Drive → WordPress Gallery Sync (AWS Lambda)

A tiny, stateless Lambda function you can call via a Function URL to:

1. list images in a Google Drive folder,
2. upload them to WordPress Media, and
3. (re)build a Gutenberg wp:gallery block on a target page.

It includes filename-based dedupe (no WordPress custom meta): if an attachment with the same filename/title already exists, it reuses its ID instead of re-uploading.

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Quick start

1) Prepare Google Drive access

• Create a Service Account in Google Cloud.
• Grant it read access to your folder:
  • Either move the folder to a Shared Drive the SA can read, or
  • Share the folder with the service account email (Viewer).
• Download the service account JSON.

2) Prepare WordPress access

• Create an Application Password (WP ≥ 5.6) for a user with permission to upload media and edit the page.
• Note your site base URL and the page ID you want to update.

3) Deploy to Lambda

• Runtime: Node.js 20
• Zip contents:

  npm install
  zip -r lambda.zip index.js config.js node_modules package.json

• Upload to Lambda and configure environment variables (sensitive credentials only).
• Configure defaults in config.js before zipping.
• Enable a Function URL or attach to API Gateway.

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Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON	Yes	-	JSON string of Google service account credentials
GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID	No	-	Default Google Drive folder ID
WP_BASE_URL	Yes	-	WordPress site URL (e.g., https://example.com)
WP_USERNAME	Yes	-	WordPress username
WP_APP_PASSWORD	Yes	-	WordPress application password
WP_PAGE_ID	No	-	Default WordPress page ID to update

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Configuration

Configuration is managed through two files:

config.js - Non-sensitive defaults

Contains default configuration values that can be committed to version control. These values are used when not overridden by environment variables or request parameters.

.env - Sensitive credentials

Contains sensitive information like API keys, passwords, and specific resource IDs. Never commit this file to version control.

Configuration Priority

Values are resolved in the following order (highest to lowest priority):

1. Query string parameters (e.g., ?dryRun=true)
2. JSON body parameters (for POST requests)
3. Environment variables (from .env or Lambda environment)
4. config.js (default values)
5. Hardcoded defaults (in code)

This allows you to:

• Set sensible defaults in config.js
• Override with environment variables for different environments
• Override per-request with query parameters or JSON body

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Configuration Options

All parameters can be passed via query string, JSON body, environment variables, or config.js (in that priority order).

Core Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
folderId	string	-	Google Drive folder ID containing images
pageId	number	-	WordPress page ID to update with gallery
wpBaseUrl	string	-	WordPress site URL
wpUser	string	-	WordPress username
wpPass	string	-	WordPress application password

Behavior Options

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
DRY_RUN	boolean	false	Preview mode without making changes. Useful for testing.
RECURSIVE	boolean	true	Include images from subfolders recursively
USE_PHOTOS_FROM_ROOT_FOLDER	boolean	true	Include photos from the root folder (not just subfolders)
USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY	boolean	true	Use Google Drive URLs directly in gallery (faster, no upload). If false, uploads images to WordPress Media Library.
CLEAR_CONTENT	boolean	true	Clear existing page content before syncing
ORDER	string	name_asc	Sort order for images (see below)
MAKE_SECTIONS	boolean	false	Organize images into sections by folder name

Upload Options (only used when USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY is false)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
MAX_SIZE	number	1024	Max width/height in pixels. Images exceeding this are resized proportionally. Set to 0 to disable resizing.
UPLOAD_LIMIT	number	-1	Maximum number of images to upload. Set to -1 for unlimited.
REFRESH_CACHE	boolean	true	Refresh the WordPress media cache before syncing
FORCE_REUPLOAD	boolean	true	Force re-upload of images even if they already exist in WordPress

Sort Order Options

• name_asc – Alphabetical A-Z (default)
• name_desc – Alphabetical Z-A
• modified_asc – Oldest first
• modified_desc – Newest first

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Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Fast Gallery with Google Drive URLs (Recommended)

Scenario: You want to quickly display photos from Google Drive without uploading them to WordPress.

Benefits:

• ⚡ Fast sync (no uploads)
• 💾 Saves WordPress storage space
• 🔄 Easy to update (just re-run sync)

Config:

{
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: true,
  RECURSIVE: true,
  USE_PHOTOS_FROM_ROOT_FOLDER: true,
  CLEAR_CONTENT: true,
  MAKE_SECTIONS: false,
  ORDER: "name_asc"
}

When to use: Event galleries, photo albums, temporary displays

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Use Case 2: Organized Multi-Folder Gallery with Sections

Scenario: You have photos organized in subfolders (e.g., "Morning Session", "Afternoon Session", "Awards") and want each folder to appear as a separate section on the page.

