100 free credits. No credit card required.Start building
Logo
YouTube logo
100 free credits. No credit card required

YouTube Channel API

Scrape YouTube Channel data with one API call. Returns public channel information for a YouTube channel including subscriber count, total video count, total view count, channel description, banner URL, and avatar URL. `author.followers` is YouTube's publicly published subscriber figure. Above 1,000 subscribers YouTube rounds that figure to three significant figures, and `author.ext.followers_approximate` is true. When the channel publishes a contact email in its public description, it is returned as `author.ext.public_email`; otherwise that leaf is null.

Last updated October 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team

Returns a YouTube channel's public profile: subscriber count on author.followers (rounded above 1,000), video and view totals, description, banner and avatar URLs, and author.ext.public_email.

Use it when you have a handle, channel id, or channel URL and want an account snapshot before pulling its videos.

Searching 68 platforms in parallel

·TikTok logoTikTok·Instagram logoInstagram·YouTube logoYouTube·Facebook logoFacebook·X logoX·LinkedIn logoLinkedIn·Reddit logoReddit·Threads logoThreads·Pinterest logoPinterest·Twitch logoTwitch·Truth Social logoTruth Social·Snapchat logoSnapchat·Kick logoKick·Bluesky logoBluesky·Kwai logoKwai·Rumble logoRumble·Spotify logoSpotify·Apple Music logoApple Music·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·Yelp logoYelp·Linktree logoLinktree·Komi logoKomi·Pillar logoPillar·lnk.bio logolnk.bio·Facebook Ads logoFacebook Ads·Google Ads logoGoogle Ads·LinkedIn Ads logoLinkedIn Ads·Google Search logoGoogle Search·Google News logoGoogle News·Finance logoFinance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility logoUtility·Universal Search logoUniversal Search
·TikTok logoTikTok·Instagram logoInstagram·YouTube logoYouTube·Facebook logoFacebook·X logoX·LinkedIn logoLinkedIn·Reddit logoReddit·Threads logoThreads·Pinterest logoPinterest·Twitch logoTwitch·Truth Social logoTruth Social·Snapchat logoSnapchat·Kick logoKick·Bluesky logoBluesky·Kwai logoKwai·Rumble logoRumble·Spotify logoSpotify·Apple Music logoApple Music·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·Yelp logoYelp·Linktree logoLinktree·Komi logoKomi·Pillar logoPillar·lnk.bio logolnk.bio·Facebook Ads logoFacebook Ads·Google Ads logoGoogle Ads·LinkedIn Ads logoLinkedIn Ads·Google Search logoGoogle Search·Google News logoGoogle News·Finance logoFinance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility logoUtility·Universal Search logoUniversal Search
·TikTok logoTikTok·Instagram logoInstagram·YouTube logoYouTube·Facebook logoFacebook·X logoX·LinkedIn logoLinkedIn·Reddit logoReddit·Threads logoThreads·Pinterest logoPinterest·Twitch logoTwitch·Truth Social logoTruth Social·Snapchat logoSnapchat·Kick logoKick·Bluesky logoBluesky·Kwai logoKwai·Rumble logoRumble·Spotify logoSpotify·Apple Music logoApple Music·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·Yelp logoYelp·Linktree logoLinktree·Komi logoKomi·Pillar logoPillar·lnk.bio logolnk.bio·Facebook Ads logoFacebook Ads·Google Ads logoGoogle Ads·LinkedIn Ads logoLinkedIn Ads·Google Search logoGoogle Search·Google News logoGoogle News·Finance logoFinance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility logoUtility·Universal Search logoUniversal Search
·TikTok logoTikTok·Instagram logoInstagram·YouTube logoYouTube·Facebook logoFacebook·X logoX·LinkedIn logoLinkedIn·Reddit logoReddit·Threads logoThreads·Pinterest logoPinterest·Twitch logoTwitch·Truth Social logoTruth Social·Snapchat logoSnapchat·Kick logoKick·Bluesky logoBluesky·Kwai logoKwai·Rumble logoRumble·Spotify logoSpotify·Apple Music logoApple Music·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·Yelp logoYelp·Linktree logoLinktree·Komi logoKomi·Pillar logoPillar·lnk.bio logolnk.bio·Facebook Ads logoFacebook Ads·Google Ads logoGoogle Ads·LinkedIn Ads logoLinkedIn Ads·Google Search logoGoogle Search·Google News logoGoogle News·Finance logoFinance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility logoUtility·Universal Search logoUniversal Search
YouTube API

What can you do with the Channel API?

