gsutil
A command line tool for interacting with cloud storage services.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you work with Google Cloud Storage. gsutil is the canonical tool for GCS management from the command line, actively maintained, production-stable, and carries no known vulnerabilities. The high install friction is justified by its comprehensive dependency chain for secure cloud authentication and API interaction. Not relevant if you don't use Google Cloud Storage.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later; Google Cloud credentials must be configured (typically via gcloud auth or environment variables) for authentication to work.
- High install friction due to 14 runtime dependencies including cryptographic libraries (pyOpenSSL, google-auth, google-apitools) and OAuth plugins.
- Maintenance is active with recent releases, supporting Python 3.9 through 3.14.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache 2.0 (permissive) — Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, typical for Google-backed infrastructure tools.
last release 2026-04-28 (108 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,265,983 downloads/mo, #4,142 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install gsutil
gsutil ls gs://bucket-name
gsutil cp local-file gs://bucket-name/- Whether the 14 dependencies introduce security surface beyond what's covered by the zero known vulnerabilities in OSV.
- Performance characteristics when handling large-scale object operations or transfers.
- Compatibility with non-Google cloud storage services or S3-like APIs.
What it is and what it does
gsutil is Google's official command-line interface for Google Cloud Storage, allowing developers and operators to manage cloud storage from the terminal. It handles the full lifecycle of bucket and object operations—creation, deletion, uploading, downloading, listing, and permission management—without requiring a graphical interface or custom scripts.
The tool integrates deeply with Google Cloud authentication and relies on 14 runtime dependencies to handle OAuth flows, HTTP communication, cryptography, and cloud API interactions. It's marked as Production/Stable and actively maintained, supporting modern Python versions from 3.9 through 3.14. Installation carries moderate friction due to its dependency chain, but the tool is widely used in cloud infrastructure automation, CI/CD pipelines, and manual storage administration.
Use it for
- Automate bucket and object management in CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code workflows.
- Upload and download large datasets or application artifacts to/from Google Cloud Storage.
- Manage access control lists and permissions on buckets and objects from the command line.
- List and inspect bucket contents, metadata, and storage usage in scripts or manual operations.
- Migrate or sync data between local filesystems and Google Cloud Storage.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you work with Google Cloud Storage.
gsutil is the canonical tool for GCS management from the command line, actively maintained, production-stable, and carries no known vulnerabilities. The high install friction is justified by its comprehensive dependency chain for secure cloud authentication and API interaction. Not relevant if you don't use Google Cloud Storage.
Install
gsutil on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction due to 14 runtime dependencies including cryptographic libraries (pyOpenSSL, google-auth, google-apitools) and OAuth plugins. Maintenance is active with recent releases, supporting Python 3.9 through 3.14.
Requires Python 3.9 or later; Google Cloud credentials must be configured (typically via gcloud auth or environment variables) for authentication to work.
License in practice
Apache 2.0 permissive license allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, typical for Google-backed infrastructure tools.
Quickstart
pip install gsutil
gsutil ls gs://bucket-name
gsutil cp local-file gs://bucket-name/Verify before relying
- Whether the 14 dependencies introduce security surface beyond what's covered by the zero known vulnerabilities in OSV.
- Performance characteristics when handling large-scale object operations or transfers.
- Compatibility with non-Google cloud storage services or S3-like APIs.
Package facts
| License | Apache 2.0 permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release <3.15,>=3.9 |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | 14 packagesargcompletecrcmodfastenersgcs-oauth2-boto-plugingoogle-apitoolshttplib2google-reauthmockmonotonicpyOpenSSLretry_decoratorsixgoogle-authgoogle-auth-httplib2 |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 108 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,265,983 / month, #4,142 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: System :: FilesystemsTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: gsutil-5.37.tar.gz
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