Youtube Shorts Scraper

YouTube Shorts Scraper 🔍

YouTube Shorts Scraper is an Apify actor that extracts Shorts metadata from YouTube channels and saves structured results in your Apify dataset. If you’re looking for a YouTube Shorts scraper tool for lead generation, research, or content analysis, this YouTube Shorts metadata scraper helps you collect video-level details at scale—along with useful channel context—so you can move faster than manual work.

Whether you’re a marketer, data analyst, or researcher, this YouTube Shorts scraper automates gathering the information you need from public web data, saving you hours of manual work.

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Why choose YouTube Shorts Scraper?

Feature	Benefit
✅ All-in-one shorts extraction	Collects Shorts URLs and video details from channel Shorts feeds in one run
✅ Reliability with built-in resilience	Includes retries and fallbacks for improved scraping stability
✅ Structured output (dataset-ready)	Produces consistent JSON fields that are easy to analyze or import
✅ Scale-friendly batching	Handles multiple input URLs and processes multiple Shorts per channel
✅ Automation-friendly results	Saves each result immediately to the default dataset for safer long runs
✅ Built-in proxy support	Works with Apify proxy configuration to help with reliable data collection

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Key features

• 🔍 YouTube Shorts metadata scraping: Extracts Shorts title, view count, date, duration, likes, comments, and hashtags.
• 🌐 Shorts URL support: Accepts channel Shorts URLs (or a single Shorts URL) via startUrls.
• 🧠 Channel context included: Saves channel name, channel URL, username, description, subscriber count, and totals when available.
• 📦 Structured JSON results: Outputs a consistent object per Shorts video with clear field names for downstream workflows.
• 🛡️ Resilient fetching: Uses retries and robust fallbacks when extracting data.
• 💾 Dataset live saving: Each scraped result is pushed to the Apify dataset immediately during the run.
• 🔄 Batch processing with limits: Scrapes up to your specified limit per channel to keep runs predictable.
• 🏷️ Hashtag extraction: Extracts hashtags from the Shorts description and/or title.

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Input

Provide input via an input.json file. Example structure:

{
  "startUrls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/@AIDIGICHAOS/shorts"
  ],
  "limit": 30
}

Input Fields

Field	Required	Description
startUrls	✅	A list of YouTube channel Shorts URLs (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/@AIDIGICHAOS/shorts) or a single YouTube Shorts video URL.
limit	❌	Maximum number of Shorts to scrape per channel. Default is 30 (minimum is 1).

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Output

The actor saves each Shorts result as a JSON object into the default Apify dataset.

{
  "title": "string",
  "type": "shorts",
  "id": "string",
  "url": "string",
  "thumbnailUrl": "string",
  "viewCount": 123,
  "date": "string",
  "likes": 456,
  "channelName": "string",
  "channelUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/string",
  "channelUsername": "string",
  "channelId": "string",
  "channelDescription": "string",
  "channelAvatarUrl": "string",
  "channelTotalVideos": 0,
  "channelTotalViews": 0,
  "numberOfSubscribers": 0,
  "isChannelVerified": false,
  "inputChannelUrl": "string",
  "isAgeRestricted": false,
  "duration": "00:00:00",
  "commentsCount": 0,
  "order": 1,
  "commentsTurnedOff": false,
  "hashtags": ["#example"],
  "isPaidContent": false,
  "fromYTUrl": "string",
  "input": "string"
}

Output Fields

Field	Type	Description
title	string	The Shorts title text found on the video page.
type	string	Always set to "shorts".
id	string	The Shorts video identifier used to build the Shorts URL.
url	string	The full URL to the Shorts video.
thumbnailUrl	string	Thumbnail image URL (when found).
viewCount	number	View count for the Shorts video (cleaned to numeric).
date	string | null	Upload date (derived from microformat fields when available).
likes	number	Like count (cleaned to numeric).
channelName	string	Channel name associated with the Shorts video.
channelUrl	string | null	Channel page URL when channelId is available.
channelUsername	string | null	Channel username (when available from extracted channel metadata).
channelId	string | null	Channel identifier.
channelDescription	string | null	Channel description (when available).
channelAvatarUrl	string | null	Channel avatar image URL (when available).
channelTotalVideos	number | null	Total videos count for the channel (when available).
channelTotalViews	number | null	Total views count for the channel (when available).
numberOfSubscribers	number | null	Subscriber count for the channel (when available).
isChannelVerified	boolean	Always set to false in the current output payload.
inputChannelUrl	string	The starting URL you provided for the channel (or the detected input).
isAgeRestricted	boolean	Always set to false in the current output payload.
duration	string | null	Duration in HH:MM:SS format or another available duration representation.
commentsCount	number	Number of comments (cleaned to numeric; uses multiple fallbacks).
order	number	Shorts index within the scraped list for that input (starts from 1).
commentsTurnedOff	boolean	Always set to false in the current output payload.
hashtags	array	List of hashtags extracted from the description and/or title.
isPaidContent	boolean	Always set to false in the current output payload.
fromYTUrl	string	Derived from the startUrls input to indicate the Shorts feed source.
input	string	The original input URL used for this run.

Note: The actor pushes results as it goes, so you can export to JSON or CSV from the Apify dataset after the run completes (or even while it’s running).

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How to use YouTube Shorts Scraper (via Apify Console)

1. Open Apify Console
   Log in at https://console.apify.com and open the Actors page.

2. Find YouTube Shorts Scraper
   Search for YouTube Shorts Scraper and open the actor details page.

3. Go to the INPUT tab
   Use the built-in form to enter your startUrls.

4. Add one or more channel Shorts URLs
   Paste URLs like https://www.youtube.com/@AIDIGICHAOS/shorts. You can also provide a single shorts video URL.

