title: How can I use Google default credentials on Heroku without the JSON file?
body: <p>I'm looking to deploy a Node app to Heroku, and the key challenge I'm running into has to do with the Google default authorization workflow for Node. By default, Google looks for a JSON file with secret keys, with <code>GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS</code> as the environmental variable name that points to the path of this JSON file. That is fine for local development, but in production I naturally do not want to commit this sensitive JSON file to source.  Heroku allows you to create environmental variables, but each variable is individual. Somehow I need to break up this JSON file into individual variables, but I don't know what to call them for Google to recognize them.</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/35929650/how-can-i-authorize-a-google-service-account-without-the-default-credentials-fil">There is a similar thread on this for Ruby</a>, but the equivalent does not work in Node.</p>