Google Cloud Common API client library

1.9.0 · active · verified Tue Apr 14

google-cloud-common is a foundational Python library that provides generated Python types and common helpers for other Google Cloud client libraries. It is not typically used as a standalone application client but serves as an internal dependency for service-specific client libraries within the `google-cloud-python` ecosystem. The current version is 1.9.0. It is actively maintained as part of the broader Google Cloud Python client libraries, which have a frequent release cadence.

Warnings

gotcha google-cloud-common is an internal dependency and provides generated Python types and common helpers. It is not intended for direct use by end-users for performing Google Cloud service operations. Instead, it is a building block for other service-specific client libraries (e.g., `google-cloud-storage`, `google-cloud-pubsub`).
Fix: For interacting with a specific Google Cloud service, install and use the client library for that service (e.g., `pip install google-cloud-storage` and `from google.cloud import storage`).
breaking While `google-cloud-common==1.9.0` currently supports Python >=3.9, the broader Google Cloud Python client library ecosystem is actively dropping support for older Python versions. For example, `pandas-gbq` recently dropped Python 3.9 support in `v0.35.0` (released 2026-04-09), requiring Python 3.10+.
Fix: Always check the `Requires-Python` metadata on PyPI for the specific version of `google-cloud-common` you intend to use. Google Cloud recommends keeping your Python environment updated to actively supported versions (currently Python 3.9+ for `google-cloud-common`, but trending towards 3.10+ for the ecosystem) to ensure continued compatibility and receive critical updates.
gotcha The library utilizes standard Python logging functionality. Logs may contain sensitive information. By default, logging events from `google-cloud-common` (and other `google` namespace loggers) are not propagated up to the root logger.
Fix: Take care to restrict access to logs if they are saved. To enable default logging without code changes, set the `GOOGLE_SDK_PYTHON_LOGGING_SCOPE` environment variable. To propagate logs to the root logger for custom handling, explicitly set `logging.getLogger('google').propagate = True` in your application code.

Install

pip install google-cloud-common Install latest version

Imports

google.cloud.common
```
This library is primarily an internal dependency; direct end-user imports for functional use are rare. Its components are typically consumed by other `google-cloud-*` client libraries.
```
google-cloud-common provides generated types and helpers. It is not designed for direct interaction by end-users to perform service operations. Instead, it underpins other service-specific client libraries.

Quickstart

Since `google-cloud-common` primarily provides foundational types and helpers, it does not have a typical 'hello world' for direct use. This quickstart demonstrates how to set up and use a common Google Cloud client library (Google Cloud Storage) which relies on the common infrastructure provided by `google-cloud-common` for authentication and core functionality. This ensures your environment is correctly configured to use Google Cloud Python client libraries.

import os
from google.cloud import storage

# This example uses google-cloud-storage, which relies on common infrastructure
# like that provided by google-cloud-common for its base functionality and types.
# Ensure GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable is set
# or running in a Google Cloud environment with default credentials.
# For local development, set GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS to the path of your service account key file.
# os.environ['GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS'] = '/path/to/your/key.json'

try:
    # Initialize a client for Google Cloud Storage
    # This implicitly uses authentication mechanisms supported by google-cloud-common's underlying components.
    client = storage.Client()
    
    # Attempt to list buckets to verify authentication and client setup
    buckets = list(client.list_buckets())
    print(f"Successfully listed {len(buckets)} buckets.")
    if buckets:
        print(f"First bucket: {buckets[0].name}")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
    print("Please ensure your Google Cloud environment is set up and authenticated.")
    print("  - Set GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS to your service account key file path, or")
    print("  - Run in a Google Cloud environment (e.g., Cloud Shell, GCE, Cloud Run).")

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