So what exactly is the Google Storage for Developers (GSD)? We have been waiting to see since the news hit TechCrunch yesterday about the launch at the Google I/O 2010 event today.

From an S3 developer’s perspective, it looks almost exactly like S3’s RESTful API, with several twists. From a Google Data API developer’s perspective, it looks different from the existing Google Docs APIs.
Here is a quote from the Google Storage for Developers site:

Interoperability

Google Storage is interoperable with a large number of cloud storage tools and libraries that work with services such as Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Eucalyptus Systems, Inc. To use these tools and libraries, all you have to do is change the request endpoint (URI) that the tool or library uses so it points to the Google Storage URI, and configure the tool or library to use your Google Storage developer keys.

API Difference #1 – End Point
The end point is the HTTP Url that the developer will use to send the REST request to.
S3 End Point : http://s3.amazonaws.com
GSD End Point:  http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com

API Difference #2 – Meta Data Tags
S3 Meta Tags are in the form of x-amz such as x-amz-copy-source.
GSD Meta Tags are in the form of x-goog such as x-goog-acl
API Difference #3 – Access Control IDs

S3 authenticate a user’s email using Amazon accounts. GSD authenticate a user’s email using Google accounts.

As you can see from the above, the differences are pretty small. It allows a developer that is familiar with S3 to quickly create a tool that is for Google Storage (for Developer).

The Google Storage looks and feels different from the Google Docs All-File-Type support. Gladinet has been supporting the Google Docs All-File-Type feature since January 2010 to provide drive mapping solution for Google Docs. The work to support the new Google Storage is currently under way.

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