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Securely call Google Cloud Run APIs with service account auth (main-workflow)

Marco CassarMarco Cassar
360 views
2/3/2026
Official Page

Who it’s for?

Anyone who wants a simple, secure way to call a Google Cloud Run endpoint from n8n—without exposing it publicly.

People who want a cheap/free-tier way to run custom API logic without hosting n8n or spinning up servers. Example: you’ve got scraping code that needs specific system/python libs—build it into a Dockerfile on Cloud Run, then call it as a secure endpoint from n8n.

How it works

This is a conjunctive workflow: the main workflow calls Service Auth (sub-workflow) to get a Google ID token, merges that auth with your context, then calls your Cloud Run URL with Authorization: Bearer <id_token>. Works great for single calls or looping over items.

How to set up

General instructions below—see my detailed guide for more info:

Build a Secure Google Cloud Run API, Then Call It from n8n (Free Tier)

Setup:

  1. Create a Cloud Run service and enable Require authentication (Cloud IAM).
  2. Create a Google Service Account and grant Cloud Run Invoker on that service.
  3. In n8n, import the workflows and update the Vars node (service_url, optional service_path).
  4. Create a JWT (PEM) credential from your service account key, then run.
  5. Make sure to read the sticky notes in the workflows—they contain helpful pointers and optional configurations.

Requirements

  • Cloud Run service URL (auth required)
  • Google Service Account with Cloud Run Invoker
  • Private key JSON fields downloaded from Service Account | needed to generate JWT credentials

How to customize

Change the HTTP method/path/body in Cloud Run Request, or drop the Service Auth (sub-workflow) into other workflows to reuse the same auth pattern.

More details

Full write-up (minimal + modular flows), screenshots, and more:

Build a Secure Google Cloud Run API, Then Call It from n8n (Free Tier) — by Marco Cassar

Securely Call Google Cloud Run APIs with Service Account Auth (Main Workflow)

This n8n workflow demonstrates how to securely call Google Cloud Run APIs using a Google Cloud Service Account for authentication. It's designed to be a main workflow that orchestrates calls to a sub-workflow responsible for the actual API interaction, allowing for modularity and reusability.

What it does

This workflow performs the following steps:

  1. Manual Trigger: The workflow starts manually when executed.
  2. Edit Fields (Set): It sets up the necessary data for the Google Cloud Run API call, including the serviceUrl and body of the request. This allows you to easily configure the target API and payload.
  3. Loop Over Items (Split in Batches): If multiple items are provided (e.g., an array of API calls), this node processes each item individually.
  4. Execute Sub-workflow: For each item, it calls a sub-workflow (presumably named "7568-securely-call-google-cloud-run-apis-with-service-account-auth-sub-workflow") which handles the actual authentication and HTTP request to the Google Cloud Run API.
  5. Split Out: After the sub-workflow completes, this node processes the output, potentially separating individual results if the sub-workflow returned a combined response.
  6. Merge: It merges the results from all processed items back into a single output.
  7. HTTP Request: This node is present in the workflow but not connected, suggesting it might be a placeholder or an alternative path not currently active.
  8. No Operation, do nothing: This node is also present but not connected, likely a placeholder or a remnant from development.
  9. Sticky Note: Provides a textual explanation within the workflow for clarity.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

  • n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
  • Google Cloud Project: A Google Cloud Project with a deployed Cloud Run service.
  • Google Cloud Service Account: A Google Cloud Service Account with the necessary permissions to invoke the Cloud Run service. This service account will need to be configured as a credential in n8n for the sub-workflow.
  • Sub-workflow: The companion sub-workflow (e.g., "7568-securely-call-google-cloud-run-apis-with-service-account-auth-sub-workflow") that handles the Google Cloud authentication and HTTP request logic. This main workflow expects that sub-workflow to be available and correctly configured.

Setup/Usage

  1. Import the workflow: Import this JSON into your n8n instance.
  2. Configure the "Edit Fields (Set)" node:
    • Set the serviceUrl to the URL of your Google Cloud Run service.
    • Define the body of the request you want to send to your Cloud Run API.
  3. Ensure the sub-workflow is imported and configured: Make sure the sub-workflow responsible for Google Cloud authentication and API calls is also imported into your n8n instance and correctly configured with your Google Cloud Service Account credentials.
  4. Execute the workflow: Click "Execute workflow" to run the workflow manually and test your Google Cloud Run API integration.

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