Google Cloud Storage (GCS) + Django - File Upload, Download, List, and Delete Example

To integrate Google Cloud Storage (GCS) with a Django application for file upload, download, list, and delete operations, follow these steps:

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1. Set Up Google Cloud Storage

1. Create a Google Cloud Project:

   • Visit the Google Cloud Console and create a new project or use an existing one.

2. Enable the Cloud Storage API:

   • Navigate to APIs & Services > Library, search for "Cloud Storage," and enable it.

3. Create a GCS Bucket:

   • Go to Storage > Browser in the console.
   • Click Create Bucket, choose a globally unique name, configure settings, and create it.

4. Set Up a Service Account:

   • Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts, create a service account, and assign the Storage Admin role.
   • Generate a key (JSON) for the service account and download it to your local machine.

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2. Configure Django for GCS

1. Install Required Libraries: Install the Google Cloud Storage and Django libraries:

   pip install google-cloud-storage django-storages

2. Set Up the Django Storage Backend: Add the storages app to your Django project:

   INSTALLED_APPS = [
       ...
       "storages",
   ]

3. Configure Django Settings: Add the following configuration in your settings.py:

   import os
   from google.oauth2 import service_account
   
   # GCS Bucket Name
   GS_BUCKET_NAME = "your-bucket-name"
   
   # Path to Service Account Key JSON
   GS_CREDENTIALS = service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file(
       os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "path/to/your-service-account-key.json")
   )
   
   # GCS Static/Media File Storage
   DEFAULT_FILE_STORAGE = "storages.backends.gcloud.GoogleCloudStorage"
   STATICFILES_STORAGE = "storages.backends.gcloud.GoogleCloudStorage"
   
   # GCS Custom Domain (optional)
   GS_CUSTOM_DOMAIN = f"{GS_BUCKET_NAME}.storage.googleapis.com"
   
   # Media Settings
   MEDIA_URL = f"https://{GS_CUSTOM_DOMAIN}/media/"
   MEDIA_ROOT = "media/"

4. Prepare Your Bucket:

   • Make your bucket publicly accessible for media files (optional) or set up IAM permissions to allow authenticated access.

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3. Django Views for File Operations

Here’s an example of how to implement file upload, list, download, and delete operations:

Upload File

Create a form and view for uploading files:

# forms.py
from django import forms

class FileUploadForm(forms.Form):
    file = forms.FileField()

# views.py
from django.shortcuts import render
from google.cloud import storage
from django.conf import settings
from .forms import FileUploadForm

def upload_file(request):
    if request.method == "POST":
        form = FileUploadForm(request.POST, request.FILES)
        if form.is_valid():
            # Get the uploaded file
            file = form.cleaned_data["file"]

            # Initialize GCS client
            client = storage.Client(credentials=settings.GS_CREDENTIALS)
            bucket = client.bucket(settings.GS_BUCKET_NAME)

            # Upload the file
            blob = bucket.blob(f"media/{file.name}")
            blob.upload_from_file(file)

            return render(request, "upload_success.html", {"filename": file.name})

    else:
        form = FileUploadForm()

    return render(request, "upload.html", {"form": form})

List Files

# views.py
def list_files(request):
    client = storage.Client(credentials=settings.GS_CREDENTIALS)
    bucket = client.bucket(settings.GS_BUCKET_NAME)

    # List all files in the "media/" folder
    blobs = bucket.list_blobs(prefix="media/")
    files = [blob.name for blob in blobs]

    return render(request, "list_files.html", {"files": files})

Download File

# views.py
from django.http import HttpResponse

def download_file(request, file_name):
    client = storage.Client(credentials=settings.GS_CREDENTIALS)
    bucket = client.bucket(settings.GS_BUCKET_NAME)

    # Get the file blob
    blob = bucket.blob(f"media/{file_name}")

    # Download the file to memory
    file_content = blob.download_as_bytes()

    # Create a response
    response = HttpResponse(file_content, content_type="application/octet-stream")
    response["Content-Disposition"] = f'attachment; filename="{file_name}"'

    return response

Delete File

# views.py
from django.shortcuts import redirect

def delete_file(request, file_name):
    client = storage.Client(credentials=settings.GS_CREDENTIALS)
    bucket = client.bucket(settings.GS_BUCKET_NAME)

    # Get the file blob and delete it
    blob = bucket.blob(f"media/{file_name}")
    blob.delete()

    return redirect("list_files")

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4. Django Templates

Upload File Form

upload.html:

<form method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
    {% csrf_token %}
    {{ form.as_p }}
    <button type="submit">Upload</button>
</form>

List Files

list_files.html:

<h1>Uploaded Files</h1>
<ul>
    {% for file in files %}
        <li>
            {{ file }}
            <a href="{% url 'download_file' file_name=file %}">Download</a>
            <a href="{% url 'delete_file' file_name=file %}">Delete</a>
        </li>
    {% endfor %}
</ul>

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5. URLs

Configure the URLs for the views:

# urls.py
from django.urls import path
from . import views

urlpatterns = [
    path("upload/", views.upload_file, name="upload_file"),
    path("files/", views.list_files, name="list_files"),
    path("download/<str:file_name>/", views.download_file, name="download_file"),
    path("delete/<str:file_name>/", views.delete_file, name="delete_file"),
]

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6. Run and Test

1. Start your Django development server:

   python manage.py runserver

2. Navigate to /upload/ to upload files.
3. Navigate to /files/ to list, download, or delete files.

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7. Key Points

• Replace your-bucket-name and path/to/your-service-account-key.json with the correct values.
• Ensure proper IAM permissions for file operations (e.g., storage.objectAdmin for the service account).
• For production, consider using a private bucket and serve files via signed URLs or a CDN.

This setup integrates Google Cloud Storage with Django, providing a seamless way to manage files in your application.