5. Set the limit per channel
   Enter how many Shorts you want to scrape from each channel. The default is 30 (minimum 1).

6. (Optional) Proxy configuration
   The run uses proxyConfiguration internally. If proxy settings are not enabled, it defaults to Apify Proxy behavior.

7. Click Run
   Start the actor and monitor logs. You’ll see progress per input URL and per Shorts video.

8. Open OUTPUT (dataset results)
   After the run, open the default dataset to preview and export your scraped Shorts data (JSON/CSV).

No coding required—get accurate results in minutes with YouTube Shorts scraper automation.

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Advanced features & SEO optimization

• 🚀 Engineered for YouTube Shorts scraper tool workflows: Built for batch extraction of Shorts metadata scraper outputs, not just single-page scraping.
• 🔄 Rate-limit friendly resilience: Uses retries and fallbacks to improve completion rates during large runs.
• 🧾 Input normalization by type: Detects whether your input is a channel Shorts feed or a single Shorts URL and processes accordingly.
• 📝 Detailed dataset-ready fields: Structured output supports downstream analytics for YouTube Shorts analytics scraper use cases.
• 🌐 Automation-friendly results: Saves each video result immediately, making YouTube Shorts automation tool runs safer and easier to resume.

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Best use cases

• 📈 Marketing teams building influencer shortlists: Collect Shorts metadata (views, likes, comments) to shortlist creators for campaigns.
• 🧪 Researchers analyzing content trends: Scrape YouTube Shorts metadata scraper-style fields to study engagement patterns over time.
• 💼 Sales and lead generation workflows: Use the channel context (name, username, description) to enrich contact research pipelines.
• 🗂️ Content audit & competitive analysis: Batch scrape YouTube Shorts content scraper outputs to benchmark engagement and topics via hashtags.
• 🧰 Data analysts creating datasets: Turn scraped results into analysis-ready tables (views, likes, duration, upload date).
• 🧑‍💻 Developer pipelines: Feed structured JSON into your own processing or enrichment steps as part of a larger automation.
• 📰 RSS-style monitoring & discovery: Build “what’s new” lists by repeatedly running the YouTube Shorts RSS scraper-like workflow with updated startUrls.

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Technical specifications

• Supported Input Formats

  • ✅ startUrls accepts:
    • YouTube channel Shorts URLs (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/@name/shorts)
    • A single YouTube Shorts video URL
  • ✅ limit (integer, minimum 1, default 30)

• Proxy Support

  • ✅ Uses proxyConfiguration and is designed to work with Apify proxy configuration.
  • ✅ Built-in proxy support for more reliable scraping.

• Retry Mechanism

  • ✅ Includes retries and fallbacks when fetching channel and video pages.
  • ✅ Designed to improve stability during longer runs.

• Dataset Structure

  • ✅ One dataset record per successfully scraped Shorts video
  • ✅ Records include fields like title, url, viewCount, likes, commentsCount, hashtags, and channel metadata fields

• Rate Limits & Performance

  • ⚠️ Performance depends on your limit, network conditions, and how quickly pages respond.
  • ✅ The actor inserts a polite delay between video requests.

• Limitations

  • ❌ Data completeness can vary when certain fields are not available on the page (some channel metrics may be missing).
  • ❌ Private/restricted content isn’t guaranteed—results rely on what’s accessible from public web pages.

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FAQ

Does YouTube Shorts Scraper work for a single Shorts video URL?

✅ Yes. If you pass a Shorts video URL in startUrls, the actor detects it and processes it as a single target, returning the same kind of structured Shorts metadata record.

What does the limit parameter control?

limit controls the maximum number of Shorts scraped per channel URL. For channel inputs, the actor collects Shorts URLs up to that limit and then scrapes details for each one.

Can I scrape multiple channels in one run?

✅ Yes. Add multiple items to startUrls. The actor will process each input and scrape up to limit Shorts per channel.

What kind of YouTube Shorts downloader outputs does it provide?

This actor is focused on scraping metadata and returning structured dataset records. It outputs video details like title, url, thumbnailUrl, viewCount, likes, commentsCount, and hashtags—useful if you’re building downstream “YouTube Shorts downloader” or “YouTube Shorts video downloader” workflows.

Do I need an API or Python to use it?

❌ No. You can use it directly in Apify Console by filling in startUrls and limit. The dataset output is already in JSON form and can be exported.

How do I export the results?

After the run finishes, open the default dataset in Apify Console and export the records. Since results are saved to the dataset as they’re scraped, you can also monitor progress during longer runs.

Is it legal to scrape publicly available data from YouTube?

✅ The actor collects information from publicly accessible sources. You’re responsible for following applicable laws (including GDPR/CCPA where relevant), platform policies, and any applicable terms about data usage.

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Support & feature requests

Want to improve YouTube Shorts Scraper or request enhancements to your YouTube Shorts scraper tool workflow? 💡
Feature Requests can include additions like improved exports (CSV/JSON variants), more output fields, or adjustments to how results are normalized for analytics and CRM pipelines.

For help, reach out at dataforleads@gmail.com. Your feedback helps shape the roadmap for this YouTube Shorts metadata scraper.

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If you need a reliable YouTube Shorts scraper for metadata extraction at scale, this is built to help you get results faster—without the manual grind.

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Disclaimer

This tool accesses publicly accessible sources. It does not access private profiles, authenticated data, or password-protected content.

You are responsible for ensuring your use complies with applicable laws (including GDPR/CCPA), platform terms, and any relevant regulations—especially for contact and outreach workflows.

For data removal requests, contact dataforleads@gmail.com. Use YouTube Shorts Scraper responsibly, ethically, and for legitimate purposes only.