Couchdrop enables users to interact directly with data on a Google Workspace Shared Drive through SFTP or FTP and only takes a few minutes to set up.
How Couchdrop allows SFTP and FTP access to Google Drive
Couchdrop acts as a comprehensive SFTP server in the cloud that is fully managed and sits as a gateway into your Google Drive or Google Workspace account. Along with SFTP, Couchdrop also allows access through other methods, including FTP, AS2, and secure sharing & file request portals.
Couchdrop doesn't store the files at any point. When users upload or download files from the folder on the Shared Drive via S/FTP, the files move directly between endpoints without a temporary storage layer, making it a robust and simple way to securely transfer files to a Google Shared Drive without having to share platform access.
How to configure SFTP for Shared Drives with Couchdrop
For most managed file transfer platforms, connecting Google Shared Drives from a workspace account is a drawn-out, time-consuming process. We've greatly simplified this process by allowing you to do many of these required steps, such as creating new Service Accounts, directly from Couchdrop with one click.
Step 1: Create a Couchdrop account
Account registration is simple and you don't need a credit card or go through sales to start a trial. Simply sign up and you'll automatically be given 14 days to evaluate Couchdrop.
Step 2: Connect your Google Workspace Account
Choose to add a new integration and choose Google Workspace. Name the integration and choose a folder for how the Google Workspace folder will be shown in Couchdrop. You'll want to connect as an Admin account if possible to ensure you have the right permissions to transfer and delete files.
Step 3: Configure your Google Shared Drive by delegating domain API access
While we can create a new service account automatically, one part of the process we can't do for you is domain-wide delegation because of restrictions from Google. This is the most complicated part and only needs to be done the first time you connect a new Google Workspace account.
If you're unfamiliar with how to do this, see our complete guide on Delegating Domain-Wide Authority in Google Workspace.
Step 4: Choose the Shared Drive or subfolder to connect to Couchdrop
When connecting your Shared Drive, you can connect directly to the root of the drive or choose a subfolder within the drive to act as the root, which can help keep data and files secure when working with external paries.
Step 5: Configure external SFTP or FTP users and isolate them to the Google Drive connection
With the shared drive connection, you need to create external users so they can download/upload files to the drive. Couchdrop can autogenerate users quickly, and during creation simply choose the folder name specified in Step 2 as the user's root.
You can lock users down to specific file operations and folders within the Google Shared Drive and also deny access to specific protocols such as unencrypted FTP. If you want to create an FTP user, make sure to choose the FTP option type when creating a new user.
Step 6. Users can SFTP or FTP to Google Drive
The new users are now saved and can use their credentials to FTP or SFTP to the Google Shared Drive while being confined to the permissions that you've set. The users can connect using any SFTP or FTP client.