Youtube Shorts Scraper

Youtube Shorts Scraper

The Youtube Shorts Scraper is a purpose-built Apify actor that extracts structured data from YouTube Shorts at scale. It solves the pain of manual research by turning channels, handles, or keyword searches into clean datasets with views, likes, comments, captions, hashtags, channel details, and more — perfect for marketers, developers, data analysts, and researchers. Use it as a youtube shorts video scraper for content research, a youtube shorts data extractor for analytics, or power an internal youtube shorts api pipeline for automated workflows.

What data / output can you get?

Below are examples of the structured fields this youtube shorts metadata scraper returns for each Shorts video. You can export your dataset to JSON, CSV, or Excel via Apify.

Data type	Description	Example value
title	Video title	“5 Tips to Edit Faster in Premiere Pro”
type	Constant indicating item type	“shorts”
id	YouTube video ID (11 chars)	“dQw4w9WgXcQ”
url	Canonical Shorts URL	“https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dQw4w9WgXcQ”
thumbnailUrl	Thumbnail URL (fallback to HQ default)	“https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg”
viewCount	Parsed total views	1250000
date	ISO publish date (if detected)	“2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z”
likes	Parsed like count (if available)	8450
duration	HH:MM:SS (derived from lengthSeconds)	“00:00:59”
commentsCount	Parsed comment count (if available)	317
commentsTurnedOff	Whether comments are disabled	false
text	Description text (falls back to title if empty)	“Full tutorial on my channel!”
descriptionLinks	Links found in description/title runs	["https://example.com", "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abc123"]
hashtags	Hashtags parsed from text/title	["editing", "premierepro"]
subtitles	Available caption tracks	[{"url":"https://...%22,%22languageCode%22:%22en%22,%22name%22:%22English"}]
channelName	Channel display name	“Example Creator”
channelUrl	Canonical channel URL	“https://www.youtube.com/@ExampleCreator”
numberOfSubscribers	Parsed subscriber count	2300000
isChannelVerified	Channel has verified badge	true
channelAvatarUrl	Channel avatar image URL	“https://yt3.ggpht.com/...”
aboutChannelInfo	Consolidated About tab info (see output)	{...}
formats	Streaming format stubs (quality + URL)	[{"quality":"720p","url":"https://..."}]
input	The original input key (handle/keyword/URL)	“@ExampleCreator”
fromYTUrl	Source list page used for scraping	“https://www.youtube.com/@ExampleCreator/shorts”
order	Position in the returned list	1

Bonus: The output includes additional channel metadata like channelJoinedDate, channelLocation, channelBannerUrl, channelTotalVideos, and channelTotalViews when available. This makes it a solid foundation for youtube shorts analytics scraper use cases.

Key features

• 🔎 Channel & keyword targeting
  Feed handles (e.g., @Channel), full channel URLs, or search keywords to crawl Shorts — ideal for youtube shorts web scraping across creators or topics.

• 🧭 Smart filtering & sorting
  Use publishedAfter to include recent Shorts only and sort results by newest, oldest, or popular (views) for fast trend detection.

• 🏷️ Hashtag & captions extraction
  Extract hashtags from titles/descriptions and collect available subtitles tracks — a practical youtube shorts captions extractor and youtube shorts hashtag scraper in one run.

• 📊 Rich channel insights
  Fetch channel-level metadata (subscribers, About details, verification, totals) alongside video metrics to support youtube shorts analytics scraper workflows.

• 🧪 Formats for downstream downloaders
  Returns format stubs (quality + URL) from streamingData when present — helpful for teams building a separate bulk youtube shorts downloader pipeline.

• 🧵 Batch processing at scale
  Process multiple channels or keywords in a single run, with maxResults up to 10,000 per input — a reliable youtube shorts crawler tool for data teams.

• 🧰 Developer-friendly & API-ready
  Built on the Apify platform for easy automation, integrations, and programmatic control — great for Python youtube shorts scraper pipelines or low-code tools.

• 🌐 Proxy support
  Optional Apify Proxy configuration improves reliability in stricter regions.

• 🏁 Production-ready
  Asynchronous fetching, retries, and robust parsing designed for consistent, repeatable results on Apify’s infrastructure.

