ytdl-core

What is ytdl-core?

The ytdl-core npm package is a YouTube video downloader that allows you to download videos from YouTube and extract information about them. It is commonly used for creating custom video downloaders, streamers, and other applications that require access to YouTube content.

What are ytdl-core's main functionalities?

Download a YouTube Video

This feature allows you to download a YouTube video by providing its URL. The video is saved to a file on your local system.

const ytdl = require('ytdl-core');
const fs = require('fs');

const videoUrl = 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID';
const output = 'video.mp4';

ytdl(videoUrl)
  .pipe(fs.createWriteStream(output))
  .on('finish', () => {
    console.log('Download completed!');
  });

Get Video Information

This feature allows you to retrieve detailed information about a YouTube video, such as its title, author, and view count.

const ytdl = require('ytdl-core');

const videoUrl = 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID';

ytdl.getInfo(videoUrl).then(info => {
  console.log('Title:', info.videoDetails.title);
  console.log('Author:', info.videoDetails.author.name);
  console.log('Views:', info.videoDetails.viewCount);
}).catch(err => {
  console.error('Error fetching video info:', err);
});

Download Audio Only

This feature allows you to download only the audio stream of a YouTube video, which is useful for creating audio files from video content.

const ytdl = require('ytdl-core');
const fs = require('fs');

const videoUrl = 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID';
const output = 'audio.mp3';

ytdl(videoUrl, { filter: 'audioonly' })
  .pipe(fs.createWriteStream(output))
  .on('finish', () => {
    console.log('Audio download completed!');
  });

Other packages similar to ytdl-core

youtube-dl

youtube-dl is a command-line program to download videos from YouTube and other video sites. It is highly versatile and supports a wide range of video platforms. Compared to ytdl-core, youtube-dl is more feature-rich but requires a separate installation and is not a native Node.js package.

yt-dlp

yt-dlp is a fork of youtube-dl with additional features and fixes. It offers similar functionality to youtube-dl but with more frequent updates and additional options. Like youtube-dl, it is not a native Node.js package and requires separate installation.

node-youtube-dl

node-youtube-dl is a Node.js wrapper for youtube-dl. It allows you to use youtube-dl's functionality within a Node.js application. It provides similar capabilities to ytdl-core but relies on the external youtube-dl program.

README

node-ytdl-core

Yet another youtube downloading module. This time written with only Javascript and a more node-friendly streaming interface.

For a CLI version of this, check out ytdl and pully.

Usage

var fs = require('fs');
var ytdl = require('ytdl-core');

ytdl('http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A02s8omM_hI')
  .pipe(fs.createWriteStream('video.flv'));

API

ytdl(url, options)

Attempts to download a video from the given url. Returns a readable stream. options can have the following keys

• quality - Video quality to download. Can be an itag value value, or highest/lowest. Defaults to highest.
• filter - Can be video to filter for formats that contain video, videoonly for formats that contain video and no additional audio track. Can also be audio or audioonly. You can give a filtering function that gets called with each format available. Used to decide what format to download. This function is given the format object as its first argument, and should return true if the format is preferable.
• format - This can be a specific format object returned from getInfo. This is primarily used to download specific video or audio streams. Note: Supplying this option will ignore the filter and quality options since the format is explicitly provided.
• range - A byte range in the form INT-INT that specifies a part of the video to download. ie 10355705-12452856.

// Example with `filter` option.
ytdl(url, { filter: function(format) { return format.container === 'mp4'; } })
  .pipe(fs.createWriteStream('vide.mp4'));

The returned readable stream emits these additional events.

Event: 'info'

• Object - Info.
• Object - Format.

Emitted when the a video's info hash is fetched. Along with the chosen format metadata to download. format.url might be different if start was given. format.size will also be available.

Info and format may look like this.

ytdl.getInfo(url, [options], callback(err, info))

Use this if you only want to get metainfo from a video.

options gets passed to the request(), it can also have a downloadURL property set to true if you want ytdl to include the download url instead of the regular one. In some cases, a signature needs to be deciphered, and will require ytdl to make additional requests.

ytdl.downloadFromInfo(info, options)

Once you have received metadata from a video with the getInfo function, you may pass that info, along with other options to downloadFromInfo.

Note: Be sure to set the downloadURL option to true when you call getInfo or you will receive a 403 error when you call downloadFromInfo.

The returned readable stream emits these additional events:

Event: 'format'

• Object - Format.

Emitted when a format metadata has been chosen. format.size will also be available.

Tips

Handling Separate Streams

Typically 1080p or better video does not have audio encoded with it. The audio must be downloaded separately and merged via an appropriate encoding library. ffmpeg is the most widely used tool, with many Node.js modules available. Use the format objects returned from ytdl.getInfo to download specific streams to combine to fit your needs.

Install

npm install ytdl-core

Tests

Tests are written with mocha

npm test

License

MIT