YouTube Video Downloader — Get Direct MP4 / 4K Download Links by URL

Get direct YouTube video download links and metadata for any video by URL or ID. This YouTube video downloader returns every available format — progressive MP4 (video + audio), adaptive video up to 4K, and audio-only tracks — each with resolution, codec, FPS and file size. No login, no cookies, no YouTube Data API key.

Quick start (input → output)

Input:

{ "videos": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "type": "all" }

Output (one row per video):

{
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)",
  "channelTitle": "Rick Astley",
  "lengthSeconds": 213,
  "viewCount": 1600000000,
  "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg",
  "formatCount": 27,
  "formats": [
    { "itag": 18, "kind": "progressive", "quality": "360p", "container": "mp4", "width": 640, "height": 360, "fps": 25, "hasVideo": true, "hasAudio": true, "sizeBytes": 9500000, "url": "https://redirector.googlevideo.com/..." },
    { "itag": 313, "kind": "video_only", "quality": "2160p", "container": "webm", "width": 3840, "height": 2160, "fps": 25, "hasVideo": true, "hasAudio": false, "url": "https://redirector.googlevideo.com/..." }
  ]
}

What this actor does

• Accepts one or many YouTube videos (watch?v=, youtu.be/, /shorts/, or a bare 11-char ID).
• Returns, per video: metadata (title, channel, length, views, thumbnail) plus a normalized list of downloadable formats with direct URLs.
• Filter what you get with type: all, video (progressive MP4 with audio), video_only (adaptive streams incl. 4K), or audio.

Input parameters

Field	Type	Required	Description
videos	array of strings	✅	YouTube video URLs or 11-character IDs.
type	string	—	all (default), video, video_only, or audio.

Important notes

• Download URLs are official YouTube CDN links and are time-limited — fetch them soon after the run.
• Progressive (kind: "progressive") formats contain both audio and video; adaptive video_only/audio are separate streams (mux them yourself for 1080p+).
• Private, age-restricted, or removed videos return an error row and are not charged.

More input examples

{ "videos": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ"], "type": "video" }

{ "videos": ["https://youtu.be/9bZkp7q19f0"], "type": "audio" }

Output

Field reference

Field	Description
videoId, url, title, channelTitle, channelId	Video + channel identity.
lengthSeconds, viewCount, thumbnail	Basic metadata.
formatCount	Number of formats returned after type filtering.
formats[]	{ itag, kind, quality, container, mimeType, width, height, fps, bitrate, sizeBytes, hasVideo, hasAudio, url }.

Output examples

No formats / unavailable (not charged):

{ "status": "error", "error": "No downloadable formats were found for this video (it may be private, age-restricted, or removed). You were not charged." }

Bad input (not charged):

{ "status": "error", "error": "That input is not a valid YouTube video URL or ID. Please check it and try again. You were not charged." }

Service busy (not charged):

{ "status": "error", "error": "The download service is temporarily unavailable — please retry shortly. You were not charged." }

Use cases

• Creators / editors: grab source files and specific resolutions for re-use you're licensed to make.
• Archivists: capture metadata + best-quality streams for allowed offline backup.
• Developers: build "paste a link, get formats" features without maintaining an extractor.

Best practices

• Use type: "video" when you want a single ready-to-play MP4 with sound.
• Use type: "video_only" for 1080p+/4K, then mux with an audio track.
• Download promptly — CDN URLs expire.

Pricing

Pay-per-event: charged once per video processed (a row with at least one format). Errors are never charged.

Legality

Only download content you own or are licensed/permitted to download. Respect copyright, YouTube's Terms of Service, and applicable law. You are solely responsible for how you use the links and files.

FAQ

Do I need an API key? No. Can I get 4K? Yes — via type: "all" or video_only (adaptive 2160p). Why is 1080p video-only? YouTube serves high-res video and audio as separate adaptive streams — mux them. Why did the URL stop working? CDN links are time-limited; re-run to refresh.

Support

Email contact@endspec.net — we typically reply within one business day.