---
id: gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin
version: "3.3"
license: Apache 2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin — Auth plugin allowing use the use of OAuth 2.0 credentials for Google Cloud Storage in the Boto library.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 654.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin is a Boto authentication plugin that bridges OAuth 2.0 credentials to Google Cloud Storage. It wraps oauth2client and adds thread- and process-safe token caching on the local machine. The plugin supports both user accounts and service accounts (via JSON or .p12 key files), and allows you to supply credentials through .boto config files, environment variables, or programmatic fallback functions.

The package is designed for applications that use Boto to interact with GCS and need OAuth 2.0 authentication. It handles the credential lifecycle—obtaining, refreshing, and caching tokens—so your application doesn't have to. However, it carries a large dependency footprint (10 runtime packages including oauth2client, google-auth, httplib2, and cryptographic libraries) and has not been actively maintained; the latest release was 416 days ago.

Use it for:

- Authenticate Boto-based GCS access using OAuth 2.0 credentials for user accounts without embedding secrets in code.
- Use service account key files in JSON or .p12 format to authorize Boto applications to access GCS.
- Cache OAuth tokens locally in a thread-safe manner across multiple processes on the same machine.
- Maintain legacy Boto applications that already depend on this plugin without rewriting authentication logic.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides OAuth 2.0 authentication for Google Cloud Storage access through the Boto library, with automatic token caching and support for both user and service accounts.

No—not for new projects. The package is marked Development Status :: 7 - Inactive and has not been updated in 416 days. If you maintain an existing Boto application that already depends on this plugin, it may continue to work, but migrating to a maintained authentication approach is strongly recommended.

## Install

pip install gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin
uv add gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin
poetry add gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin

## Installing gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin

Before you install: High install friction due to 10 runtime dependencies. Maintenance status is aging—last release was 416 days ago, though the repository remains active and marked Development Status :: 7 - Inactive.

License in practice: Apache 2.0 is permissive; you may use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and open-source projects, provided you include a copy of the license.

Quickstart:

pip install gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin

import gcs_oauth2_boto_plugin
gcs_oauth2_boto_plugin.SetFallbackClientIdAndSecret('client_id', 'client_secret')

Requires boto, oauth2client, google-auth, and cryptographic libraries (rsa, pyOpenSSL); service account authentication requires a JSON or .p12 key file.

Verify before relying:

- Whether oauth2client and google-auth dependencies are still maintained or have been superseded.
- Compatibility with current versions of boto and whether alternatives are recommended for new projects.
- Whether the package works with modern Python versions beyond those listed in classifiers.

## Package facts

- License: Apache 2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 654.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

google cloud storage oauth2 boto, gcs authentication plugin, oauth2 credentials google cloud, boto gcs auth, service account oauth2, oauth2, google-cloud, legacy

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/gcs-oauth2-boto-plugin/)