Upload media

REST

Include the following fields in the POST request header:

Here is a POST request header:

POST https://photoslibrary.googleapis.com/v1/uploads
Authorization: Bearer oauth2-token
Content-type: application/octet-stream
X-Goog-Upload-Content-Type: mime-type
X-Goog-Upload-Protocol: raw

In the request body, include the binary of the file:

media-binary-data

If this POST request is successful, an upload token which is in the form of a raw text string, is returned as the response body. To create media items, use these text strings in the batchCreate call.

upload-token

Java

// Open the file and automatically close it after upload
try (RandomAccessFile file = new RandomAccessFile(pathToFile, "r")) {
  // Create a new upload request
  UploadMediaItemRequest uploadRequest =
      UploadMediaItemRequest.newBuilder()
              // The media type (e.g. "image/png")
              .setMimeType(mimeType)
              // The file to upload
              .setDataFile(file)
          .build();
  // Upload and capture the response
  UploadMediaItemResponse uploadResponse = photosLibraryClient.uploadMediaItem(uploadRequest);
  if (uploadResponse.getError().isPresent()) {
    // If the upload results in an error, handle it
    Error error = uploadResponse.getError().get();
  } else {
    // If the upload is successful, get the uploadToken
    String uploadToken = uploadResponse.getUploadToken().get();
    // Use this upload token to create a media item
  }
} catch (ApiException e) {
  // Handle error
} catch (IOException e) {
  // Error accessing the local file
}

PHP

try {
    // Create a new upload request by opening the file
    // and specifying the media type (e.g. "image/png")
    $uploadToken = $photosLibraryClient->upload(file_get_contents($localFilePath), null, $mimeType);
} catch (\GuzzleHttp\Exception\GuzzleException $e) {
    // Handle error
}

REST

Here is the POST request header:

POST https://photoslibrary.googleapis.com/v1/mediaItems:batchCreate
Content-type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer oauth2-token

The request body should specify a list of newMediaItems.

{
  "newMediaItems": [
    {
      "description": "item-description",
      "simpleMediaItem": {
        "fileName": "filename",
        "uploadToken": "upload-token"
      }
    }
   , ...
  ]
}

Java

try {
  // Create a NewMediaItem with the following components:
  // - uploadToken obtained from the previous upload request
  // - filename that will be shown to the user in Google Photos
  // - description that will be shown to the user in Google Photos
  NewMediaItem newMediaItem = NewMediaItemFactory
          .createNewMediaItem(uploadToken, fileName, itemDescription);
  List<NewMediaItem> newItems = Arrays.asList(newMediaItem);

  BatchCreateMediaItemsResponse response = photosLibraryClient.batchCreateMediaItems(newItems);
  for (NewMediaItemResult itemsResponse : response.getNewMediaItemResultsList()) {
    Status status = itemsResponse.getStatus();
    if (status.getCode() == Code.OK_VALUE) {
      // The item is successfully created in the user's library
      MediaItem createdItem = itemsResponse.getMediaItem();
    } else {
      // The item could not be created. Check the status and try again
    }
  }
} catch (ApiException e) {
  // Handle error
}

PHP

try {
    $newMediaItems = [];
    // Create a NewMediaItem with the following components:
    // - uploadToken obtained from the previous upload request
    // - filename that will be shown to the user in Google Photos
    // - description that will be shown to the user in Google Photos
    $newMediaItems[0] = PhotosLibraryResourceFactory::newMediaItemWithDescriptionAndFileName(
            $uploadToken, $itemDescription, $fileName);

    $response = $photosLibraryClient->batchCreateMediaItems($newMediaItems);
    foreach ($response->getNewMediaItemResults() as $itemResult) {
        $status = $itemResult->getStatus();
        if ($status->getCode() != Code::OK) {
            // Error while creating the item.
        }
    }
} catch (\Google\ApiCore\ApiException $e) {
    // Handle error
}

REST

{
  "albumId": "album-id",
  "newMediaItems": [
    {
      "description": "item-description",
      "simpleMediaItem": {
        "fileName": "filename",
        "uploadToken": "upload-token"
      }
    }
   , ...
  ]
}

Java

try {
  // Create new media items in a specific album
  BatchCreateMediaItemsResponse response = photosLibraryClient
      .batchCreateMediaItems(albumId, newItems);
  // Check the response
} catch (ApiException e) {
  // Handle error
}

