A full-featured wrapper around the Innertube API, which is what YouTube itself uses.
Table of Contents
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:
- Search videos, playlists, music, albums etc
- Get detailed info about any video or playlist
- Fetch live chat & live stats in real time
- Change notification preferences for a channel
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe/Like/Dislike/Comment etc
- Easily sign in to any Google Account
- Change an account's settings.
- Get subscriptions/home feed
- Get notifications
- Get watch history
- Download videos
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.
-
NodeJS v14 or greater
To verify things are set up properly, you can run this:
node --version
- NPM:
npm install youtubei.js@latest
- Yarn:
yarn add youtubei.js@latest
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 Innertube = require('youtubei.js');
const youtube = await new Innertube(); YouTube:
const search = await youtube.search('Looking for life on Mars - Documentary');YTMusic:
const search = await youtube.search('Interstellar Main Theme', { client: 'YTMUSIC' });YouTube Output
{
query: string,
corrected_query: string,
estimated_results: number,
videos: [
{
id: string,
url: string,
title: string,
description: string,
metadata:{
view_count: string,
short_view_count_text: {
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
thumbnails: [Array],
duration: {
seconds: number,
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
published: string,
badges:[Array],
owner_badges:[Array]
}
}
//...
]
}YTMusic Output
{
query:string,
corrected_query:string,
results:{
top_result:[Array], // Can be anything; video, playlist, artist etc..
songs:[
{
id:string,
title:string,
artist:string,
album:string,
duration:string,
thumbnails:[
Array
]
},
//...
],
videos:[
{
id:string,
title:string,
author:string,
views:string,
duration:string,
thumbnails:[Array]
},
//...
],
albums:[
{
id:string,
title:string,
author:string,
year:string,
thumbnails:[Array]
},
//...
],
featured_playlists:[
{
id:string,
title:string,
author:string,
channel_id:string,
total_items:number
},
//...
],
community_playlists:[
{
id:string,
title:string,
author:string,
channel_id:string,
total_items:number
},
//...
],
artists:[
{
id:string,
name:string,
subscribers:string,
thumbnails:[Array]
},
//...
]
}
}const suggestions = await youtube.getSearchSuggestions('QUERY', {
client: 'YOUTUBE' // Use YTMUSIC if you want music search suggestions
})Output
[
{
text: string, bold_text: string
},
//...
]const video = await youtube.getDetails('VIDEO_ID');Output
{
title: string,
description: string,
thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
metadata: {
embed: {
iframeUrl: string,
flashUrl: string,
width: number,
height: number,
flashSecureUrl: string
},
likes: number,
dislikes: number,
view_count: number,
average_rating: number,
length_seconds: number,
channel_id: string,
channel_url: string,
external_channel_id: string,
allow_ratings: boolean,
is_live_content: boolean,
is_family_safe: boolean,
is_unlisted: boolean,
is_private: boolean,
is_liked: boolean,
is_disliked: boolean,
is_subscribed: boolean,
subscriber_count: string,
current_notification_preference: string,
likes: { count: number, short_count_text: string },
publish_date_text: string,
has_ypc_metadata: boolean,
category: string,
channel_name: string,
publish_date: string,
upload_date: string,
keywords: [Array]
}
}const response = await youtube.getComments('VIDEO_ID');Alternatively you can use:
const video = await youtube.getDetails('VIDEO_ID');
const response = await video.getComments(); Output
{
comments: [
{
text: string,
author: {
name: string,
thumbnail: [
{
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
}
],
channel_id: string
},
metadata:{
published: string,
is_liked: boolean,
is_disliked: boolean,
is_pinned: boolean,
is_channel_owner: boolean,
like_count: number,
reply_count: number,
id: string
}
},
//...
],
comment_count: string // not available in continuations
}Reply to, like and dislike comments:
await response.comments[0].like();
await response.comments[0].dislike();
await response.comments[0].reply('Nice comment!'); Get comment replies:
const replies = await response.comments[0].getReplies();Get comments/replies continuation:
const continuation = await response.getContinuation();
const replies_continuation = await replies.getContinuation();const homefeed = await youtube.getHomeFeed();Output
{
videos: [
{
id: string,
title: string,
description: string,
channel: {
id: string,
name: string,
url: string
},
metadata: {
view_count: string,
short_view_count_text: { simple_text: string, accessibility_label: string },
thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
moving_thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
published: string,
duration: {
seconds: number,
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
badges: string,
owner_badges: [Array]
}
},
// ...
]
}Get continuation:
const continuation = await homefeed.getContinuation();const history = await youtube.getHistory();Output
{
items: [
{
date: string,
videos: [
{
id: string,
title: string,
channel: {
id: string,
name: string,
url: string
},
metadata: {
view_count: string,
short_view_count_text: {
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
moving_thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
published: string,
badges: [Array],
owner_badges: [Array]
}
},
//...
]
},
//...
