This page describes how to activate the Google Cloud Storage service. Google Cloud Storage enables application developers to store their data on Google’s infrastructure with very high reliability, performance and availability. If you're looking to store personal data to be viewed and managed by end users, consider using Google Drive instead. Or, if you are an application developer who wants to integrate with Google Drive, you can do so using the Google Drive SDK . For more information about the differences between Google Cloud Storage and Google Drive, see the FAQ .

Contents

1. Before you begin
2. How to activate Google Cloud Storage

Before you begin

Depending on your use case, you may not need to activate Google Cloud Storage to use it. Review the following use cases to determine if you need to activate Google Cloud Storage.

Activate if you want to:

Create buckets, add objects, and control who can access your data. Follow the instructions below to activate the Google Cloud Storage service for a new or existing project.

You do not need to activate if you want to:

• Access publicly-accessible data.

  You can acccess publicly-accessible data without activating the Google Cloud Storage service. You can use the gsutil tool to access or download the data without a Google Cloud Storage or Google account.

• Read and write to a bucket to which you have been granted access.

  In this use case, another individual has already set up a Google Cloud Storage project and added you as a project team member, or has added you to the ACLs of a bucket or object. When you are granted access in this way, you do not need to activate the Google Cloud Storage service to access the data. You can use the gsutil tool to set up your credentials for Google Cloud Storage using your Google account and read or write that data.

  For information about adding project team member, see Adding a member to a project .

How to activate Google Cloud Storage for a project

Before you activate the Google Cloud Storage service, please review the Before you begin section above. You may not need to activate Google Cloud Storage based on your use case.

You activate the Google Cloud Storage service on a project-by-project basis. For newly created projects, the Google Cloud Storage is activated automatically.

To activate Google Cloud Storage:

1. Go to the Google Developers Console .

   If you don't have a Google account, you will be prompted to create one.

2. Select or create a project.

   If you have multiple projects, make sure that you are in the project for which you want to activate Google Cloud Storage. If you do not have a project, you will be prompted to create one.

3. Enable the Google Cloud Storage service if it isn't already.

   1. In the left sidebar, expand the APIs & AUTH section and then click APIs . You must select a project first to see the APIs & AUTH section.

   2. In the APIs list, if the button next to Google Cloud Storage service is OFF , click it to activate the service. When the service is activated, the button displays ON and the Google Cloud Storage service is activated for the project.

4. Enable billing for the project.

   Before you can use Google Cloud Storage, you need to enable billing for your project if you haven't already done so. To enable billing, select Settings in the left sidebar of the project, click Enable billing , and the Google Developers Console will guide you through the process. Enabling billing does not necessarily mean you will be charged. See Pricing and Terms for more information.

Here are some exercises to help you get started with Google Cloud Storage:

• Getting Started: Using the Developers Console
• Getting Started: Using the gsutil Tool

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