# YouTube Search API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/youtube/search)

> Searches YouTube by keyword. Returns matching videos, channels, playlists, shorts, shelves, and live streams. Each video result includes title, URL, thumbnail, view count, publish date, duration, channel info, and badges. Filter by `type` to scope to one content kind; filter by `duration` for video length (videos only — not shorts).

TL;DR: `GET /v1/youtube/search` costs 1 credit per call and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | yes | Search keyword or phrase. |
| `uploadDate` | no | Upload date filter. (today \| this_week \| this_month \| this_year) |
| `sortBy` | no | Sort order — relevance or popular. (relevance \| popular) |
| `type` | no | Type of content to return. (videos \| shorts \| channels \| playlists) |
| `duration` | no | Video duration filter. Only applies to videos (not shorts). (under_3_min \| between_3_and_20_min \| over_20_min) |
| `region` | no | 2-letter country code of the country to put the proxy in. |
| `continuationToken` | no | Continuation token to get more results. Get `continuationToken` from a previous response. |
| `includeExtras` | no | Set to `true` to include like + comment count and description. For full per-video details use `/v1/youtube/video`. Slows the response slightly. |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/search?query=javascript%20tutorial" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I search YouTube with a keyword via API?

Send a GET request to /v1/youtube/search with query=your keyword. The response is a list of matching videos with titles, view counts, channel info, thumbnails, and publish dates.

### Can I filter search results by upload date?

Yes. Pass uploadDate=today, this_week, this_month, or this_year to narrow results. Combine with sortBy=popular to find the most-viewed videos uploaded this week, for example.

### How do I only search for YouTube Shorts?

Pass filter=shorts in the query parameters. Note the filter only works when you search by keyword — it's incompatible with uploadDate and sortBy, which apply to long-form results.

### Can I search from a specific country's perspective?

Yes. Pass region=US, region=KR, region=GB, or any 2-letter country code to route the request through a proxy in that country. This surfaces regionally ranked results.

### Do I need the YouTube Data API for search?

No. SocialCrawl's search endpoint does not consume Google Cloud quota and does not require an API key from Google. One key, one endpoint, 1 credit per request, no OAuth.

See the full YouTube API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/youtube

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to search YouTube videos by keyword without Data API quota
- YouTube search API with upload date and region filters