YouTube Video Details API: Extract Complete Video Information

Need detailed information about a specific YouTube video? The Video Details API returns comprehensive metadata, statistics, and engagement metrics.

What Data Can You Extract?

Field	Description
Video ID	Unique identifier
Title	Video title
Description	Full description
Views	View count
Likes	Like count
Comments	Comment count
Duration	Video length
Published Date	Upload timestamp
Tags	Video tags
Category	Content category
Thumbnail	Multiple thumbnail URLs
Channel	Creator information
Live Status	If from live stream

Using the Video API

const response = await fetch('https://api.sociavault.com/youtube/video', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    url: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ'
  })
});

const video = await response.json();

Sample Response

{
  "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up",
  "description": "The official video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley...",
  "views": 1500000000,
  "likes": 15000000,
  "comments": 2800000,
  "duration": "3:33",
  "durationSeconds": 213,
  "publishedAt": "2009-10-25T06:57:33Z",
  "tags": ["rick astley", "never gonna give you up", "80s music"],
  "category": "Music",
  "thumbnails": {
    "default": "https://...",
    "medium": "https://...",
    "high": "https://...",
    "maxres": "https://..."
  },
  "channel": {
    "id": "UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
    "name": "Rick Astley",
    "handle": "@RickAstley",
    "subscribers": 4500000,
    "verified": true
  },
  "isLive": false,
  "isShort": false
}

Use Cases

Video Performance Tracking

Monitor video metrics over time:

async function trackVideo(videoUrl) {
  const video = await getVideoDetails(videoUrl);
  
  await saveMetrics({
    videoId: video.id,
    views: video.views,
    likes: video.likes,
    comments: video.comments,
    timestamp: new Date()
  });
  
  // Calculate daily change
  const yesterday = await getYesterdayMetrics(video.id);
  
  console.log(`Views: +${(video.views - yesterday.views).toLocaleString()}`);
  console.log(`Likes: +${(video.likes - yesterday.likes).toLocaleString()}`);
}

Engagement Rate Calculation

const video = await getVideoDetails(url);

const engagementRate = ((video.likes + video.comments) / video.views) * 100;
console.log(`Engagement rate: ${engagementRate.toFixed(3)}%`);

Compare Multiple Videos

Analyze performance across videos:

const urls = ['url1', 'url2', 'url3'];

const videos = await Promise.all(
  urls.map(url => getVideoDetails(url))
);

const comparison = videos.map(v => ({
  title: v.title,
  views: v.views,
  engagement: ((v.likes + v.comments) / v.views * 100).toFixed(3) + '%',
  viewsPerDay: Math.round(v.views / daysSincePublished(v.publishedAt))
}));

console.table(comparison);

Extract Tags for SEO

Analyze video image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611162618071-b39a2ec055fb?w=1200&h=630&fit=crop&q=80" tags:

const video = await getVideoDetails(url);

console.log('Video image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611162618071-b39a2ec055fb?w=1200&h=630&fit=crop&q=80"
tags:', video.tags);

// Compare with competitor
const competitor = await getVideoDetails(competitorUrl);
const commonTags = video.tags.filter(t => competitor.tags.includes(t));
const uniqueTags = video.tags.filter(t => !competitor.tags.includes(t));

console.log('Common image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611162618071-b39a2ec055fb?w=1200&h=630&fit=crop&q=80"
tags:', commonTags);
console.log('Unique image: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611162618071-b39a2ec055fb?w=1200&h=630&fit=crop&q=80"
tags:', uniqueTags);

Identify Video Type

Determine if content is a Short, live stream, etc.:

const video = await getVideoDetails(url);

if (video.isShort) {
  console.log('This is a YouTube Short');
} else if (video.isLive) {
  console.log('This was a live stream');
} else {
  console.log(`Regular video: ${video.duration}`);
}

Related Endpoints

• YouTube Videos Scraper - All channel videos
• YouTube Comments - Video comments
• YouTube Transcript - Video transcripts
• YouTube Channel Scraper - Channel info

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use video ID instead of URL?

Yes, both full URLs and video IDs work: dQw4w9WgXcQ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Are Shorts supported?

Yes, Shorts are supported. The isShort field indicates if the video is a YouTube Short.

How current are view counts?

View counts are fetched in real-time and reflect the current state within minutes.

Can I get videos that are age-restricted?

Age-restricted videos return limited data. Full metadata requires authentication.

What if a video is private or deleted?

Private/deleted videos return an error. Only public videos are accessible.

Get Started

Sign up free and start extracting YouTube video data.

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