1. A method for a third-party application to access to a file in a cloud-based environment, the method comprising: receiving, at the third-party application, metadata that identifies the file, wherein the metadata identifies the file by identifying at least one of a user, a workspace, and a security attribute associated with the file, wherein the metadata is received by the third-party application from a separate and distinct application of the cloud-based environment; transmitting the metadata to a server which is associated with the third-party application, wherein the metadata is utilized by the server to request the file from a host server that hosts the cloud-based environment; and receiving, at the third-party application, at least a portion of the file from the server to enable a user to perform one or more actions on the portion of the file.