

• None! This guide is written for complete beginners
• Basic ability to upload files to your web server
• Ability to follow step-by-step instructions

---

📥 Installation Guide (Step by Step)

Step 1: Download the Project

Option A: Using Git (Recommended)

cd /path/to/your/website
git clone https://github.com/4kamruzzaman/google-drive-remote-file-upload-api.git
cd google-drive-remote-file-upload-api

Option B: Manual Download

1. Download the ZIP file from GitHub
2. Extract it to your website directory
3. Rename the folder to google-drive-uploader (or any name you prefer)

---

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Open your terminal or SSH into your server and run:

cd /path/to/google-drive-uploader
composer install

What this does: Downloads all required Google API libraries and dependencies.

Don't have Composer? Install it first:

# For Linux/Mac
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

# For Windows
# Download from: https://getcomposer.org/download/

---

Step 3: Create Storage Directory

This creates a folder to store downloaded files temporarily:

mkdir -p ../unpub/files
chmod 755 ../unpub/files

For Windows servers:

mkdir ..\unpub\files

---

Step 4: Set Up Google Cloud Project

This is the most important step! Follow carefully:

4.1 Create Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Click "Select a Project" at the top
3. Click "NEW PROJECT"
4. Enter project name: Drive Uploader (or any name)
5. Click "CREATE"
6. Wait 10-30 seconds for project creation

4.2 Enable Google Drive API

1. In the search bar at top, type: Google Drive API
2. Click on "Google Drive API"
3. Click the blue "ENABLE" button
4. Wait for it to enable (5-10 seconds)

4.3 Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. In the left menu, click "OAuth consent screen"
2. Select "External" (unless you have Google Workspace)
3. Click "CREATE"
4. Fill in the required fields:
   • App name: Drive File Uploader
   • User support email: Your email
   • Developer contact email: Your email
5. Click "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
6. On "Scopes" page, click "ADD OR REMOVE SCOPES"
7. Find and check: ../auth/drive.file
8. Click "UPDATE" then "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
9. On "Test users" page, click "ADD USERS"
10. Enter your Gmail address
11. Click "ADD" then "SAVE AND CONTINUE"
12. Review and click "BACK TO DASHBOARD"

4.4 Create OAuth Credentials

1. In the left menu, click "Credentials"
2. Click "+ CREATE CREDENTIALS" at the top
3. Select "OAuth client ID"
4. Choose Application type: "Web application"
5. Name: Drive Uploader Client
6. Under "Authorized redirect URIs":
   • Click "+ ADD URI"
   • Enter: http://your-domain.com (replace with YOUR actual domain)
   • For localhost testing: http://localhost:8000
7. Click "CREATE"
8. A popup appears with your credentials - DON'T CLOSE IT YET!

4.5 Download Credentials

1. In the popup, click "DOWNLOAD JSON"
2. Save the file (it will be named something like client_secret_xxx.json)
3. Rename it to: credentials.json
4. Upload/Replace this file in your project folder
   • It should be at: google-drive-uploader/credentials.json

---

Step 5: Configure Your Domain

Open index.php and find line ~103:

Change it to YOUR domain:

$redirect_uri = 'http://your-actual-domain.com';

⚠️ Important: This MUST match the redirect URI you entered in Google Cloud Console!

---

Step 6: Set Permissions

Make sure your files have the right permissions:

# Linux/Mac
chmod 644 index.php
chmod 644 credentials.json
chmod 755 ../unpub/files

# The script will create token.json automatically
# But ensure the directory is writable
chmod 755 .

---

Step 7: Test the Installation

First-Time Authorization

1. Open your browser and go to:

   http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/sample.pdf
   

2. You'll see: "One-Time Setup Required"

3. Click "Authorize with Google"

4. Choose your Google account

5. You may see a warning: "Google hasn't verified this app"

   • Click "Advanced"
   • Click "Go to Drive File Uploader (unsafe)"
   • This is safe because it's YOUR app

6. Click "Allow" to grant permissions

7. You'll be redirected back and the upload will start!

Test Upload

Try uploading a small test file:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tests/xhtml/testfiles/resources/pdf/dummy.pdf

You should see:

• ✅ Real-time download progress
• ✅ Upload progress to Google Drive
• ✅ A shareable Google Drive link at the end

---

⚙️ Configuration

Basic Settings

Edit index.php to customize:

Storage Location

define('LOCAL_FILES_DIR', __DIR__ . '/../unpub/files/');

Change this to where you want files cached.

