Opening local applications from browsers

A system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processing device, coupled to the memory, to:
• present, using a first application hosted by a user device, a user interface associated with the first application, the user interface permitting a user to interact with documents on a cloud computing service;
• receive, via the user interface associated with the first application on the user device, a request to open a document of the documents on the cloud computing service;
• authenticate the user with the cloud computing service and determining that the user is authorized to access the document;
• and
• communicate, using the first application on the user device, the request to open the document of the documents on the cloud computing service to a second application hosted by the user device,
• wherein the second application on the user device is a local application different from the first application,
• wherein the second application has access to local information about a plurality of document processing applications that are installed on the user device to allow a user of the user device to create, open and edit a plurality of local files of different types on the user device, each of the plurality of document processing applications corresponding to a distinct type of the different types of local files;
• and
• wherein the request, received via the user interface associated with the first application, to open the document of the documents on the cloud computing service results in downloading and opening locally on the user device, by one of the plurality of document processing applications on the user device, a file that corresponds to the document of the documents on the cloud computing service.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

• presenting, by a first application hosted by a user device, a user interface associated with the first application, the user interface permitting a user to interact with documents on a cloud computing service;
• receiving, by the first application on the user device and via the user interface associated with the first application on the user device, a request to open a document of the documents on the cloud computing service;
• authenticating the user with the cloud computing service and determining that the user is authorized to access the document;
• and
• communicating, by the first application on the user device, the request to open the document of the documents on the cloud computing service to a second application hosted by the user device,
• wherein the second application on the user device is a local application different from the first application,
• wherein the second application has access to local information about a plurality of document processing applications that are installed on the user device to allow a user of the user device to create, open and edit a plurality of local files of different types on the user device, each of the plurality of document processing applications corresponding to a distinct type of the different types of local files;
• and
• wherein the request, received via the user interface associated with the first application on the user device, to open the document of the documents on the cloud computing service results in downloading and opening locally on the user device, by one of the plurality of document processing applications on the user device, a file that corresponds to the document of the documents on the cloud computing service.