]
}Get continuation:
const continuation = await history.getContinuation();const mysubsfeed = await youtube.getSubscriptionsFeed();Output
{
items: [
{
date: string,
videos: [
{
id: string,
title: string,
description: string,
channel: {
id: string,
name: string,
url: string
},
metadata: {
view_count: string,
short_view_count_text: {
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
moving_thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
published: string,
badges: [Array],
owner_badges: [Array]
}
},
//...
]
},
//...
]
}Get continuation:
const continuation = await mysubsfeed.getContinuation();const notifications = await youtube.getNotifications();Output
{
items: [
{
title: string,
sent_time: string,
channel_name: string,
channel_thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
video_thumbnail: {
url: string,
width: number,
height: number
},
video_url: string,
read: boolean,
notification_id: string
},
//...
]
}Get continuation:
const continuation = await notifications.getContinuation();const notifications = await youtube.getUnseenNotificationsCount();const search = await youtube.search('Never give you up', { client: 'YTMUSIC' });
const lyrics = await youtube.getLyrics(search.results.songs[0].id); YouTube (default):
const playlist = await youtube.getPlaylist('PLAYLIST_ID');YouTube Music:
const playlist = await youtube.getPlaylist('PLAYLIST_ID', {
client: 'YTMUSIC'
});YouTube Output
{
title: string,
description: string,
total_items: string,
last_updated: string,
views: string,
items: [
{
id: string,
title: string,
author: string,
duration: {
seconds: number,
simple_text: string,
accessibility_label: string
},
thumbnails: [Array]
},
//...
]
}YouTube Music Output
{
title: string,
description: string,
total_items: number,
duration: string,
year: string,
items: [
{
id: string,
title: string,
author: string,
duration: {
seconds: number,
simple_text: string
},
thumbnails: [Array]
},
//...
}The library makes it easy to interact with YouTube programmatically. However, don't forget that you must be signed in to use the following features!
-
Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
await youtube.interact.subscribe('CHANNEL_ID'); await youtube.interact.unsubscribe('CHANNEL_ID');
-
Like/Dislike:
await youtube.interact.like('VIDEO_ID'); await youtube.interact.dislike('VIDEO_ID'); await youtube.interact.removeLike('VIDEO_ID');
-
Comment:
await youtube.interact.comment('VIDEO_ID', 'Haha, nice video!');
-
Change notification preferences:
// Options: ALL | NONE | PERSONALIZED await youtube.interact.changeNotificationPreferences('CHANNEL_ID', 'ALL');
These methods will always return { success: true, status_code: 200 } if successful.
It is also possible to manage an account's settings:
-
Get account info:
await youtube.account.info();
Output
{ name: string, photo: [ { url: string, width: number, height: number } ], country: string, language: string; }
-
Subscription notifications:
await youtube.account.settings.notifications.setSubscriptions(true);
-
Recommended content notifications:
await youtube.account.settings.notifications.setRecommendedVideos(true);
-
Channel activity notifications:
await youtube.account.settings.notifications.setChannelActivity(true);
-
Comment replies notifications:
await youtube.account.settings.notifications.setCommentReplies(true);
-
Channel mention notifications:
await youtube.account.settings.notifications.setSharedContent(true);
-
Subscriptions privacy:
await youtube.account.settings.privacy.setSubscriptionsPrivate(true);
-
Saved playlists privacy:
await youtube.account.settings.privacy.setSavedPlaylistsPrivate(true);
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('Lofi girl live');
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, defaults to mp4 and I recommend to leave it as it is unless you know what you're doing
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 }
});
Cancel a download:
stream.cancel();Alternatively, you can get the deciphered streaming data and handle the download yourself:
const streaming_data = await youtube.getStreamingData(search.videos[0].id, {
format: 'mp4',
quality: '360p',
type: 'videoandaudio'
});Output
{
selected_format: {
itag: number,
mimeType: string,
bitrate: number,
initRange: { start: string, end: string },
indexRange: { start: string, end: string },
lastModified: string,
contentLength: string,
quality: string,
projectionType: string,
averageBitrate: number,
highReplication: boolean,
audioQuality: string,
approxDurationMs: string,
audioSampleRate: string,
audioChannels: number,
loudnessDb: number,
url: string,
has_audio: boolean,
has_video: boolean
},
formats: [
{
itag: number,
mimeType: string,
bitrate: number,
initRange: { start: string, end: string },
indexRange: { start: string, end: string },
lastModified: string,
contentLength: string,
quality: string,
projectionType: string,
averageBitrate: number,
highReplication: boolean,
audioQuality: string,
approxDurationMs: string,
audioSampleRate: string,
audioChannels: number,
loudnessDb: number,
url: string,
has_audio: boolean,
has_video: boolean
}
//...
]
}When signing in to your account, you have two options:
- Use OAuth 2.0; easy, simple & reliable.
- Cookies; usually more complicated to get and unreliable.
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();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.
LuanRT - @lrt_nooneknows - [email protected]
Project Link: https://github.com/LuanRT/YouTube.js
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.
Distributed under the MIT License.