Memory Limit

ini_set('memory_limit', '6G');

Adjust based on your server capacity (512M minimum, 6G recommended).

Chunk Size for Uploads

// For files < 100MB
$chunkSizeBytes = 8 * 1024 * 1024; // 8MB

// For files 100MB - 1GB
$chunkSizeBytes = 32 * 1024 * 1024; // 32MB

// For files > 1GB
$chunkSizeBytes = 128 * 1024 * 1024; // 128MB

Advanced Configuration

Disable File Caching

If you don't want to keep files locally, modify the finally block at the end of index.php:

} finally {
    // Delete the file after upload
    if (file_exists($filePath)) {
        unlink($filePath);
    }
}

Add File Type Restrictions

Add this before the download function:

$allowed_extensions = ['pdf', 'zip', 'mp4', 'jpg', 'png'];
$file_ext = pathinfo(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_PATH), PATHINFO_EXTENSION);

if (!in_array(strtolower($file_ext), $allowed_extensions)) {
    die("Error: File type not allowed");
}

---

🎮 How to Use

Basic Usage

Simply add ?url= parameter with your file URL:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=FILE_URL_HERE

Examples

Upload a PDF:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/document.pdf

Upload a video:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/video.mp4

Upload a large archive:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/backup.zip

Integration in Your Website

HTML Link

<a href="http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=https://example.com/file.zip">
    Upload to Google Drive
</a>

HTML Form

<form action="http://your-domain.com/index.php" method="GET">
    <input type="url" name="url" placeholder="Enter file URL" required>
    <button type="submit">Upload to Drive</button>
</form>

JavaScript Integration

function uploadToDrive(fileUrl) {
    window.location.href = `http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=${encodeURIComponent(fileUrl)}`;
}

// Usage
uploadToDrive('https://example.com/file.pdf');

PHP Integration

$fileUrl = 'https://example.com/file.zip';
$uploadUrl = 'http://your-domain.com/index.php?url=' . urlencode($fileUrl);
header('Location: ' . $uploadUrl);

---

🔧 Troubleshooting

Problem: "One-Time Setup Required" appears every time

Solution:

• Check if token.json is being created in your project folder
• Ensure the directory is writable: chmod 755 .
• Verify your redirect URI matches in both Google Cloud Console and index.php

---

Problem: "Invalid credentials" error

Solution:

1. Delete credentials.json
2. Go back to Google Cloud Console
3. Download credentials again
4. Make sure you renamed it to credentials.json exactly
5. Re-upload to your server

---

Problem: Download is very slow

Solution:

• Check your server's internet speed
• Verify the remote file server isn't rate-limiting
• Try increasing cURL buffer: CURLOPT_BUFFERSIZE => 2097152 (2MB)

---

Problem: Upload fails for large files

Solution:

1. Increase PHP limits in php.ini:

   max_execution_time = 0
   max_input_time = 0
   memory_limit = 6G

2. Restart your web server
3. Check available disk space

---

Problem: "Could not create local files directory"

Solution:

# Create directory manually
mkdir -p ../unpub/files

# Set proper permissions
chmod 755 ../unpub/files
chown www-data:www-data ../unpub/files  # Linux Apache
# OR
chown nginx:nginx ../unpub/files  # Linux Nginx

---

Problem: Progress bar not updating

Solution:

• Disable output buffering in php.ini:

  output_buffering = Off
  zlib.output_compression = Off

• If using Nginx, add to your config:

  proxy_buffering off;
  fastcgi_buffering off;

• Restart web server

---

Problem: "This app hasn't been verified by Google"

Solution:

• This is normal for personal projects
• Click "Advanced" → "Go to [App Name] (unsafe)"
• It's safe because YOU created the app
• To remove warning: Submit app for verification (only needed for public apps)

---

🚀 Performance Optimization

For Shared Hosting

ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');  // Lower limit
$chunkSizeBytes = 4 * 1024 * 1024; // 4MB chunks

