Ultimate
Getting started with Google App Engine

Last modified: 01 August 2022

IntelliJ IDEA lets you create Google App Engine projects and upload your applications to Google infrastructure.

Before you start

Make sure that you installed and enabled the Google App Engine plugin. For more information, see Enable cloud support.

Creating Google App Engine Project

  1. If no project is currently open in IntelliJ IDEA, click Create New Project on the Welcome screen. Otherwise, select File | New | Project.

    As a result, the New Project wizard opens.

  2. In the left-hand pane, select Java.

  3. In the right-hand pane, select your project SDK.

  4. Under Additional Libraries and Frameworks select Google App Engine.

    New project gae

    Note that the Web Application option will be selected automatically.

  5. In the Google App Engine SDK field, select the SDK you want to use. If the list is empty click Download link to download the latest Google App Engine SDK. If the field doesn't contain the SDK that you want, click the Browse button and select the installation folder of the required Google App Engine SDK in the dialog that opens.

  6. Click Next.

  7. On the next page of the wizard, specify the name and location settings.

    Click Finish.

    IntelliJ IDEA creates an empty Google App Engine project. Depending on the selected persistence type, IntelliJ IDEA generates persistence.xml for JPA or jdoconfig.xml for JDO and takes the required libraries from the App Engine SDK.

    Gae empty project

Checking Project Structure

  1. From the main menu, select Project Structure | Modules.

    Proj struc google app engine

  2. Check settings for the Google App Engine facet to make sure everything was configured properly.

Running the Application

  1. Enter your code or (like in our case) you can modify the index.jsp file.

    Index jsp

  2. Press Icons toolwindows tool window run icon to run the application.

    Gae run app

  3. View the result in the default browser.

    Gae localhost out

Debugging the Application

  1. From the main menu, select Run|Debug 'AppEngine Dev' or click the Icons actions start debugger toolbar button.

  2. View the results in the Debugger tool window.

    Gae debug app

Configuring Google App Account

  1. If you going to upload your application to the cloud or deploy the artifact on the cloud server, create an application at Google App Engine.

    Gae account

  2. Add the name of the created application to the appengine-web.xml file.

    Gae web xml

Deploying Google App Engine Application

  1. From the main menu, select Tools | Upload App Engine Application.

    Gae upload to server

  2. In the dialog that opens specify the deployment configuration settings and click Run.

    Gae deployment config dialog

  3. During the deployment IntelliJ IDEA might prompt you for your Google Account credentials. IntelliJ IDEA displays the progress in the Application Servers tool window.

    Gae cloud deployment

  4. View the result in your default browser.

    Gae deployment result

Using Google App Engine Deployment

  1. Select Run | Edit Configurations.

  2. In the Run/Debug Configurations dialog, select Icons general add to add a new configuration.

  3. From the list select Google App Engine Deployment.

    Gae deployment config

  4. On the right-hand side specify the Google App Engine Deployment settings and click OK.

    Gae run debug deployment

  5. The name of the configuration appears on the main toolbar, click Icons toolwindows tool window run to start deploying.

    Gae server

    Note that the IntelliJ IDEA might ask for your Google Account password.

    Gae password

  6. IntelliJ IDEA displays the progress of deployment in the Application Servers tool window.

    Gae cloud deployment

  7. Open Google App Engine page.

    Gae browser app overview

  8. On the Application Overview page, click Running next to your application name to see the result of your deployment.

    Gae browser result