This document discusses uploading multiple files from a browser directly to Google Cloud Storage. It explains that uploading lots of files can be demanding for servers, and that Google Cloud Storage allows direct uploads to buckets. It provides steps for generating signed URLs on the server to allow file uploads via AJAX from the browser, and links to code examples and more detailed descriptions of the process.

1. Uploading multiple files to
Google Cloud Storage
Zdenko Hrcek
https://the-swamp.info
zdenulo@gmail.com
@zdenulo
+ZdenkoHrcek

2. Motivation
● Based on application, users often need to upload files (images, documents,
videos)
● Usually content is posted to server and then processed and saved
● Files are usually small (few MB) but can be larger (tens/hundreds) MB
● Uploading lot of content can be memory demanding for server
● Google Cloud Storage offers possibility to upload file straight to bucket

3. Process for uploading file from Browser to Google Cloud Storage
1. Before actual upload, make request to server to get signed url for file which
will be uploaded
2. Generate signed url for upload with GCS client library on server and return
back
3. Use the signed url to upload content of file (via Ajax request)

4. Process for uploading file from Browser to Google Cloud Storage

5. Steps
1. Create bucket in Google Cloud Storage
2. Setup CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing)
3. Setup Service Account
4. Setup server (in this case Google App Engine)

6. Signed URL
Manual process of constructing signed url is described here:
https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs/access-control/signed-urls
More simpler approach is to use one of client libraries. In Python:
url = file_blob.generate_signed_url(datetime.datetime.now() + datetime.timedelta(hours=2),
method='PUT', content_type=content_type)

7. Full example with code
https://github.com/zdenulo/gcs_multiple_upload
Detailed description:
https://www.the-swamp.info/blog/uploading-files-google-cloud-storage/

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