# Youtube Video Scraper By Hashtag (`scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag`) Actor

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag.md
- **Developed by:** [Scrapium](https://apify.com/scrapium) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Lead generation, Social media
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.99 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## YouTube Video Scraper by Hashtag

A powerful Apify Actor that scrapes YouTube videos by hashtags, keywords, or usernames. This actor efficiently extracts video metadata including titles, thumbnails, view counts, and URLs from YouTube search results.

### Why Choose Us?

- **Bulk Processing**: Scrape multiple hashtags/keywords in a single run
- **Smart Proxy Fallback**: Automatically switches between no proxy, datacenter, and residential proxies if blocked
- **Comprehensive Data**: Extracts video IDs, titles, thumbnails, view counts, and more
- **Shorts Support**: Option to filter for YouTube Shorts only
- **Robust Error Handling**: Automatic retries and fallback mechanisms ensure maximum success rate

### Key Features

- Scrape videos by hashtags, keywords, or usernames
- Support for bulk input (multiple hashtags at once)
- Filter for YouTube Shorts only
- Automatic proxy fallback (no proxy → datacenter → residential)
- Detailed logging for monitoring progress
- Continuation token handling for pagination
- Duplicate video detection

### Input

#### Example Input

```json
{
  "hashtags": ["chatgpt", "Bangladesh"],
  "maxResults": 100,
  "scrapeShortsOnly": false,
  "sortOrder": "relevance",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
````

#### Input Fields

- **hashtags** (required): Array of YouTube hashtags (e.g., `#chatgpt`), keywords (e.g., `chatgpt`), or usernames to scrape. Supports bulk input.
- **maxResults** (optional, default: 100): Maximum number of videos to scrape per hashtag/keyword. Range: 1-1000.
- **scrapeShortsOnly** (optional, default: false): If enabled, only YouTube Shorts will be scraped.
- **sortOrder** (optional, default: "relevance"): Sort order for results. Options: "relevance", "date", "viewCount", "rating".
- **proxyConfiguration** (optional): Proxy configuration. By default, no proxy is used. If YouTube blocks the request, the actor will automatically fallback to datacenter proxy, then residential proxy.

### Output

#### Example Output

```json
[
  {
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f2mRAGvKca8/hq720.jpg",
    "title": "How To Use ChatGPT in Bengali",
    "id": "f2mRAGvKca8",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2mRAGvKca8",
    "viewCount": 1224495,
    "type": "video",
    "hashtagCategoryData.categoryInfoText": "1.9M videos • 577K channels"
  }
]
```

#### Output Fields

- **thumbnailUrl**: URL of the video thumbnail image
- **title**: Title of the video
- **id**: YouTube video ID
- **url**: Full YouTube video URL
- **viewCount**: Number of views (as integer)
- **type**: Video type ("video" or "shorts")
- **hashtagCategoryData.categoryInfoText**: Category information text from YouTube

### 🚀 How to Use the Actor (via Apify Console)

1. Log in at https://console.apify.com and go to **Actors**.
2. Find your actor (youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag) and click it.
3. Configure inputs:
   - Enter hashtags/keywords (supports bulk input)
   - Set maxResults per hashtag
   - Toggle scrapeShortsOnly if needed
   - Configure proxy settings (optional)
4. Run the actor.
5. Monitor logs in real time to see progress and proxy fallback events.
6. Access results in the **OUTPUT** tab.
7. Export results to JSON or CSV.

### Best Use Cases

- **Content Research**: Find trending videos by hashtag
- **Competitor Analysis**: Monitor videos from specific keywords
- **Trend Monitoring**: Track popular content in your niche
- **Data Collection**: Gather video metadata for analysis
- **SEO Research**: Analyze video performance by topic

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I scrape comments?**\
A: This actor currently scrapes video metadata only. Comments scraping is not included.

**Q: What happens if YouTube blocks my requests?**\
A: The actor automatically falls back through proxy options: no proxy → datacenter proxy → residential proxy (with 3 retries).

**Q: How many videos can I scrape?**\
A: You can set maxResults from 1 to 1000 per hashtag. The actor will continue paginating until it reaches the limit or runs out of results.

**Q: Does it work with private videos?**\
A: No, the actor only scrapes publicly available videos from YouTube search results.

**Q: Can I filter for specific video types?**\
A: Yes, use the `scrapeShortsOnly` option to filter for YouTube Shorts only.

### Support and Feedback

For issues, questions, or feedback, please contact support through the Apify platform.

### Cautions

- Data is collected only from **publicly available sources**.
- No data is taken from private accounts or password-protected content.
- The end user is responsible for ensuring legal compliance (spam laws, privacy, data protection, etc.).
- Respect YouTube's Terms of Service and rate limits.
- Use proxies responsibly to avoid overwhelming YouTube's servers.

# Actor input Schema

## `hashtags` (type: `array`):

Enter one or multiple search terms. Examples: #chatgpt, chatgpt, @username.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Set how many videos to collect for each hashtag, keyword, or username.

## `scrapeShortsOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Enable this to collect only YouTube Shorts results.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Optional: choose proxy settings for better stability and reliability during runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "hashtags": [
    "chatgpt"
  ],
  "maxResults": 10,
  "scrapeShortsOnly": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# 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 = {
    "hashtags": [
        "chatgpt"
    ],
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag").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 = {
    "hashtags": ["chatgpt"],
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag").call(run_input=run_input)

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "hashtags": [
    "chatgpt"
  ],
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=scrapium/youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Youtube Video Scraper By Hashtag",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "OnW1gKLhimXJNP1kv"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/scrapium~youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-scrapium-youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/scrapium~youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-scrapium-youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/scrapium~youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-scrapium-youtube-video-scraper-by-hashtag",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "hashtags"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "hashtags": {
                        "title": "🔎 Hashtags, Keywords, or Usernames",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Enter one or multiple search terms. Examples: #chatgpt, chatgpt, @username.",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "maxResults": {
                        "title": "📊 Maximum Results per Search Term",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 10000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Set how many videos to collect for each hashtag, keyword, or username.",
                        "default": 10
                    },
                    "scrapeShortsOnly": {
                        "title": "📱 Scrape Shorts Only",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Enable this to collect only YouTube Shorts results.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "🌐 Proxy Configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Optional: choose proxy settings for better stability and reliability during runs."
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```