PHP

try {
    $response = $photosLibraryClient->batchCreateMediaItems($newMediaItems, ['albumId' => $albumId]);
} catch (\Google\ApiCore\ApiException $e) {
    // Handle error
}

REST

{
  "albumId": "album-id",
  "newMediaItems": [
    {
      "description": "item-description",
      "simpleMediaItem": {
        "fileName": "filename",
        "uploadToken": "upload-token"
      }
    }
    , ...
  ],
  "albumPosition": {
    "position": "after-media-item",
    "relativeMediaItemId": "media-item-id"
  }
}

Java

try {
  // Create new media items in a specific album, positioned after a media item
  AlbumPosition positionInAlbum = AlbumPositionFactory.createFirstInAlbum();
  BatchCreateMediaItemsResponse response = photosLibraryClient
      .batchCreateMediaItems(albumId, newItems, positionInAlbum);
  // Check the response
} catch (ApiException e) {
  // Handle error
}

PHP

try {
    $albumPosition = PhotosLibraryResourceFactory::albumPositionAfterMediaItem($mediaItemId);
    $response = $photosLibraryClient->batchCreateMediaItems($newMediaItems,
        ['albumId' => $albumId, 'albumPosition' => $albumPosition]);
} catch (\Google\ApiCore\ApiException $e) {
    // Handle error
}

REST

If all media items have been successfully created, the request returns HTTP status 200 OK. If some media items can't be created, the request returns HTTP status 207 MULTI-STATUS to indicate partial success.

{
  "newMediaItemResults": [
    {
      "uploadToken": "upload-token",
      "status": {
        "message": "Success"
      },
      "mediaItem": {
        "id": "media-item-id",
        "description": "item-description",
        "productUrl": "https://photos.google.com/photo/photo-path",
        "mimeType": "mime-type",
        "mediaMetadata": {
          "width": "media-width-in-px",
          "height": "media-height-in-px",
          "creationTime": "creation-time",
          "photo": {}
        },
        "filename": "filename"
      }
    },
    {
      "uploadToken": "upload-token",
      "status": {
        "code": 13,
        "message": "Internal error"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Java

BatchCreateMediaItemsResponse response = photosLibraryClient.batchCreateMediaItems(newItems);

// The response contains a list of NewMediaItemResults
for (NewMediaItemResult result : response.getNewMediaItemResultsList()) {
  // Each result item is identified by its uploadToken
  String uploadToken = result.getUploadToken();
  Status status = result.getStatus();

  if (status.getCode() == Code.OK_VALUE) {
    // If the request is successful, a MediaItem is returned
    MediaItem mediaItem = result.getMediaItem();
    String id = mediaItem.getId();
    String productUrl = mediaItem.getProductUrl();
    // ...
  }
}

PHP

// The response from a call to batchCreateMediaItems returns a list of NewMediaItemResults
foreach ($response->getNewMediaItemResults() as $itemResult) {
    // Each result item is identified by its uploadToken
    $itemUploadToken = $itemResult->getUploadToken();
    // Verify the status of each entry to ensure that the item has been uploaded correctly
    $itemStatus = $itemResult->getStatus();
    if ($itemStatus->getCode() != Code::OK) {
        // Error when item is being created
    } else {
        // Media item is successfully created
        // Get the MediaItem object from the response
        $mediaItem = $itemResult->getMediaItem();
        // It contains details such as the Id of the item, productUrl
        $id = $mediaItem->getId();
        $productUrl = $mediaItem->getProductUrl();
        // ...
    }
}

Pseudocode

CREATE uploadQueue FROM users, filesToUpload
// Upload media bytes in parallel.
START multiple THREADS
  WHILE uploadQueue is not empty
    POP uploadQueue
    UPLOAD file for user
    GET uploadToken
    CHECK and HANDLE errors
    STORE uploadToken for user in uploadTokensQueue
  END

Pseudocode

// For each user, create media items once 50 upload tokens have been
// saved, or no more uploads are left per user.
WHEN uploadTokensQueue for user is >= 50 OR no more pending uploads for user
  // Calls can be made in parallel for different users,
  // but only make a single call per user at a time.
  START new thread for (this) user if there is no thread yet
    POP 50 uploadTokens from uploadTokensQueue for user
    CALL mediaItems.batchCreate with uploadTokens
    WAIT UNTIL batchCreate call has completed
    CHECK and HANDLE errors (retry as needed)
  DONE.