How to Create a Google Workspace Service Account?

How to Create a Google Workspace Service Account?

If you are looking to securely and programmatically connect your application or service to Google Workspace, a service account is likely what you need. A Google Workspace service account enables your application to access Google APIs on behalf of your organization without requiring user interaction each time. This type of account is typically used by applications or compute workloads, such as a Compute Engine instance, instead of individual users.

A service account is identified by a unique email address, which makes it easy to manage. It acts as a bridge between your application and Google Workspace, granting the necessary permissions to interact with Google services like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive, without depending on a user’s credentials.
Creating a service account is a crucial step in automating workflows or integrating third-party applications with Google Workspace securely.

Whether you want to manage resources, automate processes, or connect your application to Google APIs, understanding how to create and configure a service account is essential. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of creating a service account for Google Workspace, ensuring that your application can interact with Google services safely and efficiently.

What Is Google Workspace Service Account?

A Google Workspace service account is a special type of account that lets apps or servers connect to Google services automatically. Instead of being tied to a specific user, it is used behind the scenes to perform tasks like accessing Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Calendar without needing someone to sign in each time. Service accounts are useful for automating things. For example, if you want your system to send emails, manage calendar events, or sync files to Google Drive, a service account can handle all that in the background. It uses a private key (in a JSON file) to authenticate securely.

With domain-wide delegation turned on, the service account can even act on behalf of users in your organisation. This is helpful if you need it to access or manage data for multiple users. In short, a Google Workspace service account makes it easier to connect your app or system to Google tools securely and reliably. It is a great option for businesses or developers who want to automate workflows and reduce manual work.

What Are Service Accounts?

A service account is a special type of account used by applications or workloads (like a Compute Engine instance) instead of a person. Each service account has a unique email address that identifies it. Service accounts are mainly used by applications to make authorized API calls. They authenticate either as the service account itself or as Google Workspace or Cloud Identity users through domain-wide delegation. When an application uses a service account, it can access all resources the service account is allowed to access.

The most common way to authenticate an application with a service account is by attaching the service account to the resource where the application is running. For instance, you can attach a service account to a Compute Engine instance, allowing any application running on that instance to authenticate as the service account. You can then assign IAM roles to the service account to grant access to Google Cloud resources for the application.

In addition to attaching service accounts, there are other methods to authenticate an application, such as using Workload Identity Federation for external workloads or creating a service account key to obtain OAuth 2.0 access tokens.

READ: Why Does My Gmail Say Google Workspace?

Types of Service Accounts in Google Cloud| How to Create a Google Workspace Service Account?

In Google Cloud, there are several types of service accounts:

• User-Managed Service Accounts:

These are service accounts that you create and manage. They are often used to represent workloads and grant them the necessary permissions to access resources.

• Default Service Accounts:

These are automatically created when you enable certain Google Cloud services. While Google manages these service accounts, you are responsible for managing their permissions and roles.

• Service Agents:

These service accounts are created and managed by Google Cloud. They allow Google services to access resources on your behalf.

Service Account Credentials

When an application or principal (like a user) needs to authenticate as a service account, there are a couple of ways this can be done:

• Short-lived Credentials:

In many cases, such as with attached service accounts or when using the gcloud CLI -impersonate-service-account flag, credentials are automatically obtained. You don’t need to manually create or manage them.

• Service Account Keys:

These keys allow you to sign a JSON Web Token (JWT) and exchange it for an access token. However, since service account keys can pose a security risk if not properly managed, it’s best to consider more secure alternatives when possible.

Service Account Impersonation

Impersonating a service account means that an authenticated principal (such as a user or another service account) assumes the identity of the service account to access its permissions. This can be useful for giving someone temporary access or testing permissions without needing to modify IAM policies. Impersonation is helpful when you need to change a user’s permissions without permanently altering IAM roles.

For example, you can temporarily grant elevated access to a user, or use impersonation to simulate different permission levels during testing. It’s also useful for developing applications locally or authenticating applications running outside of Google Cloud.

Features of a Google Workspace Service Account| How to Create a Google Workspace Service Account?

A Google Workspace service account is designed to help your apps and systems work with Google services smoothly and securely. Provided below are some of the main features, explained in a natural and easy-to-follow way:

• Secure, Key-Based Authentication

Instead of using a password, service accounts rely on a private key stored in a JSON file. This allows your app to log in securely and automatically without human involvement.

• Works Independently of a User

Service accounts are not linked to any specific person. They operate on their own, which is perfect for apps that need to run in the background or perform tasks around the clock.

