> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.omics.ai/products/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.omics.ai/products/publisher/data-sources/connectors/connecting-to-google-cloud-platform.md).

# Connecting to Google Cloud Storage

Connect [Publisher](https://github.com/DNAstack/dnastack-product-docs/tree/main/docs/publisher/data-sources/connectors/broken-reference/README.md) to [Google Cloud Storage (GCS)](https://cloud.google.com/storage/docs) to access and share your data. This connection requires Google Cloud credentials and specific project information.

## Prerequisites

Before starting, gather these items:

* [Google service account](https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/keys-create-delete) with appropriate permissions
* Service account key in JSON format
* Name of your GCS bucket

## Configuration Process

### Initial Setup

From the Publisher interface, select "Data Sources" in the navigation bar and click "Connect Data Source". Choose "Google Cloud Storage Object Store" from the available connectors.

### Service Account Setup

1. Access your [Google Cloud Platform Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials):
   * Create a new service account or use an existing one
   * Navigate to the KEYS tab
   * Create a new key in JSON format
2. In Publisher, upload your JSON Service Account key

{% hint style="info" %}
For detailed instructions on creating [Google service account keys](broken://spaces/v9ojhytrSLokyKPCzfbq), refer to Google Cloud documentation.
{% endhint %}

## Storage Configuration

Select your storage bucket from the available options.

### Recommended Bucket Settings

When provisioning a GCS bucket to connect to Publisher, the following settings are strongly recommended for security:

* **Public access prevention** — set to `enforced`. Publisher data buckets should never be publicly reachable; access is always mediated by the connector's service account.
* **Uniform bucket-level access** — enable it. Publisher grants access through IAM, so per-object ACLs are unnecessary and make access harder to audit.
* **Encryption** — use Google-managed (default) encryption. Publisher does **not** support customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK); buckets encrypted with CMEK cannot be connected.

The following Terraform reflects these recommendations:

```hcl
resource "google_storage_bucket" "publisher_data" {
  name     = "${var.project}-publisher-data"
  project  = var.project
  location = var.google_region

  public_access_prevention    = "enforced"
  uniform_bucket_level_access = true
  # Encryption is left unset so the bucket uses Google-managed keys.
  # Do not configure a CMEK key — Publisher does not support CMEK-encrypted buckets.
}
```

### Data Update Settings

Choose how Publisher monitors your GCS bucket:

### **Google PubSub Option:**

* Enable Google PubSub integration
* Provide:
  * PubSub topic ID
  * PubSub project ID
  * Service account key for PubSub (JSON format)

### **Schedule Option:**

* Select an update interval (30 seconds to monthly)
* Updates can be configured later if needed

### Finalizing Setup

1. Provide a descriptive name for your data source
2. Optionally create and share a collection from this data source


---

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