Google Application Default Credentials is the recommended way to authorize and authenticate clients.

For information on how to create and obtain Application Default Credentials, see https://developers.google.com/identity/protocols/application-default-credentials.

Code:play 

package main

import (
	"cloud.google.com/go/datastore"
	"golang.org/x/net/context"
)

func main() {
	client, err := datastore.NewClient(context.Background(), "project-id")
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	_ = client // Use the client.
}

To arrange for an RPC to be canceled, use context.WithCancel.

Code:play 

package main

import (
	"cloud.google.com/go/bigquery"
	"golang.org/x/net/context"
)

func main() {
	ctx := context.Background()
	// Do not cancel the context passed to NewClient: dialing happens asynchronously,
	// and the context is used to refresh credentials in the background.
	client, err := bigquery.NewClient(ctx, "project-id")
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	cctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(ctx)
	defer cancel() // Always call cancel.

	// TODO: Make the cancel function available to whatever might want to cancel the
	// call--perhaps a GUI button.
	if err := client.Dataset("new-dataset").Create(cctx, nil); err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
}

You can use a file with credentials to authenticate and authorize, such as a JSON key file associated with a Google service account. Service Account keys can be created and downloaded from https://console.developers.google.com/permissions/serviceaccounts.

This example uses the Datastore client, but the same steps apply to the other client libraries underneath this package.

Code:play 

package main

import (
	"cloud.google.com/go/datastore"
	"golang.org/x/net/context"
	"google.golang.org/api/option"
)

func main() {
	client, err := datastore.NewClient(context.Background(),
		"project-id", option.WithCredentialsFile("/path/to/service-account-key.json"))
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	_ = client // Use the client.
}

In some cases (for instance, you don't want to store secrets on disk), you can create credentials from in-memory JSON and use the WithCredentials option.

The google package in this example is at golang.org/x/oauth2/google.

This example uses the PubSub client, but the same steps apply to the other client libraries underneath this package.

Code:play 

package main

import (
	"cloud.google.com/go/pubsub"
	"golang.org/x/net/context"
	"golang.org/x/oauth2/google"
	"google.golang.org/api/option"
)

func main() {
	ctx := context.Background()
	creds, err := google.CredentialsFromJSON(ctx, []byte("JSON creds"), pubsub.ScopePubSub)
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	client, err := pubsub.NewClient(ctx, "project-id", option.WithCredentials(creds))
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	_ = client // Use the client.
}

To set a timeout for an RPC, use context.WithTimeout.

Code:play 

package main

import (
	"time"

	"cloud.google.com/go/bigquery"
	"golang.org/x/net/context"
)

func main() {
	ctx := context.Background()
	// Do not set a timeout on the context passed to NewClient: dialing happens
	// asynchronously, and the context is used to refresh credentials in the
	// background.
	client, err := bigquery.NewClient(ctx, "project-id")
	if err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
	// Time out if it takes more than 10 seconds to create a dataset.
	tctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 10*time.Second)
	defer cancel() // Always call cancel.

	if err := client.Dataset("new-dataset").Create(tctx, nil); err != nil {
		// TODO: handle error.
	}
}