youtubei.js
Advanced tools
An object-oriented library that allows you to search, get detailed info about videos, subscribe, unsubscribe, like, dislike, comment, download videos and much more!
An object-oriented wrapper around the Innertube API, which is what YouTube itself uses.
Innertube is an API used across all YouTube clients, it was made to simplify the internal structure of the platform and make it easy to push updates. This library takes advantage of that API, therefore providing a simple & efficient way to interact with YouTube programmatically.
And big thanks to @gatecrasher777 for his research on the workings of the Innertube API!
As of now, this is one of the most advanced & stable YouTube libraries out there, here's a short summary of its features:
Do note that you must be signed-in to perform actions that involve an account, such as commenting, subscribing, sending messages to a live chat, etc.
No, YouTube.js does not use any official API so no API keys are required.
npm install youtubei.js
First of all we're gonna start by initializing the Innertube instance. And to make things faster, you should do this only once and reuse the Innertube object when needed.
const youtube = await new Innertube();
Doing a simple search:
const search = await youtube.search('Looking for life on Mars - Documentary');
{
"search_metadata":{
"query":"Looking for life on Mars - documentary",
"corrected_query":"Looking for life on Mars - documentary",
"estimated_results":17949539
},
"videos":[
{
"title":"Looking for Life on Mars | NOVA | PBS",
"description":"Follow along as NASA launches the Mars 2020 Mission, perhaps the most ambitious hunt yet for signs of ancient life on Mars.",
"author":"NOVA PBS Official",
"id":"fhtw7Dpntb4",
"url":"https://youtu.be/fhtw7Dpntb4",
"channel_url":"https://www.youtube.com/user/NOVAonline",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"3,912,774 views",
"short_view_count_text":{
"simple_text":"3.9M views",
"accessibility_label":"3.9 million views"
},
"thumbnails":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fhtw7Dpntb4/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCOgCEMoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDHHsKMNZtmzWn4t14vmmJbBotdQg",
"width":360,
"height":202
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fhtw7Dpntb4/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBHzmdEUoQM_Sl-6a-bwMOIm-mM7A",
"width":720,
"height":404
}
],
"duration":{
"seconds":3243,
"simple_text":"54:03",
"accessibility_label":"54 minutes, 3 seconds"
},
"published":"7 months ago",
"badges":[
"CC"
],
"owner_badges":[
"Verified"
]
}
}
//...
]
}
Get details about a specific video:
const video = await youtube.getDetails(search.videos[0].id);
{
"title":"Looking for Life on Mars | NOVA | PBS",
"description":"Follow along as NASA launches the Mars 2020 Mission, perhaps the most ambitious hunt yet for signs of ancient life on Mars. \n\nThe spacecraft will blaze into the Martian atmosphere at some 12,000 miles per hour and attempt to lower the Perseverance Rover in the rocky Jezero Crater, home to a dried-up river delta scientists think could have harbored life. Perseverance will comb the area for signs of life and collect samples for possible return to Earth. Traveling onboard is a four-pound helicopter that will conduct a series of test flights—the first on another planet. \n\nDuring its journey, Perseverance will also test technology designed to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere, in hopes that the gas could be used for fuel—or for humans to breathe—on future missions.\n\n© 2020 WGBH Educational Foundation\n\nAll rights reserved\n\nThis program was produced by GBH, which is solely responsible for its content. Some funders of NOVA also fund basic science research. Experts featured in this film may have received support from funders of this program.\n\nFunding for NOVA is provided by Draper, the David H. Koch Fund for Science, the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.\n\nThis program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate/",
"thumbnail":{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fhtw7Dpntb4/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCK4FEIIDSEbyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLAJV-Cg2bHh4zs_svidj8fmaOQRng",
"width":686,
"height":386
},
"metadata":{
"embed":{
"iframeUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/fhtw7Dpntb4",
"flashUrl":"http://www.youtube.com/v/fhtw7Dpntb4?version=3&autohide=1",
"width":1280,
