youtube-scraper-api 0.0.1

Python client for the ScrapingBee YouTube API: search, video metadata, and subtitles as structured JSON

youtube-scraper-api

Pull YouTube search results, video metadata, and subtitles as parsed JSON. A thin Python wrapper over the ScrapingBee YouTube scraper API that handles authentication, headless rendering, and proxies behind a single Bearer-token request.

pip install youtube-scraper-api

Covers the queries people reach for: youtube scraper, youtube scraping api, youtube video scraper, youtube scraper api, and youtube data scraper. Requires Python 3.8+ and requests. Built on the ScrapingBee YouTube API.

30-second example

from youtube_scraper_api import YouTubeScraper

yt = YouTubeScraper(api_key="YOUR_API_KEY")

# 1. find videos
hits = yt.search("python tutorial", type="video", sort_by="view_count")
video_id = hits["results"][0]["videoId"]

# 2. enrich one of them
details = yt.metadata(video_id)

# 3. grab its captions
captions = yt.subtitles(video_id, language="en")

Get a key first: ScrapingBee gives 1,000 credits with no card at scrapingbee.com.

The client

YouTubeScraper(api_key: str, timeout: int = 60)

Authentication is a Bearer token, set for you on every call. The client drops any None arguments before sending the request.

Methods

search(search, type=None, upload_date=None, duration=None, sort_by=None, hd=False, fourk=False, subtitles=False, creative_commons=False, live=False, tag=None, extra=None)

Query YouTube for videos, channels, or playlists. search is the only required argument.

Argument	API parameter	Accepted values
search	search	any query string
type	type	video, channel, playlist, movie
upload_date	upload_date	today, last_hour, this_week, this_month, this_year
duration	duration	<4, 4-20, >20
sort_by	sort_by	rating, relevance, view_count, upload_date
hd, fourk, subtitles, creative_commons, live	hd, 4k, subtitles, creative_commons, live	booleans
tag	tag	custom id echoed back in the response
extra	(any)	dict for other documented flags: 360, 3d, hdr, vr180, location, purchased

metadata(video_id)

Return full details for one video: duration, view count, like count, upload date, description, channel info, thumbnails, and available formats. This is the building block of a YouTube data scraper that enriches a list of ids.

subtitles(video_id, language=None, subtitle_origin=None)

Return timestamped caption segments. subtitle_origin selects auto-generated or uploader-provided captions when both exist.

Returned fields

search() returns a results list. Each item carries the fields YouTube rendered, commonly:

videoId, title, longBylineText, thumbnail, lengthText,
shortViewCountText, publishedTimeText

Not every field appears on every result, so use .get() rather than direct indexing.

Credits

ScrapingBee bills successful calls. search() is 5 credits per call. The cost for metadata() and subtitles() is shown in the dashboard request builder. Plan tiers: scrapingbee.com/pricing.

Notes

• A YouTube video scraper built this way needs no headless browser or proxy management on your side; ScrapingBee does both.
• Scrape public content only. ScrapingBee's terms prohibit scraping behind a login.

Links

• ScrapingBee YouTube API
• YouTube API documentation
• ScrapingBee pricing

License

MIT

Disclaimer

Unofficial Python client built on the ScrapingBee YouTube API. Not affiliated with ScrapingBee or YouTube. Comply with YouTube's terms of service and applicable law.