How to use Youtube Shorts Scraper — step by step

1. Create or log in to your Apify account.
2. Open the “youtube-shorts-scraper” actor on the Apify platform.
3. Add your inputs in startUrls:
   • Handles or usernames: “@ChannelName” or “ChannelName”
   • Full channel URLs: “https://www.youtube.com/@ChannelName” (the actor targets the Shorts tab)
   • Keywords: “funny shorts”, “cooking tips”, etc.
4. Tune settings as needed:
   • maxResults: limit Shorts per input (1–10,000)
   • publishedAfter: filter by date or relative time (e.g., “7 days”)
   • sortOrder: “newest”, “popular”, or “oldest”
   • proxyConfiguration: enable Apify Proxy if scraping from restricted regions
5. Click Start to run. The actor will collect video IDs from the Shorts tab or keyword search and fetch details per video.
6. Monitor logs to see progress (each saved item is reported).
7. View the dataset in the Run → Dataset tab.
8. Export results to JSON, CSV, or Excel — or pipe them to your stack via the Apify API.

Pro tip: Use the Apify API with your preferred stack to automate refresh jobs, connect to BI dashboards, or trigger downstream jobs like a dedicated youtube shorts downloader.

Use cases

Use case name	Description
Marketing trend tracking	Monitor trending Shorts by keyword to spot format, hashtag, and topic patterns that drive views and engagement.
Competitor benchmarking	Compare publishing cadence, views, likes, and subscribers across competitor channels for rapid insights.
Influencer discovery	Find relevant creators via keyword search and evaluate their performance with channel and video metrics.
Content research	Build a library of Shorts (titles, descriptions, hashtags, subtitles) to inspire scripts and creative angles.
SEO & hashtag analysis	Extract hashtags and outbound links to map content clusters and cross-promotional tactics.
Analytics & BI pipelines	Feed structured Shorts data into dashboards for time-series analysis and campaign reporting.
Academic & media research	Collect public datasets of short-form content for trend analysis and audience studies at scale.

Why choose Youtube Shorts Scraper?

Built for precision, scale, and automation, this youtube shorts video scraper delivers reliable, structured datasets without fragile browser automation.

• ✅ Accurate, structured fields: Clean parsing of views, likes, comments, captions, hashtags, and channel metadata.
• 🌍 Region-ready: Optional Apify Proxy support improves stability in restricted geographies.
• 📈 Scales to thousands: Batch multiple inputs with maxResults up to 10,000 per input.
• 💻 Developer-first: Works smoothly with the Apify API — ideal for python youtube shorts scraper workflows and automation.
• 🔌 Integration-friendly: Export to JSON/CSV/Excel or connect to Make, n8n, Zapier, and internal pipelines.
• 🛡️ Safe & resilient: Targets public data with robust HTTP and parsing logic on Apify infrastructure.
• 🆚 Better than extensions: No brittle browser hacks — consistent server-side extraction for production use.

Is it legal / ethical to use Youtube Shorts Scraper?

Yes — when done responsibly. This actor collects data from publicly available YouTube pages without accessing private profiles or authenticated content.

Guidelines for responsible use:

• Only collect public information; avoid attempting to access private or paywalled data.
• Follow YouTube’s terms of service and your local regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Use proxies responsibly when needed for reliability in certain regions.
• Validate your intended use with your legal team for edge cases or commercial redistribution.

Input parameters & output format

Example JSON input

{
  "startUrls": [
    "@MrBeast",
    "funny shorts",
    "https://www.youtube.com/@veritasium"
  ],
  "maxResults": 10,
  "publishedAfter": "7 days",
  "sortOrder": "newest",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}

Input parameters (from schema)

• startUrls (array, required)
  Description: Where to scrape Shorts from. Add one or more: channel handles (@MrBeast), usernames (mrbeast), full URLs (https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast), or search keywords (e.g. funny shorts).
  Default: ["rainbowicecream9780"]

• maxResults (integer, optional)
  Description: Maximum number of Shorts to scrape per channel or keyword. Ranges from 1 to 10,000. Higher = more data, longer run.
  Default: 10

• publishedAfter (string, optional)
  Description: Filter by publish date. Use a date (YYYY-MM-DD) or relative time (e.g. 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 1 year). Leave empty to include all Shorts.
  Default: none

• sortOrder (string, optional)
  Description: Order of results: Newest first, Oldest first, or by Popularity (views).
  Allowed values: “newest”, “popular”, “oldest”
  Default: “newest”

• proxyConfiguration (object, optional)
  Description: Turn on Apify Proxy for more reliable scraping (useful in EU or restricted regions). Off = direct connection; works in most regions and for Apify QA.
  Default: {"useApifyProxy": false}

Example JSON output (one item)

