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Getting Started

Connecting to BigQuery

Querylab.io runs your queries against BigQuery with your own Google credentials. In the browser that means a Google sign-in; on the desktop you can also reuse the gcloud credentials already on your machine. Either way the query goes from your device to BigQuery, never through Querylab.io.

app.querylab.io → Step 2 of 2 · Access
Connect to BigQuery

Choose how you want to access BigQuery. This allows you to view your data, run queries, and fully interact with BigQuery.

Grant BigQuery Access (OAuth)

Encrypted (AES-256) on our servers. Queries run directly from your browser to BigQuery - our backend never executes queries.

Try Playground

Explore Querylab.io with sample data — no BigQuery access required.

Try Playground Grant Access
The access step after signing in. On the desktop app the first card is Use Local Credentials (ADC) instead.

Which one to pick

Web appDesktop app
Sign-inGoogle OAuthGoogle OAuth or local gcloud (ADC)
Where the token livesOn Querylab.io serversYour macOS Keychain, or with gcloud
Who talks to BigQueryYour browserThe app

If you’d rather the token never left your machine, use the desktop app.

Web app

  • A Google account with access to at least one BigQuery project
  • The BigQuery API enabled on that project
  1. Open app.querylab.io, tick I agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, and click Continue with Google.
  2. Pick your Google account. This first step asks only for your email and profile.
  3. On the Grant BigQuery access step, click Grant Access and approve the BigQuery permission on Google’s consent screen.
  4. Choose the projects you want in the IDE and click Save Changes and Start Using.

If none of your projects has BigQuery enabled or billing set up, the setup step says so and offers Try with sample data. See Playground.

Desktop app

The desktop app asks you to choose a method before anything else:

Step 1 of 2 · Authentication
How would you like to connect to BigQuery?

Either method keeps tokens on your machine and calls go straight to the BigQuery API.

Local gcloud (ADC) — Reuse your existing Application Default Credentials.


Google OAuth — Standard browser sign-in.

Continue with local gcloud Sign in with Google
The app outlines whichever card it can already use.

Google OAuth

Click Sign in with Google. Your browser opens, you approve the Google consent screen, and the app picks the token up when you come back. The token is stored in the macOS Keychain and is never sent to Querylab.io.

Local gcloud (ADC)

Use this if you already work with Google Cloud from the terminal.

  1. Install the Google Cloud CLI.
  2. Run gcloud auth application-default login and finish the sign-in in the browser.
  3. Back in the app, the card shows a green check once it finds the credentials. Click Continue with local gcloud.

Nothing is copied; the app asks gcloud for a token. If the app opened before you ran the command, use the re-check button on the card instead of restarting.

Security details

  • Revoke at any time. Remove Querylab.io under Google Account → Third-party access. For ADC, run gcloud auth application-default revoke.
  • See what was granted. Settings → Privacy → Google Credentials lists the scopes on your current token. The scope reference is on the Authentication page.

Not ready to connect?

Click Try Playground on the access step (or pick Playground on the sign-in page) to use the IDE against sample data without a Google account. Details and limits: Playground.