• Access on Behalf of Users

With domain-wide delegation enabled, a service account can act as a user in your organization. This is useful if your app needs to read emails, manage calendars, or access files across multiple accounts.

• Custom Permissions and Roles

You control what the service account can do by assigning specific roles. This helps limit access to only what is necessary, keeping your data safe.

• Great for Automation

Since no one needs to log in manually, service accounts are ideal for automating tasks and setting up reliable, ongoing processes.

Why Use a Service Account?

A Google Workspace service account is a smart solution when you want your app or system to connect to Google services automatically. Instead of having someone log in every time, a service account lets your app run tasks in the background, quietly and consistently. This is especially useful for automation. Whether you need to send emails, manage calendar events, organize files in Drive, or access user data across your organization, a service account can handle it all without manual input.

It is also a more secure way to connect. Service accounts use a private key for authentication, and you can give them only the permissions they need. That means better control over what your app can access and do. For businesses or developers building tools that run on a schedule or behind the scenes, service accounts are a reliable and efficient option. They help cut down on repetitive tasks, reduce the need for user involvement, and keep your workflows running smoothly.

READ ALSO: Create Google Workspace Email

How To Create Google Workspace Service Account| How to Create a Google Workspace Service Account?

To create a service account in Google Cloud, follow these easy steps;

Step 1: Create a Project

• Go to Google Cloud Console and sign in using a super administrator account.
• If this is your first time using the console, accept the Terms of Service.
• Click Menu, then go to IAM & Admin > Manage Resources.
• At the top, click Create Project and enter a name.
• (Optional) To organize your project, click Browse under Location and select a folder.
• Click Create.

Tip: Only the project creator has full control by default. It is a good idea to assign at least one other person the Project Owner role to ensure others can manage the project if needed.

Step 2: Enable Required APIs

• Select your new project.
• Click Menu, then go to APIs & Services > Library.

Search for and enable each of the following APIs:

• Admin SDK
• Google Calendar API
• Contacts API
• Gmail API
• Groups Migration API

Tip: If you cannot find an API, use the search bar to look it up by name.

Step 3: Configure the OAuth Consent Screen

• Go to Menu > APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen.
• Choose Internal as the User Type, then click Create.
• Enter the app name.
• Select a User support email for users to contact with questions.
• Enter one or more email addresses under Developer contact information.
• Click Save and Continue until you reach the dashboard.

Tip: Use a shared admin email address when entering contact details.

Step 4: Create the Service Account

• Go to Menu > APIs & Services > Credentials.
• Click Create Credentials > Service account.
• Enter a name for your service account. (You can also add a description if you like.)
• Click Create and Continue, then Done.
• At the top of the service account page, click the Keys tab.
• Click Add Key > Create new key.
• Select JSON as the key type, then click Create.
• A private key file will be downloaded to your computer. Save it somewhere secure, you’ll need it later.

Click Close when you are done.

Where to Create Google Service Accounts

Service accounts are always tied to a specific project, and once created, they cannot be moved to another project. You have several options for organizing your service accounts across different projects:

• Create Service Accounts in the Same Project

This approach is great for getting started with service accounts. It keeps everything together, making it simple to manage. However, as your organization grows, it might become difficult to keep track of all your service accounts when they’re scattered across multiple projects.

• Centralize Service Accounts in Separate Projects

You can choose to create service accounts in a few dedicated projects, separate from the ones that host your resources. This can make managing service accounts easier because they’re consolidated in fewer locations. However, if you need to attach service accounts to resources in other projects, it requires additional setup.

For example, if a service account from one project accesses resources in another, you usually need to enable the relevant API in both projects. If you have a service account in the project “my-service-accounts” and a Cloud SQL instance in the project “my-application,” you’d need to enable the Cloud SQL API in both projects.

• Service Account Limits

By default, you can create up to 100 service accounts in a single project. If you need more, you can request a quota increase.

How To Keep Track of Service Accounts

As you create more service accounts over time, it can become challenging to remember the purpose of each one.
One effective way to manage this is by using the display name of a service account. You can add helpful information to the display name, such as the service account’s purpose or a contact person.

When creating a new service account, you can set the display name right away. For existing service accounts, you can update the display name using the serviceAccounts.update() method to add or modify this information.

Creating a Google Workspace service account is a simple process once you are familiar with the steps. With the proper configuration, your applications can connect smoothly to Google services while maintaining security and efficiency. Visit the website for more information. I hope the provided information is helpful. Share your thoughts below in the comment section.

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