Using Python

How to Scrape YouTube Video Transcript with Python

Get transcript/captions from a YouTube video using Python. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process, from setup to implementation.

Overview

What You'll Learn

Setting up your Python environment
Installing the required HTTP client
Authenticating with SociaVault API
Making requests to YouTube
Handling responses and errors

What You'll Get

Access to transcript data
JSON formatted responses
Real-time data access
Scalable solution
Error handling patterns

Prerequisites

1. API Key

First, you'll need a SociaVault API key to authenticate your requests.

Get your free API key

2. Development Environment

Make sure you have the following installed:

Python installed
A code editor (VS Code, Sublime, etc.)
Command line interface access

Implementation

Step 1: Install HTTP Client

We'll use requests to make HTTP requests.

bash

pip install requests

Step 2: API Implementation

Now let's make a request to the YouTube API using Python. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

python

import requests

api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
url = "https://api.sociavault.com/youtube/video/transcript?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbjVIDXPP7Uk"

headers = {
    "x-api-key": api_key,
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}

try:
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    response.raise_for_status()
    data = response.json()
    print("Response:", data)
except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
    print("Error:", e)

Testing Your Code

API Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	Example: `https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjVIDXPP7Uk`

Expected Response

You should receive a structured JSON response containing the transcript data.

json

{
  "videoId": "bjVIDXPP7Uk",
  "type": "video",
  "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjVIDXPP7Uk",
  "transcript": [
    {
      "text": "welcome back to the hell farm and the",
      "startMs": "160",
      "endMs": "1920",
      "startTimeText": "0:00"
    }
  ],
  "transcript_only_text": "welcome back to the hell farm and the backyard trails we built these jumps two years ago and last year we just kind of rebuilt them and this year......",
  "language": "English"
}

Best Practices

Error Handling

Implement comprehensive error handling and retry logic for failed requests. Log errors properly for debugging.

Caching

Cache responses when possible to reduce API calls and improve performance. Consider data freshness requirements.

Security

Never expose your API key in client-side code. Use environment variables and secure key management practices.

Troubleshooting

401

Unauthorized

Check your API key is correct and properly formatted in the x-api-key header.

402

Payment Required

You ran out of credits and need to buy more.

404

Not Found

The resource (user, video, etc.) might not exist or be private.

429

Too Many Requests

You have exceeded your rate limit. Slow down your requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to scrape YouTube?

SociaVault offers 50 free API calls to get started. After that, pricing starts at $10 for 5k requests with volume discounts available.

Is it legal to scrape YouTube data?

Scraping publicly available data is generally considered legal. We only collect public data that is accessible without logging in.

How fast can I scrape YouTube?

Our API handles the rate limiting for you. You can make requests as fast as your plan allows.

What data format does the API return?

All API responses are returned in JSON format, making it easy to integrate with any programming language or application.

Start Scraping Free View Documentation