YouTube Downloader API

Extract direct download URLs from YouTube videos quickly and reliably. This API uses yt-dlp to get the actual download links for YouTube videos in various formats and quality levels.

What it does

This API takes a YouTube video URL as input and returns the direct download URLs for that video. You can specify the format and quality you want, and the API will return the corresponding download links that you can use to download the video files directly.

Key features

• Multiple format support - Get download URLs for different video qualities and formats
• Audio-only extraction - Extract just the audio track from videos
• Flexible quality selection - Choose from best quality, specific resolutions, or audio-only formats
• Fast and reliable - Built on yt-dlp, the most robust YouTube extraction library
• Cookie support - Handle age-restricted or region-locked content (when cookies are provided)

How it works

1. You provide a YouTube video URL and optional format preferences
2. The API uses yt-dlp to extract available download URLs
3. Returns direct download links that you can use immediately
4. No actual downloading is performed - you get the URLs to download from yourself

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
video_url	string	Yes	The YouTube video URL you want to extract download links from
format_selector	string	No	Format selection string (default: "bestvideo+bestaudio/best")

Format selector examples

• bestvideo+bestaudio/best - Best video and audio quality (default)
• best[height<=720] - Best quality up to 720p
• worst - Lowest quality available
• bestaudio - Audio only, best quality
• mp4 - Best MP4 format available
• best[ext=mp4] - Best quality in MP4 format

Usage

Using the Apify API

curl -X POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_ACTOR_ID/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "format_selector": "best[height<=720]"
  }'

Example input

{
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "format_selector": "bestvideo+bestaudio/best"
}

Example output

{
  "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "format_selector": "bestvideo+bestaudio/best",
  "download_urls": [
    "https://rr1---sn-p5qlsn7l.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?expire=...",
    "https://rr1---sn-p5qlsn7l.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?expire=..."
  ]
}

Common use cases

• Content archiving - Save videos for offline viewing
• Media processing - Get source files for editing or conversion
• Research purposes - Download educational or documentary content
• Podcast extraction - Get audio-only versions of video content

Rate limits and considerations

• Respect YouTube's terms of service
• The API extracts URLs but doesn't download content itself
• Download URLs expire after some time (typically a few hours)
• Some videos may be geo-restricted or require authentication

Integration options

• REST API - Direct HTTP calls to the Apify platform
• JavaScript SDK - Use the Apify client for Node.js
• Python SDK - Use the Apify client for Python
• Webhooks - Get notified when extraction is complete
• Zapier/Make - Connect to thousands of other apps

Support

For questions or issues:

• Check the Apify documentation
• Visit our community forum
• Contact support through the Apify Console