"height":720,
"flashSecureUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/v/fhtw7Dpntb4?version=3&autohide=1"
},
"likes":22674,
"dislikes":1771,
"view_count":3913553,
"average_rating":4.7102065,
"length_seconds":"3243",
"channel_id":"UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA",
"channel_url":"http://www.youtube.com/user/NOVAonline",
"external_channel_id":"UCjHz5SVHeMT0AViCYZvsGDA",
"is_live_content":false,
"is_family_safe":true,
"is_unlisted":false,
"is_private":false,
"has_ypc_metadata":false,
"category":"Science & Technology",
"channel_name":"NOVA PBS Official",
"publish_date":"2021-02-24",
"upload_date":"2021-02-24",
"keywords":[
"mars",
"nova",
"pbs",
"documentary",
"science",
"Perseverance",
"space"
]
}
}
Get comments:
const video = await youtube.getDetails(VIDEO_ID_HERE);
const comments = await video.getComments();
// If you want to load more comments simply call:
const comments_continuation = await comments.getContinuation();
{
"comments":[
{
"text":"The amazing thing to me is the engineering. It's truly remarkable that we can build machines like these.",
"author":{
"name":"Mark B",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLTKxmup9YqNEMvf-nSdOe7F6CwWhUtu4mpUsg=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":48,
"height":48
},
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLTKxmup9YqNEMvf-nSdOe7F6CwWhUtu4mpUsg=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":88,
"height":88
},
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLTKxmup9YqNEMvf-nSdOe7F6CwWhUtu4mpUsg=s176-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":176,
"height":176
}
],
"channel_id":"UClnPXUOtCLnKsbS2reuN7wg"
},
"metadata":{
"published":"2 months ago",
"is_liked":false,
"is_channel_owner":false,
"like_count":"54",
"reply_count":3,
"id":"Ugy-bGGepYil_2dAQUp4AaABAg"
}
},
{
"text":"May 25th, 2021 and everything has gone perfectly! Ingenuity, moxy and perseverance all working to plan. Unbelievable accomplishments!!!",
"author":{
"name":"cliff luebke",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLR1_6jvPZa_ycrkUEVxVxo0Alo25e7O8fOcm5v9ww=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":48,
"height":48
},
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLR1_6jvPZa_ycrkUEVxVxo0Alo25e7O8fOcm5v9ww=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":88,
"height":88
},
{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLR1_6jvPZa_ycrkUEVxVxo0Alo25e7O8fOcm5v9ww=s176-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":176,
"height":176
}
],
"channel_id":"UCeVFeX4jCgaJpvNJ4f_I4RA"
},
"metadata":{
"published":"4 months ago",
"is_liked":false,
"is_channel_owner":false,
"like_count":"54",
"reply_count":0,
"id":"UgylkZHOe7v78hxHPpl4AaABAg"
}
},
//...
],
"comment_count":"3,231" // not available in continuations
}
Get subscriptions feed:
const mysubfeed = await youtube.getSubscriptionsFeed();
{
"today":[
{
"title":"Life As My P*nis",
"id":"udDINILQH10",
"channel":"penguinz0",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"220,432 views",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/udDINILQH10/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEbCNIBEHZIVfKriqkDDggBFQAAiEIYAXABwAEG&rs=AOn4CLAQ7bbeUhCxRSg-g-CPek-soixUMQ",
"width":210,
"height":118
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/udDINILQH10/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLB6fuvBJMeLtkM0TLkZwharsyojjA",
"width":246,
"height":138
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/udDINILQH10/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDd7BncH1QuZD-Hada_n6dAVRTnmg",
"width":336,
"height":188
}
],
"published":"2 hours ago",
"badges":"N/A",
"owner_badges":[
"Verified"
]
}
},
{
"title":"Perseverance and Ingenuity went two weeks without contacting Earth",
"id":"VsmYZMVCHuc",
"channel":"Mars Guy",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"2,633 views",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VsmYZMVCHuc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEbCNIBEHZIVfKriqkDDggBFQAAiEIYAXABwAEG&rs=AOn4CLA0-vwAgpFbMO1zG4HTzdHZey1kZQ",
"width":210,
"height":118
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VsmYZMVCHuc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBtM3W-RXsCfPnxgnrktaBkiL9zzg",
"width":246,
"height":138
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VsmYZMVCHuc/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDTil7At4FUVYeSNySOoFoKlPXWSA",
"width":336,
"height":188
}
],
"published":"15 hours ago",
"badges":"N/A",
"owner_badges":"N/A"
}
}
//...