The Channel endpoint gives you structured YouTube data with computed fields in a single request. No scraping infrastructure to build or maintain.

Example Request

curl -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channel?handle=MrBeast"
import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channel",
    params={
    'handle': 'MrBeast',
    },
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

data = response.json()
const response = await fetch(
  "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channel?handle=MrBeast",
  {
    headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
  },
);

const data = await response.json();

Parameters

ParameterRequiredDescription
channelIdNoYouTube channel ID. Can pass a channelId, handle or url
handleNoYouTube channel handle without the @ symbol
urlNoYouTube channel URL. Can pass a channelId, handle or url
hlNoPreferred response language for localized text (ISO 639-1, e.g. 'en', 'es', 'fr').
forUsernameNoLegacy YouTube username (pre-handle) to look up.
contact_emailNoOptional. When 1, also returns author.ext.contact_email: when the bio lists two or more email addresses, the one the creator gives for contacting them personally, copied verbatim from the bio. Null when there is one address or none, when every address belongs to a manager, agency or brand, or when the choice was not confident. author.ext.public_email is unchanged. No extra credits. (1)
Example Response

What does the YouTube Channel API return?

Every response follows one unified schema. Here is a real, unmodified response body, so you can see the exact fields you get back before spending a credit.

Example response
{
  "success": true,
  "platform": "youtube",
  "endpoint": "/v1/youtube/channel",
  "data": {
    "author": {
      "id": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
      "username": "@mrbeast",
      "display_name": "MrBeast",
      "avatar_url": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/nxYrc_1_2f77DoBadyxMTmv7ZpRZapHR5jbuYe7PlPd5cIRJxtNNEYyOC0ZsxaDyJJzXrnJiuDE=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
      "bio": "SUBSCRIBE FOR A COOKIE!\nNew MrBeast or MrBeast Gaming video every single Saturday at noon eastern time!\nAccomplishments:\n- Raised $20,000,000 To Plant 20,000,000 Trees\n- Removed 30,000,000 pounds of trash from the ocean\n- Helped 2,000 people walk again\n- Helped 1,000 blind people see\n- Helped 1,000 deaf people hear\n- Built wells in Africa\n- Built and gave away 100 houses\n- Adopted every dog in a shelter (twice)\n- Given millions to charity\n- Started my own snack company Feastables\n- Started my own software company Viewstats\n- Gave away a private island (twice)\n- Gave away 1 million meals\n- I counted to 100k\n- Ran a marathon in the world's largest shoes\n- Survived 50 hours in Antarctica\n- Recreated Squid Game in real life\n- Created the largest competition show with 1000 people (Beast Games)\n- Gave $5,000,000 to one person\n- Raised $40,000,000 To Bring Clean Water To Millions Of People\n- Granted 100+ Dream Wishes for Kids Fighting Cancer\n- Gave Away Another $5,000,000 On Beast Games S2\n",
      "verified": null,
      "followers": 519000000,
      "following": null,
      "posts_count": 1004,
      "likes_count": null,
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
      "private": null,
      "joined_at": "2012-02-20",
      "ext": {
        "country": "US",
        "public_email": null,
        "followers_approximate": true,
        "keywords": "mrbeast6000 beast mrbeast Mr.Beast mr",
        "total_views": 141401695682,
        "joined_at_timestamp": "2012-02-20T00:43:50Z",
        "topicCategories": [
          "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment",
          "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifestyle_(sociology)"
        ],
        "bannerExternalUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/mHMO_eEMp0dPvh0ADwXhPXNYb_GnjSVsLI8biqF1CpxT8OPl7izhNQsDPD3JHhd5y5Mg9GrP",
        "madeForKids": false,
        "hiddenSubscriberCount": false,
        "related_playlists": {
          "likes": "",
          "uploads": "UUX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"
        },
        "topic_ids": [
          "/m/02jjt",
          "/m/019_rr"
        ],
        "unsubscribed_trailer": "v9QtM6qnG50"
      }
    },
    "computed": {
      "engagement_rate": null,
      "language": "en",
      "content_category": "gaming",
      "estimated_reach": null
    }
  },
  "credits_used": 1,
  "request_id": "req_example000000",
  "cached": false,
  "credits_remaining": 9999,
  "source": "captured",
  "captured_at": "2026-10-02T15:41:11.379Z",
  "redacted": true
}

Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.

API Details

How does the YouTube Channel API work?

Send a GET request with your API key and get back clean, structured JSON in our unified schema. Supported computed fields are populated when the source provides the required inputs.

Method

GET

Response

JSON

Why SocialCrawl

Why use SocialCrawl for YouTube Channel data?

We handle the complexity of YouTube data extraction so you can focus on building. Unified schema, AI enrichment, and zero platform logic in your code.

Developer First

How do you scrape social media data in seconds?

The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 68 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.

One schema, every platform

Query 68 platforms with identical response structures. Write your integration once.

Computed fields, not just scraped

When an endpoint supports these metrics and the source provides the required inputs, the normalized record includes engagement_rate, estimated_reach, content_category, and language. Ready to use.

See your data before you code

Visual Data Explorer. Paste any URL, get rich result cards, sortable tables, CSV export.

import requests

response = requests.get(
    'https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/tiktok/profile',
    params={'handle': 'charlidamelio'},
    headers={'x-api-key': 'sc_YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json()
[ .JSON ]
{
  "success": true,
  "platform": "tiktok",
  "data": {
    "author": {
      "username": "charlidamelio",
      "followers": 152400000
    },
    "engagement": {
      "likes": 12400000000,
      "engagement_rate": 0.087
    },
    "metadata": {
      "language": "en",
      "content_category": "lifestyle"
    }
  }
}
+ 68 platforms
FAQ

Have a question? We got answers

Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.

Contact us
How do I get a YouTube channel's subscriber count via API?
Send a GET request to /v1/youtube/channel with a handle, channelId, or url parameter. The response includes subscriberCount along with totalViews, videoCount, description, banner, and avatar URL.
Can I look up a YouTube channel by @handle?
Yes. Pass the handle without the @ symbol (e.g. handle=MrBeast) and SocialCrawl resolves it to the channel. You can also pass channelId (UC…) or a full channel url, any of the three works.
What fields does GET /v1/youtube/channel return?
channelId, handle, title, description, subscriberCount, totalViews, videoCount, country, joinedAt, avatar, banner, and verified status. All fields normalized to the unified Author schema across 68 platforms.
Does this endpoint count against YouTube Data API quota?
No. SocialCrawl does not use the official YouTube Data API v3, so nothing is deducted from your Google Cloud project quota. Each request costs 1 SocialCrawl credit, that's it.
How fast is the YouTube Channel API?
Most channel requests return JSON within 1–3 seconds. Responses are cached under the profile category, so a repeat lookup of the same channel comes back faster on the second call.
Does the YouTube Channel API return the exact subscriber count?
GET /v1/youtube/channel returns author.followers as YouTube's publicly published subscriber figure, an integer rather than a 4.4M-style string. Above 1,000 subscribers YouTube itself rounds that figure to three significant figures, and author.ext.followers_approximate is true. Below 1,000 the count is exact.

Ask AI about SocialCrawl

Ready to scrape YouTube Channel data?

Get your API key and start pulling YouTube data in under 60 seconds.

Start for free

🤖 AI agent or LLM? Read this page as markdown