YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper

YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper

The YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper extracts detailed information and downloadable media links from YouTube video URLs. It is designed for users who need structured video metadata together with direct video and audio stream links in a single Apify dataset.

Provide one or more YouTube URLs through the startUrls input and choose the desired video resolution. The Actor attempts to provide the requested resolution and automatically falls back to the highest available video resolution when an exact match is unavailable.

The returned data includes the original URL, requested and provided resolution, video title, channel, duration, thumbnail, downloadable video link, downloadable audio link, URL expiration time, view count, categories, description, availability, live status, channel subscriber count, and video file size.

This makes the Actor useful for video research, metadata collection, media analysis, dataset creation, and workflows that need structured YouTube video information.

What Is a YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper?

A YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper combines video metadata extraction with access to downloadable media stream URLs.

Instead of manually opening each video and collecting information individually, you can submit multiple YouTube URLs in an Apify Actor run and receive structured records for the processed videos.

The Actor is particularly useful when your workflow requires both descriptive information and media-related fields. For example, a result can contain the video title and channel alongside the selected video resolution, downloadable video URL, downloadable audio URL, and the approximate video file size.

The Actor processes URLs individually. Playlist expansion is not performed as a playlist-wide extraction workflow, so users should provide the individual video URLs they want processed.

Key Features

Feature	Description	User Benefit
Video metadata extraction	Collects descriptive and statistical information for each processed YouTube video	Reduces manual research
Resolution selection	Supports selectable resolutions from 360p through 8K	Lets you specify the preferred video quality
Automatic resolution fallback	Uses the highest available video resolution when the requested resolution is unavailable	Helps produce a usable video link
Downloadable video link	Returns a direct video stream URL when available	Provides a media URL for downstream workflows
Downloadable audio link	Returns a direct audio stream URL when available	Separates audio access from video access
Video and metadata in one record	Combines media links with video information	Simplifies dataset processing
Multiple URL processing	Accepts one or more URLs through startUrls	Supports batch-oriented workflows
URL expiration information	Returns an ISO-8601 expiration timestamp when available	Helps users understand link lifetime
Error records	Records the original URL and an error message when processing fails	Makes failed inputs easier to identify

What Data Can You Extract?

The YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper returns several categories of structured information.

Video Information

Each successful result can include the video title, original YouTube URL, requested resolution, provided resolution, duration, thumbnail, description, categories, availability, and live status.

The duration field is formatted into a readable value such as 12m 34s, while view_count and channel_subscribers are formatted into compact values such as 15.2K or 2.3M.

Channel Information

The channel field identifies the channel associated with the processed video. The Actor also returns channel_subscribers when the source provides subscriber-count information.

Media Information

The output can contain:

• downloadable_video_link — a direct video stream URL.
• downloadable_audio_link — a direct audio stream URL.
• merge_downloadable_video_link — a direct video URL intended for download and provided when a suitable stream exists.
• video_filesize — the available or estimated size of the selected video stream.

These links are stream URLs rather than permanent storage URLs, so they should be treated as temporary resources.

Availability and Status

The Actor also returns:

• availability — the reported availability value, such as public.
• live_status — live or not_live.
• url_expires_at — an ISO-8601 UTC timestamp when an expiration value is available.

Why Use This Actor?

A YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper can reduce repetitive video research by collecting multiple data points in a structured dataset.

Instead of separately recording titles, channels, descriptions, statistics, and media URLs, a single run can organize these values into consistent output records.

The Actor can be helpful for:

• Structured YouTube video data collection
• Video metadata research
• Media-related dataset creation
• Content analysis workflows
• Competitive or market research involving public video information
• Research projects that require repeatable URL processing
• Automation workflows that consume Apify datasets

The main advantage is the combination of metadata and media-related URLs in the same result structure.

How to Use the YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper

Using the Actor requires only the documented input configuration.

1. Open the Actor input page.
2. Add one or more YouTube video URLs to startUrls.
3. Select the preferred videoResolution.
4. Start the Actor.
5. Review the generated dataset records.
6. Use the returned metadata and media URLs in your downstream workflow.

For a first run, using one or two valid YouTube video URLs is a practical way to verify the returned fields before processing a larger group.

Input

The Actor uses a JSON object containing a required URL list and an optional video-resolution setting.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrls	Array	Yes	—	One or more URL entries to process
videoResolution	String	No	1080p	Preferred video resolution

Video Resolution Options

The available resolution selections are:

• 8K
• 4K
• 2K
• 1080p
• 720p
• 480p
• 360p

When the selected resolution is unavailable, the Actor selects the highest available video resolution instead.

The input is configured with startUrls as a list of URL objects. Each entry should contain a url value.