Benefits:

• 📁 Automatic organization by folder
• 📑 Table of contents for navigation
• 🎨 Professional layout with headings

Config:

{
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: true,
  RECURSIVE: true,
  USE_PHOTOS_FROM_ROOT_FOLDER: false, // Only use subfolder photos
  MAKE_SECTIONS: true,
  CLEAR_CONTENT: true,
  ORDER: "name_asc"
}

When to use: Multi-day events, categorized photo collections, professional portfolios

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Use Case 3: WordPress Media Library Upload

Scenario: You want photos permanently stored in WordPress Media Library for better integration with WordPress features (editing, metadata, etc.).

Benefits:

• 🖼️ Photos available in WordPress Media Library
• ✏️ Can edit/crop in WordPress
• 🔍 Better SEO with WordPress image optimization plugins
• 📱 WordPress responsive image features

Config:

{
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: false,
  RECURSIVE: true,
  USE_PHOTOS_FROM_ROOT_FOLDER: true,
  MAX_SIZE: 1024,
  UPLOAD_LIMIT: -1,
  REFRESH_CACHE: true,
  FORCE_REUPLOAD: false, // Reuse existing uploads
  CLEAR_CONTENT: true,
  ORDER: "name_asc"
}

When to use: Permanent galleries, when you need WordPress image features, SEO-critical pages

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Use Case 4: Testing/Preview Mode

Scenario: You want to test the sync without making any actual changes to WordPress.

Benefits:

• 🧪 Safe testing
• 👀 Preview what will happen
• 🐛 Debugging

Config:

{
  DRY_RUN: true,
  // ... other settings
}

When to use: Testing new configurations, debugging issues, verifying folder contents

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Use Case 5: Latest Photos First

Scenario: You want the most recently added/modified photos to appear first in the gallery.

Config:

{
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: true,
  ORDER: "modified_desc",
  RECURSIVE: true,
  CLEAR_CONTENT: true
}

When to use: News galleries, ongoing event coverage, chronological displays

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Use Case 6: Limited Upload for Large Collections

Scenario: You have 1000+ photos but only want to upload the first 50 to WordPress.

Config:

{
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: false,
  UPLOAD_LIMIT: 50,
  ORDER: "name_asc", // or "modified_desc" for newest 50
  MAX_SIZE: 1024,
  RECURSIVE: true
}

When to use: Large photo collections, bandwidth limitations, testing uploads

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API Usage Examples

Query string:

GET /sync?folderId=ABC123&pageId=42&maxSize=2048

JSON body:

{
  "folderId": "ABC123",
  "pageId": 42,
  "recursive": true,
  "order": "modified_desc",
  "maxSize": 2048
}

Response

{
  "ok": true,
  "result": {
    "uploadedCount": 5,
    "reusedCount": 3,
    "totalIdsInGallery": 8,
    "pageId": 42,
    "updated": true
  }
}

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Image Resizing

Images are automatically resized if their width or height exceeds maxSize (default: 1024px). The aspect ratio is always preserved.

maxSize	Behavior
1024 (default)	Images larger than 1024px on either dimension are resized
2048	Allows larger images up to 2048px
0	Disables resizing — uploads original images

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Local Development

1) Install dependencies

npm install

2) Configure your environment

Create a .env file with sensitive credentials:

GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON={"type":"service_account","project_id":"...","private_key":"...","client_email":"..."}
GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID=your-folder-id
WP_BASE_URL=https://your-site.com
WP_USERNAME=your-username
WP_APP_PASSWORD=xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
WP_PAGE_ID=123

Edit config.js for non-sensitive defaults:

module.exports = {
  DRY_RUN: true, // Safe default for local testing
  RECURSIVE: true,
  USE_PHOTOS_FROM_ROOT_FOLDER: true,
  USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY: true,
  CLEAR_CONTENT: true,
  ORDER: "name_asc",
  MAKE_SECTIONS: false,
  // Upload options (only used if USE_GOOGLE_DRIVE_PHOTOS_FOR_GALLERY is false)
  MAX_SIZE: 1024,
  UPLOAD_LIMIT: -1,
  REFRESH_CACHE: true,
  FORCE_REUPLOAD: false
};

3) Run locally

node local.js

This runs the Lambda handler locally using local.js, which:

• Loads environment variables from .env
• Loads configuration from config.js
• Simulates a Lambda invocation
• Defaults to DRY_RUN=true for safety (no actual uploads or page changes)

To perform a real sync, set DRY_RUN: false in config.js or override it in .env.

4) Run tests

npm test

Or run in watch mode for development:

npm run test:watch

Tests cover utility functions, WordPress block generators, and cache validation logic.

Overriding parameters

Edit local.js to customize the test event:

const event = {
    queryStringParameters: {
        folderId: process.env.GOOGLE_DRIVE_FOLDER_ID,
        pageId: process.env.WP_PAGE_ID,
        recursive: "true",
        dryRun: "false",
        maxSize: "2048"
    },
    headers: {},
    body: null
};

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License

MIT