Connect the module to the project that will hold customer storage buckets and their access identities. Keep this provider credential separate from the storage keys issued to customers.

Prepare the approved credential

Ask the Google Cloud administrator to confirm the intended project, billing and access to Cloud Storage and IAM APIs. The module expects the full service-account JSON key. Its project value determines which project the module uses.

The documented setup uses Storage Admin and Service Account Admin on that project. Have the administrator review the actual role assignments and scope: the module needs to create buckets, service accounts and HMAC credentials, not merely read existing storage. Google explains HMAC-key administration.

Create an approved JSON key from IAM & Admin → Service accounts → the intended account → Keys → Add key → Create new key → JSON, following your organisation’s credential process. Keep the downloaded key private. If policy prevents key or HMAC creation, ask the organisation administrator to review an approved project exception; do not broadly disable security policy to clear an error.

Save the provider account

1. Open System Settings → Servers and add a server using PD Google Cloud Storage.
2. Paste the entire approved service-account JSON key into Password. Username and hostname are not used for this provider connection.
3. Save it and add it to the server group intended for your storage product.

Understand the connection test before running it

Open PD Modules → GCS → Settings. The module-level Test Connection selects the first active saved account for this module; it does not automatically follow the last offering you viewed.

This test makes changes in the Google project. It lists buckets, creates a temporary service account, creates an HMAC key for that account, and attempts to remove the probe credentials afterwards. Run it only as part of an intended, authorised project configuration check. It does not upload test data to your customer buckets.

Cleanup is attempted, but a successful result does not prove that the temporary account and key were removed. Ask the project administrator to review probe leftovers if cleanup is uncertain; do not repeatedly run the test to try to clear them.

Check what success establishes

Success means bucket listing and temporary credential creation worked for the selected account. It does not prove an actual customer’s bucket permissions, application upload/download access, location availability or complete provisioning.

Do not send the JSON key, private key, customer HMAC secret or full account details.

See the PD Google Cloud Storage WHMCS guide for related setup, or explore PD Google Cloud Storage.