YoutubeExplode is a library that provides an interface to query metadata of YouTube videos, playlists and channels, as well as to resolve and download video streams and closed caption tracks. Behind a layer of abstraction, the library parses raw page content and uses reverse-engineered AJAX requests to retrieve information. As it doesn't use the official API, there's also no need for an API key and there are no usage quotas.
- NuGet:
Install-Package YoutubeExplode - Continuous integration
- Retrieves information about videos, playlists, channels, media streams and closed caption tracks
- Handles all types of videos, including legacy, signed, restricted, non-embeddable and unlisted videos
- Works with media streams of all types -- muxed, embedded adaptive, dash adaptive
- Downloads videos by exposing their media content as a stream
- Parses and downloads closed caption tracks
- All metadata properties are exposed using strong types and enums
- Provides static methods to validate IDs and to parse IDs from URLs
- Fully asynchronous API
- Targets .NET Framework 4.5+, .NET Core 1.0+ and .NET Standard 1.1+
- No need for an API key and no usage quotas
YoutubeExplode has a single entry point, the YoutubeClient class -- all available integration API can be accessed by calling methods of this class.
A lot of helper methods are provided as extensions for models, make sure to include corresponding using statements to see them.
Media streams come in 3 forms -- Muxed (video & audio), Audio (audio only) and Video (video only). Highest qualities are not available in muxed streams so you'll have to download separate streams and multiplex them yourself using tools like ffmpeg.
var url = "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnsUkE8i0tU";
var id = YoutubeClient.ParseVideoId(url); // "bnsUkE8i0tU"var client = new YoutubeClient();
var video = await client.GetVideoAsync("bnsUkE8i0tU");
var title = video.Title; // "Infected Mushroom - Spitfire [Monstercat Release]"
var author = video.Author; // "Monstercat"
var duration = video.Duration; // 00:07:14var client = new YoutubeClient();
var streamInfoSet = await client.GetVideoMediaStreamInfosAsync("bnsUkE8i0tU");
var streamInfo = streamInfoSet.Muxed.WithHighestVideoQuality();
var ext = streamInfo.Container.GetFileExtension();
await client.DownloadMediaStreamAsync(streamInfo, $"downloaded_video.{ext}");var client = new YoutubeClient();
var trackInfos = await client.GetVideoClosedCaptionTrackInfosAsync("_QdPW8JrYzQ");
var trackInfo = trackInfos.First(t => t.Language.Code == "en");
var track = await client.GetClosedCaptionTrackAsync(trackInfo);
var caption = track.GetByTime(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(61));
var text = caption.Text; // "And the game was afoot."var client = new YoutubeClient();
var playlist = await client.GetPlaylistAsync("PLQLqnnnfa_fAkUmMFw5xh8Kv0S5voEjC9");
var title = playlist.Title; // "Igorrr - Hallelujah"
var author = playlist.Author; // "randomusername604"
var video = playlist.Videos.First();
var videoTitle = video.Title; // "Igorrr - Tout Petit Moineau"
var videoAuthor = video.Author; // "Igorrr Official"