# YouTube Video & Channel Scraper (`cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper`) Actor

Extract YouTube video data via official API v3: titles, views, likes, comments, thumbnails, channel stats, tags. Search by keyword or scrape entire channels. Requires YouTube API key. Perfect for content research, competitor analysis, trend monitoring.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/cloud9\_ai/youtube-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [cloud9](https://apify.com/cloud9_ai) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Videos
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.50 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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 & Channel Scraper

Extract YouTube video data via official API v3: titles, views, likes, comments, thumbnails, channel stats, tags. Search by keyword or scrape entire channels. Requires YouTube API key. Perfect for content research, competitor analysis, trend monitoring.

### Use cases

- Research a keyword's competition and top-performing videos
- Track a channel's upload cadence and view growth
- Benchmark competitor channels for content strategy
- Build a video-discovery or curation feed
- Collect metadata for thumbnail and title analysis

### Input

> **You need your own free YouTube Data API v3 key.** Get one at https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/youtube.googleapis.com — it takes a minute and costs nothing. Without it the Actor cannot fetch data.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `apiKey` | string | No | — | Your YouTube Data API v3 key. Get it from Google Cloud Console. |
| `keyword` | string | No | `"machine learning"` | Keyword to search for videos (required for search mode) |
| `channelId` | string | No | — | Optional: Scrape specific channel's data |
| `maxResults` | integer | No | `50` | Maximum number of results to return (1-500) |
| `sort` | string | No | `"relevance"` | Sort results by Allowed: `relevance`, `date`, `viewCount`, `rating`. |
| `videoType` | string | No | `"any"` | Filter by video type Allowed: `any`, `episode`, `movie`. |
| `videoDuration` | string | No | `"any"` | Filter by video duration Allowed: `any`, `short`, `medium`, `long`. |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "sort": "relevance",
  "videoType": "any",
  "videoDuration": "any",
  "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
```

### Output

Each dataset item has the following shape (fields vary by mode):

| Field | Type |
|---|---|
| `videoId` | string |
| `title` | string |
| `channelTitle` | string |
| `viewCount` | number |
| `likeCount` | number |
| `publishedAt` | string |
| `url` | string |

The dataset also ships a preset table view (**Overview**), so the key columns are readable straight away in Apify Console, and exportable to JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML.

### How to run it

**In Apify Console** — open the Actor, fill in the input form, click **Start**, then download the results from the **Dataset** tab.

**With the JavaScript client**

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper').call({
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "sort": "relevance",
  "videoType": "any",
  "videoDuration": "any",
  "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY"
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);
```

**With the Python client**

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN')

run = client.actor('cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper').call(run_input={
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "sort": "relevance",
  "videoType": "any",
  "videoDuration": "any",
  "apiKey": "YOUR_API_KEY"
})

for item in client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

**With the API** — `POST https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/cloud9_ai~youtube-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN` with the input JSON as the body.

### Notes and limits

- Bring your own **YouTube Data API v3** key (free — https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/youtube.googleapis.com). It is a secret input, so it is not written to the dataset or the log.
- `maxResults` caps how much a single run collects, which is also what caps the run's cost.
- Requests to the source are paced to stay inside its rate limits.
- Only publicly available data is collected. How you use the output is your responsibility, including the source's terms of use and any applicable data-protection law.

### Support

Found a bug, or need a field that isn't in the output? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab of this Actor in Apify Console. Issues there are read and answered.

### License

Apache-2.0

# Actor input Schema

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Your YouTube Data API v3 key. Get it from Google Cloud Console.

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search for videos (required for search mode)

## `channelId` (type: `string`):

Optional: Scrape specific channel's data

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

Maximum number of results to return (1-500)

## `sort` (type: `string`):

Sort results by

## `videoType` (type: `string`):

Filter by video type

## `videoDuration` (type: `string`):

Filter by video duration

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keyword": "machine learning",
  "channelId": "UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ",
  "maxResults": 50,
  "sort": "relevance",
  "videoType": "any",
  "videoDuration": "any"
}
```

# 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 = {
    "keyword": "machine learning"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper").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 = { "keyword": "machine learning" }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper").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 '{
  "keyword": "machine learning"
}' |
apify call cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,cloud9_ai/youtube-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

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/RkzCoWFU4X24ETVPP/builds/pOMRZ3pzpPDkpTfIf/openapi.json