YouTube Search API: Build Powerful Discovery Applications

Need to search YouTube programmatically? The Search API lets you find videos, channels, and playlists—perfect for content discovery and research tools.

Search Capabilities

Endpoint	Description
Search	General video/channel search
Search Hashtag	Find videos by hashtag

General Search API

Search for videos, channels, playlists, shorts, and lives:

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search?query=web+scraping+tutorial&sortBy=relevance',
  {
    headers: {
      'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
    }
  }
);

const results = await response.json();

Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
query	Yes	Search query
uploadDate	No	today, this_week, this_month, or this_year
sortBy	No	relevance (default) or popular
filter	No	all (default) or shorts (only works without uploadDate/sortBy)
continuationToken	No	Token from previous response for pagination

Sample Response

Results are grouped by type. Each group uses numeric keys — use Object.values() to iterate.

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "videos": {
      "0": {
        "type": "video",
        "id": "HJr2BqCcz8g",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJr2BqCcz8g",
        "title": "Web Scraping Tutorial 2026 - Complete Guide",
        "thumbnail": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HJr2BqCcz8g/hq720.jpg",
        "channel": {
          "id": "UCJg9wBPyKMNA5sRDnvzmkdg",
          "title": "Tech Channel",
          "handle": "techchannel",
          "thumbnail": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/..."
        },
        "viewCountText": "250,000 views",
        "viewCountInt": 250000,
        "publishedTimeText": "2 weeks ago",
        "publishedTime": "2026-01-05T10:00:00Z",
        "lengthText": "25:30",
        "lengthSeconds": 1530,
        "badges": {}
      }
    },
    "channels": {},
    "playlists": {},
    "shorts": {
      "0": {
        "type": "short",
        "id": "UhPc_k8DThI",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhPc_k8DThI",
        "title": "Web scraping in 60 seconds #coding",
        "viewCountText": "7.1K",
        "viewCountInt": 7100
      }
    },
    "shelves": {},
    "lives": {},
    "continuationToken": "ErkDEghmb290YmFsbB..."
  },
  "credits_used": 1
}

Hashtag Search

Find videos using a specific hashtag:

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search/hashtag?hashtag=shorts&type=all',
  {
    headers: {
      'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
    }
  }
);

const hashtagResults = await response.json();

Hashtag Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
hashtag	Yes	Hashtag to search for (e.g. funny)
continuationToken	No	Token from previous response for pagination
type	No	all (default) or shorts

The response has the same structure as general search — videos, channels, playlists, shorts, etc.

Use Cases

Content Research

Find videos on a topic:

async function researchTopics(topics) {
  const research = await Promise.all(
    topics.map(async query => {
      const res = await fetch(
        `https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search?query=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`,
        { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
      );
      const { data } = await res.json();
      const videos = Object.values(data.videos || {});

      return {
        topic: query,
        totalVideos: videos.length,
        avgViews: videos.length > 0
          ? videos.reduce((s, v) => s + (v.viewCountInt || 0), 0) / videos.length
          : 0
      };
    })
  );

  console.log('Topic research:', research);
}

Competitor Content Analysis

Find competing content:

async function analyzeCompetition(searchTerms) {
  for (const term of searchTerms) {
    const res = await fetch(
      `https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search?query=${encodeURIComponent(term)}&sortBy=popular`,
      { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
    );
    const { data } = await res.json();
    const videos = Object.values(data.videos || {});

    console.log(`\n"${term}" - ${videos.length} videos found`);
    videos.slice(0, 5).forEach(v => {
      console.log(`- ${v.title} (${v.viewCountText})`);
    });
  }
}

Hashtag Monitoring

Track content using specific hashtags:

async function monitorHashtags(hashtags) {
  for (const tag of hashtags) {
    const res = await fetch(
      `https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search/hashtag?hashtag=${encodeURIComponent(tag)}`,
      { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
    );
    const { data } = await res.json();
    const videos = Object.values(data.videos || {});
    const shorts = Object.values(data.shorts || {});

    const recentVideos = videos.filter(v =>
      v.publishedTime && new Date(v.publishedTime) > new Date(Date.now() - 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000)
    );

    console.log(`#${tag}: ${recentVideos.length} videos + ${shorts.length} shorts this week`);
  }
}

Build a Content Calendar

Research what's performing to plan content:

async function buildCalendar(keywords) {
  const insights = [];

  for (const keyword of keywords) {
    const res = await fetch(
      `https://api.sociavault.com/v1/scrape/youtube/search?query=${encodeURIComponent(keyword)}&uploadDate=this_month`,
      { headers: { 'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
    );
    const { data } = await res.json();
    const videos = Object.values(data.videos || {});

    const avgViews = videos.length > 0
      ? videos.reduce((s, v) => s + (v.viewCountInt || 0), 0) / videos.length
      : 0;

    insights.push({
      keyword,
      avgViews,
      competition: videos.length,
      opportunity: videos.length > 0 ? avgViews / videos.length : 0
    });
  }

  return insights.sort((a, b) => b.opportunity - a.opportunity);
}

Related Endpoints

• YouTube Channel Scraper - Channel details
• YouTube Videos Scraper - Channel videos
• YouTube Trending Shorts - Trending content
• TikTok Search - TikTok search

Frequently Asked Questions

How many results can I get?

Each search returns results grouped by type (videos, channels, playlists, shorts, lives). Use continuationToken from the response to paginate for more.

Can I filter by upload date?

Yes, use the uploadDate parameter with options: today, this_week, this_month, or this_year. You can also use sortBy (relevance or popular).

Are results personalized?

No, SociaVault returns non-personalized results, giving you objective search data.

Can I search for playlists?

Yes, playlists appear in general search results alongside videos and channels.

How does hashtag search work?

Hashtag search returns videos that include the specific hashtag in their title or description.

Get Started

Create your account and start searching YouTube programmatically.

Documentation: /docs/api-reference/youtube/search