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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

·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·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·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·Google Finance logoGoogle Finance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility·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·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·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·Google Finance logoGoogle Finance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility·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·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·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·Google Finance logoGoogle Finance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility·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·TikTok Shop logoTikTok Shop·Amazon Shop logoAmazon Shop·Google Shopping logoGoogle Shopping·Trustpilot logoTrustpilot·TripAdvisor logoTripAdvisor·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·Google Finance logoGoogle Finance·Polymarket logoPolymarket·Tavily logoTavily·Hacker News logoHacker News·GitHub logoGitHub·Perplexity logoPerplexity·Naver logoNaver·Utility·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"
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

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.
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": "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.

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 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()
[ .JSON ]
{
  "success": true,
  "platform": "tiktok",
  "data": {
    "author": {
      "username": "charlidamelio",
      "followers": 152400000
    },
    "engagement": {
      "likes": 12400000000,
      "engagement_rate": 0.087
    },
    "metadata": {
      "language": "en",
      "content_category": "lifestyle"
    }
  }
}
+ 51 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 51 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.

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