Input Example

{
  "videoResolution": "1080p",
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example1"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example2"
    }
  ]
}

Use actual YouTube URLs when running the Actor. The examples above use placeholder video IDs for documentation purposes.

Output

The Actor produces structured records for successfully processed URLs. A successful result contains video metadata, channel information, media URLs, availability information, and selected-stream details.

The output fields are:

Field	Description
original_url	The YouTube URL submitted for processing
requested_resolution	The resolution selected in the input
provided_resolution	The resolution of the video stream returned
title	YouTube video title
channel	Channel associated with the video
duration	Formatted video duration
thumbnail	Video thumbnail URL when available
downloadable_video_link	Direct video stream URL
downloadable_audio_link	Direct audio stream URL when available
merge_downloadable_video_link	Direct video URL selected for the merge/download field
url_expires_at	ISO-8601 UTC expiration timestamp for the returned stream URL when available
view_count	Formatted video view count
categories	Video category values
description	Video description
availability	Reported availability status
live_status	live or not_live
channel_subscribers	Formatted channel subscriber count
video_filesize	Human-readable selected video-stream size when available

For a failed URL, the result contains the original URL and an error field so the affected input can be identified.

Output Example

{
  "original_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example1",
  "requested_resolution": "1080p",
  "provided_resolution": "1080p",
  "title": "Example YouTube Video",
  "channel": "Example Channel",
  "duration": "12m 34s",
  "thumbnail": "https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg",
  "downloadable_video_link": "https://example.com/video-stream",
  "downloadable_audio_link": "https://example.com/audio-stream",
  "merge_downloadable_video_link": "https://example.com/video-download",
  "url_expires_at": "2026-09-18T18:00:00+00:00",
  "view_count": "125K",
  "categories": [
    "Education"
  ],
  "description": "Example video description.",
  "availability": "public",
  "live_status": "not_live",
  "channel_subscribers": "2.3M",
  "video_filesize": "145.20MB"
}

The exact URLs, statistics, categories, and metadata depend on the processed YouTube video and the information available at run time.

Important Media Link Behavior

The media fields should be understood carefully.

downloadable_video_link represents a video-only stream. The Actor separately retrieves an audio-only stream through downloadable_audio_link when one is available.

The field named merge_downloadable_video_link provides the selected direct video URL available for that record. When a suitable combined video-and-audio stream is unavailable, the field can fall back to the selected video-only stream. Therefore, this field should not be interpreted as a guarantee that video and audio have been permanently merged into one media file.

Returned stream URLs can also expire. Use url_expires_at to understand the expiration information available for a result.

Use Cases

Video Metadata Research

Collect titles, channels, descriptions, categories, durations, thumbnails, and view statistics into a structured dataset for analysis.

Content Research

Build datasets of selected YouTube videos for content planning, topic research, or comparative analysis.

Media Data Collection

Collect video and audio stream URLs alongside metadata when a workflow requires media-related information.

Business Intelligence

Combine YouTube video information with other public datasets to study channels, topics, publishing activity, and audience-related statistics.

Dataset Creation

Create structured records that can later be reviewed, filtered, transformed, or processed by other systems.

Automation

Use repeated Actor runs as part of a larger workflow that needs structured YouTube video information without manually entering every metadata field.

Advantages

The Actor is designed around a straightforward input-to-output workflow. You provide video URLs and a preferred resolution, and the resulting dataset organizes the available information into predictable fields.

Useful characteristics include:

• A simple required URL input.
• Multiple video URLs can be submitted in one run.
• Several resolution choices are available.
• Metadata and media-related links are returned together.
• Failed URLs can be represented as identifiable error records.
• Output is structured for further processing in an Apify workflow.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Supports multiple YouTube URL inputs	Playlist-wide expansion is not performed
Offers resolution selection from 360p to 8K	The requested resolution may not be available
Provides video and audio stream links separately	Stream URLs may expire
Returns detailed video and channel metadata	Some metadata may be unavailable for particular videos
Includes an explicit error field for failed URLs	Media-link availability can vary by video

Comparison With Alternative Approaches

Capability	This Actor	Manual / Typical Alternative
URL-based video processing	Supported	Usually handled individually
Resolution selection	Supported	User selects manually
Structured metadata output	Supported	Often requires manual collection or formatting
Video stream URL extraction	Supported where available	Usually requires additional manual steps
Audio stream URL extraction	Supported where available	May require a separate process
Batch-oriented input	Multiple URL entries supported	Often repetitive
Error identification	Failed records include the original URL and error	Manual tracking may be required

This comparison describes workflow characteristics rather than guaranteeing a particular result for every video or source condition.

