youtubei

Project Introduction: Youtubei

Overview

Youtubei is a modern library designed as a successor to the previously developed scrape-yt. Unlike its predecessor, which relied on scraping data directly from YouTube web pages, youtubei fetches data through API requests made to https://www.youtube.com/youtubei/v1. This method not only speeds up data retrieval but also improves the reliability of the information obtained from YouTube.

System Requirements

To utilize youtubei, users need to have Node.js version 16 or higher installed on their system. This ensures compatibility and smooth operation when using the library.

Documentation

For more detailed guidance on how to use youtubei, users can refer to the official documentation.

Installation

Installation of youtubei is straightforward, and developers have two options depending on their preference:

1. Install the stable version using npm:

   npm i youtubei
   

2. Install the latest development build directly from GitHub:

   npm i git://github.com/suspiciouslookingowl/youtubei.git#dist
   

Basic Usage Example

The youtubei library provides a simple interface to interact with YouTube data. Below is an example that demonstrates some basic operations:

1. Importing the Library:

   • For CommonJS users:

     const { Client, MusicClient } = require("youtubei");
     

   • For TypeScript or ES6 users:

     import { Client, MusicClient } from "youtubei";
     

2. Initiating Clients:

   • Create instances for general YouTube data access and music-specific operations:

     const youtube = new Client();
     const music = new MusicClient();
     

3. Searching Videos:

   • Perform a search query on YouTube:

     const videos = await youtube.search("Never gonna give you up", {
       type: "video",
     });
     console.log(videos.items.length); // Outputs the number of videos found
     

4. Pagination:

   • Loading additional video results:

     const nextVideos = await videos.next();
     

5. Accessing Video and Channel Data:

   • You can directly fetch details using the URL of a video or a playlist:

     const video = await youtube.getVideo("dQw4w9WgXcQ");
     const playlist = await youtube.getPlaylist("UUHnyfMqiRRG1u-2MsSQLbXA");
     

6. Using Music Client:

   • Conduct search operations tailored for music:

     const shelves = await music.search("Never gonna give you up");
     console.log(shelves);
     

Conclusion

Youtubei offers a seamless and efficient way to access YouTube data programmatically. By utilizing direct API calls, it promises faster data retrieval and better accuracy than traditional web scraping methods. Whether you're interested in general video content or specific music data, youtubei provides a robust toolkit for developers to interact with YouTube content programmatically.