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.
Last updated August 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
Returns a YouTube channel's public profile: subscriber figure on author.followers (approximate above 1,000), total video count, total view count, description, banner URL, and avatar URL.
Use it when you have a handle, channel id, or channel URL and want an account snapshot before pulling its videos.
Searching 51 platforms in parallel
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"import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channel",
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = response.json()const response = await fetch(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channel",
{
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
},
);
const data = await response.json();Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| channelId | No | YouTube channel ID. Can pass a channelId, handle or url |
| handle | No | YouTube channel handle without the @ symbol |
| url | No | YouTube channel URL. Can pass a channelId, handle or url |
| hl | No | Preferred response language for localized text (ISO 639-1, e.g. 'en', 'es', 'fr'). |
| forUsername | No | Legacy YouTube username (pre-handle) to look up. |
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": "UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ",
"username": "@nasa",
"display_name": "NASA",
"avatar_url": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/eIf5fNPcIcj9ig-wZBeq4stFy1lgjWTW1nLT5dYlFkHZprZ03QBiMcbpwNMB6XSBjrSFGtAGQg=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
"bio": "NASA's mission is to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research.\r\n\r\nTo do that, we have worked around the world—and off it—for more than 60 years, searching for answers to fundamental questions about our place in the universe. We're exploring space and discovering Earth. Join us on this exciting and important journey.\n",
"verified": null,
"followers": 15000000,
"following": null,
"posts_count": 6139,
"likes_count": null,
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ",
"private": null,
"joined_at": "2008-06-03",
"ext": {
"keywords": "nasa space iss shuttle 50th astronauts planets earth rockets hubble telescopes NASA TV galaxy apollo gemini mercury sta Moon Artemis \"solar system\"",
"topicCategories": [
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge"
],
"bannerExternalUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/wene-k08O5GIa5h7syMVe6IKiiRiKh6vpajQSUYma01_wG5aMOCqvvAdd2NuljADPuUNPpMkrw",
"madeForKids": false,
"hiddenSubscriberCount": false,
"related_playlists": {
"likes": "",
"uploads": "UULA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ"
},
"topic_ids": [
"/m/098wr",
"/m/01k8wb"
],
"unsubscribed_trailer": "QONgJurkigk"
}
},
"computed": {
"engagement_rate": null,
"language": "en",
"content_category": "other",
"estimated_reach": null
}
},
"credits_used": 1,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
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
How do you scrape social media data in seconds?
The fastest social media scraping API for developers. Scrape profiles, posts, comments, and analytics from 51 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 51 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(){
"success": true,
"platform": "tiktok",
"data": {
"author": {
"username": "charlidamelio",
"followers": 152400000
},
"engagement": {
"likes": 12400000000,
"engagement_rate": 0.087
},
"metadata": {
"language": "en",
"content_category": "lifestyle"
}
}
}Have a question? We got answers
Find answers to frequently asked questions about SocialCrawl's API, pricing, and capabilities.
Contact usHow do I get a YouTube channel's subscriber count via API?
Can I look up a YouTube channel by @handle?
What fields does GET /v1/youtube/channel return?
Does this endpoint count against YouTube Data API quota?
How fast is the YouTube Channel API?
Does the YouTube Channel API return the exact subscriber count?
Ask AI about SocialCrawl
Ready to scrape YouTube Channel data?
Get your API key and start pulling YouTube data in under 60 seconds.
