Authorize Requests

Every request your application sends to the Manufacturer Center API must include an authorization token. The token also identifies your application to Google.

About authorization protocols

Your application must use OAuth 2.0 to authorize requests. No other authorization protocols are supported. If your application uses Sign In With Google, some aspects of authorization are handled for you.

Authorizing requests with OAuth 2.0

All requests to the Manufacturer Center API must be authorized by an authenticated user.

The details of the authorization process, or "flow," for OAuth 2.0 vary somewhat depending on what kind of application you're writing. The following general process applies to all application types:

  1. When you create your application, you register it using the Google API Console. Google then provides information you'll need later, such as a client ID and a client secret.
  2. Activate the Manufacturer Center API in the Google API Console. (If the API isn't listed in the API Console, then skip this step.)
  3. When your application needs access to user data, it asks Google for a particular scope of access.
  4. Google displays a consent screen to the user, asking them to authorize your application to request some of their data.
  5. If the user approves, then Google gives your application a short-lived access token.
  6. Your application requests user data, attaching the access token to the request.
  7. If Google determines that your request and the token are valid, it returns the requested data.

Some flows include additional steps, such as using refresh tokens to acquire new access tokens. For detailed information about flows for various types of applications, see Google's OAuth 2.0 documentation.

Here's the OAuth 2.0 scope information for the Manufacturer Center API:

Scope Meaning
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/manufacturercenter Read/write access.

To request access using OAuth 2.0, your application needs the scope information, as well as information that Google supplies when you register your application (such as the client ID and the client secret).

Tip: The Google APIs client libraries can handle some of the authorization process for you. They are available for a variety of programming languages; check the page with libraries and samples for more details.

Authorization Example

The following code demonstrates how to configure your client and authorize requests using OAuth 2.0 for installed applications. Other languages are available at our Samples and Libraries page.

Java

This is the command-line authorization code flow described in Using OAuth 2.0 for Installed Applications.

Example snippet from our Content API Java sample code:

    public static void main(String[] args) {
      try {
        httpTransport = GoogleNetHttpTransport.newTrustedTransport();
        dataStoreFactory = new FileDataStoreFactory(DATA_STORE_DIR);
        jsonFactory = JacksonFactory.getDefaultInstance();
        scopes =  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/manufacturercenter";

        // load configuration
        File configPath = new File(basePath, "manufacturers");
        File configFile = new File(configPath, manufacturers-info.json);
        ManufacturersConfig config = new JacksonFactory().fromInputStream(inputStream, ManufacturersConfig.class);
        config.setPath(configPath);

        // Get authorization token
        Credential credential = authenticate(httpTransport, dataStoreFactory, config, jsonFactory, scopes);
        // ...
      }
    }

    private static Credential authenticate(httpTransport, dataStoreFactory, config, jsonFactory, scopes) throws Exception {
      try {
        Credential credential = GoogleCredential.getApplicationDefault().createScoped(scopes);
        System.out.println("Loaded the Application Default Credentials.");
        return credential;
      } catch (IOException e) {
        // No need to do anything, we'll fall back on other credentials.
      }
      if (config.getPath() == null) {
        throw new IllegalArgumentException(
            "Must use Application Default Credentials with no configuration directory.");
      }
      File clientSecretsFile = new File(config.getPath(), "client-secrets.json");
      if (clientSecretsFile.exists()) {
        System.out.println("Loading OAuth2 client credentials.");
        try (InputStream inputStream = new FileInputStream(clientSecretsFile)) {
          GoogleClientSecrets clientSecrets =
              GoogleClientSecrets.load(jsonFactory, new InputStreamReader(inputStream));
          // set up authorization code flow
          GoogleAuthorizationCodeFlow flow =
              new GoogleAuthorizationCodeFlow.Builder(
                      httpTransport, jsonFactory, clientSecrets, scopes)
                  .setDataStoreFactory(dataStoreFactory)
                  .build();
          // authorize
          String userID = ConfigDataStoreFactory.UNUSED_ID;
          Credential storedCredential = flow.loadCredential(userID);
          if (storedCredential != null) {
            System.out.printf("Retrieved stored credential for %s from cache.%n", userID);
            return storedCredential;
          }
          LocalServerReceiver receiver =
              new LocalServerReceiver.Builder().setHost("localhost").setPort(9999).build();
          Credential credential = new AuthorizationCodeInstalledApp(flow, receiver).authorize(userID);
          System.out.printf("Retrieved credential for %s from web.%n", userID);
          return credential;
        } catch (IOException e) {
          throw new IOException(
              "Could not retrieve OAuth2 client credentials from the file "

                                    +   clientSecretsFile.getCanonicalPath());
        }
      }
      throw new IOException(
          "No authentication credentials found. Checked the Google Application"
                            +   "Default Credentials and the paths "
                            +   clientSecretsFile.getCanonicalPath()
                            +   ". Please read the accompanying README.");
    }