{
  "title": "Giving Trick-or-Treaters Weirder and Weirder Gifts",
  "translatedTitle": null,
  "type": "shorts",
  "id": "R7MkZL5i3FQ",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/shorts/R7MkZL5i3FQ",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R7MkZL5i3FQ/hqdefault.jpg",
  "viewCount": 64493572,
  "date": "2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z",
  "likes": 909841,
  "location": null,
  "channelName": "MrBeast",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
  "channelUsername": "MrBeast",
  "collaborators": null,
  "channelId": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
  "channelDescription": "I make videos that people actually want to watch.",
  "channelJoinedDate": "2012-02-19",
  "channelDescriptionLinks": [
    "https://shopmrbeast.com",
    "https://twitter.com/MrBeast"
  ],
  "channelLocation": "United States",
  "channelAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
  "channelBannerUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
  "channelTotalVideos": 789,
  "channelTotalViews": 35000000000,
  "numberOfSubscribers": 450000000,
  "isChannelVerified": true,
  "inputChannelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
  "isAgeRestricted": false,
  "aboutChannelInfo": {
    "channelDescription": "I make videos that people actually want to watch.",
    "channelJoinedDate": "2012-02-19",
    "channelDescriptionLinks": [
      "https://shopmrbeast.com",
      "https://twitter.com/MrBeast"
    ],
    "channelLocation": "United States",
    "channelUsername": "MrBeast",
    "channelAvatarUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
    "channelBannerUrl": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/...",
    "channelTotalVideos": 789,
    "channelTotalViews": 35000000000,
    "numberOfSubscribers": 450000000,
    "isChannelVerified": true,
    "channelName": "MrBeast",
    "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
    "channelId": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
    "inputChannelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
    "isAgeRestricted": false
  },
  "duration": "00:00:27",
  "commentsCount": 7171,
  "text": "New video live on the main channel!",
  "translatedText": null,
  "descriptionLinks": [
    "https://shopmrbeast.com"
  ],
  "subtitles": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/api/timedtext?...",
      "languageCode": "en",
      "name": "English"
    }
  ],
  "order": 1,
  "commentsTurnedOff": false,
  "fromYTUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast/shorts",
  "isMonetized": true,
  "hashtags": [
    "Halloween",
    "MrBeast"
  ],
  "formats": [
    {
      "quality": "720p",
      "url": "https://rr1---sn-xxxxx.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?....."
    }
  ],
  "isMembersOnly": false,
  "input": "@MrBeast",
  "fromChannelListPage": "shorts",
  "isPaidContent": false
}

Notes:

• Some fields can be null or absent depending on what YouTube exposes for a specific video or channel.
• subtitles and formats appear only when present in the player data.

FAQ

Do I need to log in to use this actor?

No. The actor scrapes publicly available YouTube pages and does not require cookies or account authentication.

Can this youtube shorts downloader save videos?

The actor does not download videos; it extracts metadata and, when available, returns streaming format stubs (quality + URL). You can use those fields to power a separate bulk youtube shorts downloader workflow if needed.

Can I scrape youtube shorts comments with this?

The actor extracts commentsCount and commentsTurnedOff status, but it does not fetch individual comment text or threads.

How many results can I get per input?

You control this with maxResults, which supports 1 to 10,000 Shorts per channel or keyword input.

Does it work with keywords as well as channels?

Yes. Provide keywords (e.g., “funny shorts”) and the actor will search and collect Shorts results. It also supports handles, usernames, and full channel URLs — making it a flexible youtube shorts channel scraper and youtube shorts web scraping tool.

Is there an API for automation or Python integration?

Yes. As an Apify actor, it’s accessible via the Apify API and works well in Python youtube shorts scraper pipelines or low-code automation tools.

Does it extract captions/subtitles?

Yes. When captions are available, the subtitles field includes track objects with URL, languageCode, and name.

Can I use this in restricted regions?

Yes. Enable proxyConfiguration with Apify Proxy for more reliable scraping in stricter locales.

Is there a free trial?

This actor on Apify includes trial minutes (e.g., 120 trial minutes are available) so you can test before committing. Refer to your Apify plan and the actor’s listing for current details.

Closing CTA / Final thoughts

The Youtube Shorts Scraper is built for fast, structured extraction of Shorts video and channel metadata at scale. It helps marketers, analysts, researchers, and developers track trends, benchmark competitors, enrich analytics, and automate workflows via the Apify platform. With captions, hashtags, views, likes, and rich channel info — plus API access — you can plug this youtube shorts api into your stack and start extracting smarter insights from short‑form video today.