# youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor (`cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor`) Actor

Fast bulk extractor for YouTube video and channel metadata, SEO tags, views, likes, and engagement metrics without API keys.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [shanmukha srinivas](https://apify.com/cloud-extracts) (community)
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.50 / 1,000 extracted video/channel metadata

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Video & Channel Metadata Extractor

A fast, lightweight, and cost-effective bulk extractor for YouTube video details, engagement statistics, creator channels, and hidden SEO keywords. Collect high-fidelity YouTube data at scale without official Google API quotas or expensive developer keys.

***

### 🚀 Why Use This Actor?

- **Zero YouTube Data API Quota Limits:** Scrape tens of thousands of video and channel profiles continuously without encountering Google Cloud quota caps.
- **Hidden SEO & Search Tags:** Extract creator-defined keyword tags not displayed directly on standard YouTube desktop pages.
- **Fast HTTP-Based Execution:** Runs without heavy headless browser instances (Puppeteer/Playwright), delivering high scraping speeds and minimal compute overhead.
- **Dual Compatibility:** Processes individual video links (`watch?v=...`, `youtu.be/...`) and channel handles (`/@handle`, `/channel/UC...`) seamlessly.
- **Export-Ready Data:** Download your results directly in JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or integrate automatically through the Apify REST API.

***

### 🎯 Primary Use Cases

- **Competitor & Content Research:** Audit creator upload cadences, monitor view-to-like ratios, and identify top-performing categories.
- **SEO & Tag Optimization:** Uncover keyword and tag combinations top-ranking videos use to rank in YouTube's recommendation engine.
- **Influencer & Creator Outreach:** Collect verified channel handles, descriptions, and total subscriber metrics across target niches.
- **AI & LLM Dataset Construction:** Generate structured video-text corpora for model training and content indexing pipelines.

***

### 📥 Input Configuration

Configure your run via the standard Apify Console UI or provide raw JSON input:

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `startUrls` | Array | **Yes** | `["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"]` | List of YouTube video or channel URLs to extract. Accepts video IDs, standard watch URLs, shortlinks, or channel handles. |

#### Input Example

````json
{
  "startUrls": [
    { "url": "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ)" },
    { "url": "[https://www.youtube.com/@YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@YouTube)" }
  ]
}



# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

List of YouTube video URLs (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...) or Channel URLs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    }
  ]
}
````

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": [
        {
            "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
        }
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" }] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    }
  ]
}' |
apify call cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,cloud-extracts/youtube-video-channel-metadata-extractor"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/XD8zLh8zCHqGa06XK/builds/JYjxlNoTTsThO8r3R/openapi.json