Youtube Video Details Scraper

Extract comprehensive information from YouTube videos including transcripts, channel data, engagement metrics, and video metadata. This Apify actor provides detailed insights into YouTube videos with automatic proxy fallback and robust error handling.

Why Choose Us?

• Comprehensive Data Extraction: Get video details, transcripts, channel information, and engagement metrics in one go
• Automatic Proxy Management: Smart fallback to residential proxies when YouTube blocks requests
• Robust Error Handling: Retry logic with exponential backoff ensures maximum success rate
• Live Data Saving: Results are saved immediately as they're processed
• Multi-language Support: Extract transcripts in preferred languages
• Production Ready: Built for scale with proper logging and monitoring

Key Features

• ✅ Video Metadata: Title, description, duration, views, likes, comments
• ✅ Transcript Extraction: Full video transcripts with timestamps
• ✅ Channel Information: Channel details, logo, subscriber count
• ✅ Engagement Analytics: Engagement rate calculations
• ✅ Hashtag Extraction: Extract hashtags from video descriptions
• ✅ Thumbnail URLs: Multiple resolution thumbnail links
• ✅ Proxy Fallback: Automatic residential proxy switching
• ✅ Bulk Processing: Handle multiple videos efficiently
• ✅ Error Recovery: Graceful handling of failed requests

Input

JSON Example

{
  "startUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID_2"
    }
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  },
  "language": "en"
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
startUrls	Array	Yes	List of YouTube video URLs to scrape
proxyConfiguration	Object	No	Proxy settings (default: no proxy)
language	String	No	Preferred transcript language (default: "en")

Output

JSON Example

{
  "type": "video",
  "video_id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up",
  "description": "Official Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up...",
  "channel_name": "Rick Astley",
  "published_date": "2009-10-25",
  "duration_seconds": 212,
  "views": 1500000000,
  "likes": 15000000,
  "comment_count": 500000,
  "engagement_rate": 0.0133,
  "transcript_available": true,
  "transcript": [
    {
      "start": "0.000",
      "dur": "2.500",
      "text": "We're no strangers to love"
    }
  ],
  "channel": {
    "id": "UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
    "name": "Rick Astley",
    "handle": "RickAstley",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@RickAstley",
    "logo": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/...",
    "badges": ["Verified"]
  },
  "thumbnails": {
    "default": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/default.jpg",
    "medium": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/mqdefault.jpg",
    "high": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dQw4w9WgXcQ/hqdefault.jpg"
  },
  "hashtags": ["music", "rickastley"],
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "scrapedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z",
  "proxyUsed": "direct",
  "residentialProxyUsed": false
}

Output Fields

Field	Type	Description
video_id	String	YouTube video ID
title	String	Video title
description	String	Video description
channel_name	String	Channel name
published_date	String	Publication date (YYYY-MM-DD)
duration_seconds	Integer	Video duration in seconds
views	Integer	View count
likes	Integer	Like count
comment_count	Integer	Comment count
engagement_rate	Float	Engagement rate (likes + comments / views)
transcript_available	Boolean	Whether transcript was found
transcript	Array	Video transcript with timestamps
channel	Object	Channel information
thumbnails	Object	Thumbnail URLs in different resolutions
hashtags	Array	Hashtags from video description
url	String	Original video URL
scrapedAt	String	Timestamp when data was scraped

🚀 How to Use the Actor (via Apify Console)

1. Log in at https://console.apify.com and go to Actors
2. Find the "youtube-video-details-scraper" actor and click it
3. Configure inputs:
   • Add YouTube video URLs in the startUrls field
   • Choose proxy settings (recommended: start with no proxy)
   • Set preferred transcript language
4. Run the actor and monitor logs in real time
5. Access results in the OUTPUT tab
6. Export results to JSON or CSV format

Best Use Cases

• Content Analysis: Analyze video performance and engagement metrics
• Transcript Mining: Extract and analyze video content for research
• Channel Research: Gather information about YouTube channels
• Competitive Analysis: Compare video performance across channels
• Content Marketing: Research trending topics and hashtags
• Academic Research: Collect data for media studies and analysis
• SEO Research: Analyze video titles, descriptions, and tags

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many videos can I scrape at once? A: The actor can handle hundreds of videos in a single run. For large batches, consider running multiple instances.

Q: What happens if a video is private or deleted? A: The actor will log an error and continue with the next video, ensuring the process doesn't stop.

Q: Can I get transcripts in different languages? A: Yes! Set the language parameter to your preferred language code (e.g., "es" for Spanish, "fr" for French).

Q: How does the proxy fallback work? A: If YouTube blocks the initial request, the actor automatically switches to residential proxies and retries up to 3 times.

Q: Is the data real-time? A: Yes, the actor fetches current data from YouTube, including live view counts and engagement metrics.

Q: Can I scrape live streams? A: Yes, the actor can extract information from live streams, including live status and current viewer count.

Support and Feedback

• Documentation: Check our comprehensive documentation for detailed usage examples
• Community: Join our community forum for discussions and tips
• Support: Contact our support team for technical assistance
• Feature Requests: Suggest new features through our feedback system

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Cautions

⚠️ Important: This actor collects data only from publicly available YouTube videos.

• No data is taken from private videos or password-protected content
• The end user is responsible for ensuring legal compliance
• Respect YouTube's Terms of Service and rate limits
• Use responsibly and avoid excessive requests that could impact YouTube's servers
• Ensure compliance with local data protection and privacy laws

Legal Notice: Users are responsible for ensuring their use of this actor complies with applicable laws, including but not limited to data protection regulations, copyright laws, and YouTube's Terms of Service.