# YouTube Channel ID Extractor (`w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor`) Actor

Resolve public YouTube channel identities from handles, UC IDs, canonical URLs, legacy /user URLs, and public video owners with source provenance.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [w3crawler](https://apify.com/w3crawler) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.99 / 1,000 channel identities

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/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## YouTube Channel ID Extractor

Resolves public YouTube channel identities from channel handles, channel IDs, channel URLs, public video URLs, or public video IDs. A video reference is followed to the public owner metadata and, when available, the owner About page is read for richer public statistics.

The actor uses public HTML and embedded page metadata only. It does not require login, cookies, private endpoints, browser automation, or signed media URLs.

### Input

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `channelUrls` | Public channel references; public video URLs are accepted for compatibility. |
| `videoUrls` | Public `/watch`, `/shorts`, `/live`, or `youtu.be` URLs. |
| `videoIds` | Public 11-character video IDs. |
| `maxItems` | Maximum references, from 1 to 200 (default 50). |
| `includeDiagnostics` | Store safe diagnostics for failed or blocked public pages (default `true`). |
| `enableProxyFallback` | Try ordinary Apify Proxy after direct access fails (default `true`). |
| `maxRetries`, `requestDelayMs`, `requestTimeoutSecs` | Bounded request controls. |
| `proxyConfiguration` | Optional credential-free Apify Proxy settings. |

Example:

```json
{
  "channelUrls": ["@GoogleDevelopers"],
  "videoIds": ["dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
  "maxItems": 2,
  "includeDiagnostics": true,
  "enableProxyFallback": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {"useApifyProxy": false}
}
```

### Output

Each identity record contains the original reference and type, channel ID/name/handle/canonical URL, description, avatar/banner, displayed and parsed subscriber/total-view/video counts, join date, country, keywords, external links, optional source video ID, resolution method, source page, extraction method, and `scrapedAt`. Unavailable fields are omitted.

The default dataset also receives safe diagnostics when requested. `OUTPUT` records item counts, failures, blocks, duration, and whether Apify Proxy routing was requested and configured. Operational request details, credentials, cookies, proxy URLs, and private data are never written.

### Development

```bash
npm ci
npx apify validate-schema .actor/input_schema.json
npm test
apify run --purge --input-file qa-inputs/youtube-channel-id-extractor/local-validation.json
npm run validate-dataset
```

The `cloud-validation.json` fixture explicitly requests the ordinary US Apify Proxy group for a genuine server routing check.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `channelUrls` (type: `array`):

Public @handles, UC IDs, youtube.com/@handle, /channel/UC…, /user/…, /c/…, or public video URLs accepted for compatibility.

## `videoUrls` (type: `array`):

Public youtube.com/watch, /shorts, /live, or youtu.be URLs whose owner should be resolved.

## `videoIds` (type: `array`):

Public 11-character YouTube video IDs whose owner should be resolved.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum references to process, from 1 to 200.

## `includeDiagnostics` (type: `boolean`):

Store safe diagnostics when a public reference is blocked or cannot be parsed.

## `enableProxyFallback` (type: `boolean`):

Try ordinary Apify Proxy routing after a direct public request fails.

## `maxRetries` (type: `integer`):

Bounded retries per public request.

## `requestDelayMs` (type: `integer`):

Delay after each successful public request.

## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Timeout for each public page request.

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

Optional credential-free Apify Proxy settings. Residential routing can help with regional throttling.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channelUrls": [
    "@GoogleDevelopers"
  ],
  "videoUrls": [],
  "videoIds": [],
  "maxItems": 1,
  "includeDiagnostics": true,
  "enableProxyFallback": true,
  "maxRetries": 2,
  "requestDelayMs": 250,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 60,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `keyValueStore` (type: `string`):

No description

# 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 = {
    "channelUrls": [
        "@GoogleDevelopers"
    ],
    "maxItems": 1,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": false
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor").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 = {
    "channelUrls": ["@GoogleDevelopers"],
    "maxItems": 1,
    "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": False },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor").call(run_input=run_input)

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "channelUrls": [
    "@GoogleDevelopers"
  ],
  "maxItems": 1,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}' |
apify call w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,w3crawler/youtube-channel-id-extractor"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/T1Io7sG5mUFfIFiGQ/builds/jdkbFc9thql3xmpvJ/openapi.json