Service Account

SheetBridge supports two authentication methods for accessing Google Sheets:

• OAuth Authentication: Standard Google OAuth flow (default)
• Service Account: Google Cloud Service Account for programmatic access

What is a Service Account?

A Google Cloud Service Account is a special type of Google account that represents an application rather than an end user. Service accounts are useful for:

• Server-to-server authentication without user interaction
• Automated access to Google Sheets
• More reliable access without token expiration concerns

Setting Up a Service Account

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Navigate to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts

4. Click Create Service Account
5. Fill in the service account details and click Create

6. Grant the service account the Editor role (or at minimum, access to Google Sheets API)

7. Click on the service account → Keys tab → Add Key → Create new key
8. Select JSON format and download the key file

9. In SheetBridge, go to Service Account settings

10. Upload the JSON key file or paste its contents

Using Service Accounts

Once configured, SheetBridge will automatically use your service account for all Google Sheets API operations. This provides:

• More reliable API access without OAuth token refresh issues
• Better performance for automated systems
• No need to re-authenticate periodically

Service Account vs OAuth

You can use either authentication method, or both:

• OAuth: Better for personal use, easier setup, requires periodic re-authentication
• Service Account: Better for production/automated systems, more reliable

SheetBridge will automatically use your service account if configured, falling back to OAuth if not available.

Related Topics

• Authentication - Bearer Token authentication for API endpoints
• Rate Limiting - Service accounts have higher rate limits
• Getting Started - Initial setup guide