About Authorization

Authorizing requests

Every request your application sends to the Google App Engine Task Queue must include an authorization token. The token also identifies your application to Google.

About authorization protocols

We recommend using OAuth 2.0 to authorize requests.

If your application has certain unusual authorization requirements, such as logging in at the same time as requesting data access (hybrid) or domain-wide delegation of authority (2LO), then you cannot currently use OAuth 2.0 tokens. In such cases, you must instead use OAuth 1.0 tokens and an API key. You can find your application's API key in the Google APIs Console, in the Simple API Access section of the API Access pane.

Authorizing requests with OAuth 2.0

All requests to the Google App Engine Task Queue must be authorized by an authenticated user.

The details of the authorization process, or "flow," for OAuth 2.0 vary somewhat depending on what kind of application you're writing. The following general process applies to all application types:

1. When you create your application, you register it with Google. Google then provides information you'll need later, such as a client ID and a client secret.
2. Activate the Google App Engine Task Queue in the Services pane of the Google APIs Console. (If it isn't listed in the Console, then skip this step.)
3. When your application needs access to user data, it asks Google for a particular scope of access.
4. Google displays an OAuth dialog to the user, asking them to authorize your application to request some of their data.
5. If the user approves, then Google gives your application a short-lived access token.
6. Your application requests user data, attaching the access token to the request.
7. If Google determines that your request and the token are valid, it returns the requested data.

Some flows include additional steps, such as using refresh tokens to acquire new access tokens. For detailed information about flows for various types of applications, see Google's OAuth 2.0 documentation.

Here's the OAuth 2.0 scope information for the Google App Engine Task Queue:

To request access using OAuth 2.0, your application needs the scope information, as well as information that Google supplies during application registration (such as the client ID and/or the client secret).

Tip: The Google APIs client libraries can handle some of the authorization process for you. They are available for a variety of programming languages; check the Libraries and Samples page for more details.

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