],
"yesterday":[
{
"title":"Fortnite - S.T.A.R.S (Resident Evil) | PS5, PS4",
"id":"-ZLEQOVbWD4",
"channel":"PlayStation",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"157,197 views",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-ZLEQOVbWD4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEbCNIBEHZIVfKriqkDDggBFQAAiEIYAXABwAEG&rs=AOn4CLAeA1fLzsEA0ZIouNJuMDJOqOc9Ng",
"width":210,
"height":118
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-ZLEQOVbWD4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDzvhxJ6m2ztykk2ezNH2Din33hEw",
"width":246,
"height":138
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-ZLEQOVbWD4/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDo67DvnaiKzOVfNm9lJg_Edd1UDQ",
"width":336,
"height":188
}
],
"published":"1 day ago",
"badges":"N/A",
"owner_badges":[
"Verified"
]
}
},
//...
],
"this_week":[
{
"title":"Horrible $100 Million Gold Mansion",
"id":"F-d3CEYJyrg",
"channel":"penguinz0",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"693,041 views",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F-d3CEYJyrg/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEbCNIBEHZIVfKriqkDDggBFQAAiEIYAXABwAEG&rs=AOn4CLDdMMGG-50O4U5uIcoZ2FoiO6Mopg",
"width":210,
"height":118
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F-d3CEYJyrg/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLAwqMy1ekLaxWGnjWwCJl7z7Nw2aQ",
"width":246,
"height":138
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F-d3CEYJyrg/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLADaPBg0vh52e6clHvUf5otBZO9HA",
"width":336,
"height":188
}
],
"published":"2 days ago",
"badges":"N/A",
"owner_badges":[
"Verified"
]
}
},
{
"title":"OOopsieeee",
"id":"mJ2WOIhEPm8",
"channel":"PewDiePie",
"metadata":{
"view_count":"1,953,970 views",
"thumbnail":[
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJ2WOIhEPm8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEbCNIBEHZIVfKriqkDDggBFQAAiEIYAXABwAEG&rs=AOn4CLCrJe2a6rasJICj_jchMquZ2YGVrQ",
"width":210,
"height":118
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJ2WOIhEPm8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCPYBEIoBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLCpxERsiLJayuKegeb5mHw3Ok6wGA",
"width":246,
"height":138
},
{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mJ2WOIhEPm8/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNACELwBSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLAlRLjypimzrE3GD_iGYDGwTlCGvA",
"width":336,
"height":188
}
],
"published":"2 days ago",
"badges":"N/A",
"owner_badges":[
"Verified"
]
}
},
//...
]
}
Get notifications:
const notifications = await youtube.getNotifications();
[
{
"title":"PewDiePie uploaded: Spoiled Kids Needs To Be Stopped..",
"sent_time":"2 hours ago",
"channel_name":"PewDiePie",
"channel_thumbnail":{
"url":"https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AKedOLTjRAMaQkJaABC59u63AB9s7UTyQ8enbSoo_TI8cA=s88-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"width":96,
"height":96
},
"video_thumbnail":{
"url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/raspGsvKf48/hqdefault.jpg",
"width":640,
"height":360
},
"video_url":"https://youtu.be/raspGsvKf48",
"read":false,
"notification_id":"1633455444762970"
},
//...
]
Get unseen notifications count:
const notifications = await youtube.getUnseenNotificationsCount();
const video = await youtube.getDetails(VIDEO_ID_HERE);
await video.subscribe();
await video.unsubscribe();
const video = await youtube.getDetails(VIDEO_ID_HERE);
await video.like();
await video.dislike();
await video.removeLike(); // removes either a like or dislike
const video = await youtube.getDetails(VIDEO_ID_HERE);
await video.comment('Haha, nice!');
const video = await youtube.getDetails(VIDEO_ID_HERE);
// Options: ALL | NONE | PERSONALIZED
await video.setNotificationPref('ALL');
All of the above interactions will return { success: true, status_code: 200 } if everything goes alright.