Competitive Advantages

The main differentiators of this workflow are its combination of YouTube video metadata extraction, configurable video resolution, and downloadable media stream fields.

A user can configure a preferred quality once and process multiple URL entries in the same run. The output also keeps media information together with descriptive and channel-level metadata, which can reduce the need for separate collection steps.

The Actor is therefore suited to workflows where video links alone are not enough and additional contextual information is required.

Limitations

Several practical limitations should be considered:

• The Actor processes the submitted URLs rather than expanding a playlist into all of its videos.
• The selected resolution is a preference, not a guarantee that the exact resolution exists for every video.
• When the requested resolution is unavailable, the Actor falls back to the highest available video resolution.
• Some videos may not provide suitable video or audio streams.
• Metadata such as view count, subscriber count, categories, or description can vary based on what is available for a particular video.
• Downloadable stream URLs may expire and should not be treated as permanent URLs.
• A failed input can produce an error record instead of the normal metadata fields.
• The merge_downloadable_video_link field does not guarantee a permanently merged audio-video file.

Best Practices

For consistent results, use valid individual YouTube video URLs and begin with a small test run.

Select a resolution appropriate for the intended workflow rather than assuming every video supports the same quality. Review provided_resolution after processing to confirm the actual stream resolution returned.

When working with media URLs, check url_expires_at and use the links within their available lifetime. For research datasets, retain the metadata fields alongside the original URL so that each result remains traceable to its source input.

For larger workflows, inspect a sample of results before relying on every field as universally available.

Troubleshooting

Invalid Input

Confirm that startUrls is an array and that each entry contains a valid url value. Use individual YouTube video URLs when you want predictable per-video processing.

Empty or Missing Results

Verify that the submitted URL identifies an accessible YouTube video and rerun the Actor when appropriate. The availability of metadata and media streams can vary between videos.

Requested Resolution Is Not Returned

The selected quality may not exist for the video. Check provided_resolution. The Actor is designed to fall back to the highest available video resolution.

Missing Audio Link

downloadable_audio_link can be unavailable when an appropriate audio stream is not returned for the processed video.

Missing Metadata

Fields such as categories, subscriber count, description, or view information may not always be populated. Review the specific result rather than assuming every video provides identical metadata.

Failed URL

Look for the error field associated with the corresponding original_url. Correct the input or retry the affected URL when appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper do?

It processes submitted YouTube video URLs and returns structured video metadata together with available downloadable video and audio stream URLs.

What inputs does the YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper accept?

The Actor requires startUrls, an array containing URL entries. It also accepts an optional videoResolution setting.

Which video resolutions are supported?

The available selections are 8K, 4K, 2K, 1080p, 720p, 480p, and 360p.

What happens when my selected resolution is unavailable?

The Actor attempts to use the requested resolution. When it is unavailable, it falls back to the highest available video resolution and reports the result in provided_resolution.

Can I process multiple YouTube videos?

Yes. startUrls accepts multiple URL entries, allowing several individual video URLs to be processed in the same run.

Does the Actor download an actual merged video file?

The Actor returns downloadable stream URLs rather than documenting a guaranteed permanently merged media file. The video and audio links are returned separately when available.

What data does the Actor return?

Results can contain the title, channel, duration, thumbnail, description, categories, view count, subscriber count, availability, live status, video resolution, file size, video URL, audio URL, and URL expiration information.

Do the downloadable links expire?

They can. When expiration information is available, it is returned in url_expires_at as an ISO-8601 UTC timestamp.

Can I use a playlist URL?

The input description allows YouTube video or playlist URLs, but processing is configured for individual URL extraction rather than playlist-wide expansion. For predictable results, provide the individual video URLs you want processed.

What happens if a URL fails?

The Actor adds a result containing the original_url and an error field so the failed input can be identified separately from successful records.

Can I use the results for automated workflows?

Yes. The structured dataset can be incorporated into workflows that process YouTube video metadata and available media URLs. Always account for varying data availability and temporary stream-link expiration.

NLP Keywords

• YouTube video metadata
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• YouTube channel metadata
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• YouTube media links
• video metadata scraper
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• YouTube research data
• YouTube download link extraction
• YouTube video analytics data

Related Keywords

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Final Overview

The YouTube Video Downloader & Scraper provides a practical way to collect structured information from individual YouTube video URLs while also returning available video and audio stream links.

With configurable resolution selection, automatic fallback to available video quality, detailed metadata fields, channel information, file-size information, and URL expiration details, the Actor can support research, data collection, media-oriented workflows, and automated YouTube datasets.

For reliable results, use valid individual video URLs, review the actual provided_resolution, and account for the temporary nature of downloadable stream URLs.

Contact me: Alphascraper69@gmail.com