For VPS/Dedicated Server

ini_set('memory_limit', '6G');     // High limit
$chunkSizeBytes = 128 * 1024 * 1024; // 128MB chunks

Enable Faster PHP

If available, use PHP-FPM:

sudo apt install php-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php8.1-fpm

Use HTTP/2

Already enabled in the code via:

CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION => CURL_HTTP_VERSION_2_0

---

🔐 Security Best Practices

1. Protect Credentials

Add to .gitignore:

credentials.json
token.json
/vendor/

2. Restrict Access

Add authentication to index.php:

$valid_token = 'your-secret-token-here';
if (!isset($_GET['token']) || $_GET['token'] !== $valid_token) {
    die('Unauthorized');
}

Usage:

http://your-domain.com/index.php?token=your-secret-token-here&url=FILE_URL

3. Whitelist Domains

$allowed_domains = ['example.com', 'trusted-site.com'];
$url_host = parse_url($url, PHP_URL_HOST);

if (!in_array($url_host, $allowed_domains)) {
    die('Domain not allowed');
}

4. Rate Limiting

session_start();
$max_uploads = 10; // Per hour
$time_window = 3600; // 1 hour in seconds

if (!isset($_SESSION['upload_count'])) {
    $_SESSION['upload_count'] = 0;
    $_SESSION['upload_time'] = time();
}

if (time() - $_SESSION['upload_time'] > $time_window) {
    $_SESSION['upload_count'] = 0;
    $_SESSION['upload_time'] = time();
}

if ($_SESSION['upload_count'] >= $max_uploads) {
    die('Rate limit exceeded. Try again later.');
}

$_SESSION['upload_count']++;

5. File Size Limits

$max_file_size = 5 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024; // 5GB

$headers = get_headers($url, true);
$content_length = isset($headers['Content-Length']) ? $headers['Content-Length'] : 0;

if ($content_length > $max_file_size) {
    die('File too large (max 5GB)');
}

---

❓ FAQ

Q: Is this free to use?

A: Yes! Google Drive API has a free tier that's more than enough for personal use.

Q: How much storage do I get on Google Drive?

A: Free Gmail accounts get 15GB. You can purchase more if needed.

Q: Can I upload files larger than 15GB?

A: Yes, the script supports it, but you'll need enough Google Drive storage.

Q: Do I need coding knowledge?

A: No! Just follow this guide step by step.

Q: Can I use this on shared hosting?

A: Yes, but you may need to adjust memory limits and chunk sizes.

Q: Is my data secure?

A: Yes. OAuth 2.0 is Google's secure authentication. No passwords are stored.

Q: Can multiple people use my installation?

A: Yes, but all files will go to YOUR Google Drive. Consider adding authentication.

Q: What happens if the upload fails midway?

A: Google's resumable upload will try to continue from where it stopped.

Q: Can I customize the interface?

A: Absolutely! Edit the HTML/CSS in index.php to match your design.

Q: Does it work with private/authenticated URLs?

A: Not by default. You'd need to add authentication headers to the cURL request.

---

📞 Support

Getting Help

1. Check this README - Most questions are answered here
2. GitHub Issues - Report bugs or request features
3. Stack Overflow - Tag your question with google-drive-api and php

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Submit a pull request

Bug Reports

When reporting bugs, include:

• PHP version (php -v)
• Error messages from browser console
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Server environment details

---

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 [Your Name]

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

---

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Google Drive API Team
• PHP Composer Community
• All contributors and users

---

📊 Project Stats

---

🗺️ Roadmap

• Multi-file upload support
• Folder organization in Drive
• Progress webhook notifications
• API endpoint for programmatic access
• Docker container support
• Admin dashboard
• Upload history/logs
• Scheduled uploads
• File conversion support
• Team Drive support

---

💝 Support the Project

If this project helps you, consider:

• ⭐ Starring the repository
• 🐛 Reporting bugs
• 💡 Suggesting features
• 🔀 Contributing code
• 📢 Sharing with others

---

Made with ❤️ for developers who automate everything

🔗 GitHub Repository | 📧 Report Issues | 📖 Documentation