YouTube.js isn't able to download live content yet, but it does allow you to fetch live chats plus you can also send messages!
const Innertube = require('youtubei.js');
async function start() {
const youtube = await new Innertube();
const search = await youtube.search('Some random livestream');
const video = await youtube.getDetails(search.videos[0].id);
const livechat = video.getLivechat();
// Updated stats about the livestream
livechat.on('update-metadata', (data) => {
console.info('Info:', data);
});
// Fired whenever there is a new message or other chat events
livechat.on('chat-update', (message) => {
console.info(`- ${message.author.name}\n${message.text}\n\n`);
if(message.text == '!info') {
livechat.sendMessage('Hello! This message was sent from YouTube.js');
}
});
}
start();
Stop fetching the live chat:
livechat.stop();
Delete a message:
const msg = await livechat.sendMessage('Nice livestream!');
await msg.deleteMessage();
YouTube.js provides an easy-to-use and simple downloader:
const fs = require('fs');
const Innertube = require('youtubei.js');
async function start() {
const youtube = await new Innertube();
const search = await youtube.search('Looking for life on Mars - documentary');
const stream = youtube.download(search.videos[0].id, {
format: 'mp4', // Optional, ignored when type is set to audio and defaults to mp4, and I recommend to leave it as it is
quality: '360p', // if a video doesn't have a specific quality it'll fall back to 360p, also ignored when type is set to audio
type: 'videoandaudio' // can be “video”, “audio” and “videoandaudio”
});
stream.pipe(fs.createWriteStream(`./${search.videos[0].title}.mp4`));
stream.on('start', () => {
console.info('[DOWNLOADER]', 'Starting download now!');
});
stream.on('info', (info) => {
// { video_details: {..}, selected_format: {..}, formats: {..} }
console.info('[DOWNLOADER]', `Downloading ${info.video_details.title} by ${info.video_details.metadata.channel_name}`);
});
stream.on('progress', (info) => {
process.stdout.clearLine();
process.stdout.cursorTo(0);
process.stdout.write(`[DOWNLOADER] Downloaded ${info.percentage}% (${info.downloaded_size}MB) of ${info.size}MB`);
});
stream.on('end', () => {
process.stdout.clearLine();
process.stdout.cursorTo(0);
console.info('[DOWNLOADER]', 'Done!');
});
stream.on('error', (err) => console.error('[ERROR]', err));
}
start();
You can also specify a range:
const stream = youtube.download(VIDEO_ID, {
//...
type: 'videoandaudio',
range: { start: 0, end: 1048576 * 5 }
});
Cancelling a download:
stream.cancel();
When signing in to your account, you have two options:
OAuth:
const fs = require('fs');
const Innertube = require('youtubei.js');
const creds_path = './yt_oauth_creds.json';
async function start() {
const creds = fs.existsSync(creds_path) && JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(creds_path).toString()) || {};
const youtube = await new Innertube();
youtube.ev.on('auth', (data) => {
if (data.status === 'AUTHORIZATION_PENDING') {
console.info(`Hello!\nOn your phone or computer, go to ${data.verification_url} and enter the code ${data.code}`);
} else if (data.status === 'SUCCESS') {
fs.writeFileSync(creds_path, JSON.stringify(data.credentials));
console.info('Successfully signed-in, enjoy!');
}
});
youtube.ev.on('update-credentials', (data) => {
fs.writeFileSync(creds_path, JSON.stringify(data.credentials));
console.info('Credentials updated!', data);
});
await youtube.signIn(creds);
//...
}
start();
Cookies:
const Innertube = require('youtubei.js');
async function start() {
const youtube = await new Innertube(COOKIE_HERE);
//...
}
start();
Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.
Please make sure to update tests as appropriate.
This project is not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by YouTube or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries. All trademarks, logos and brand names are the property of their respective owners.
Should you have any questions or concerns please contact me directly via email.
FAQs
A JavaScript client for YouTube's private API, known as InnerTube.
The npm package youtubei.js receives a total of 22,973 weekly downloads. As such, youtubei.js popularity was classified as popular.
We found that youtubei.js demonstrated a healthy version release cadence and project activity because the last version was released less than a year ago. It has 1 open source maintainer collaborating on the project.
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