YouTube Video Thumbnails API
Scrape YouTube Video Thumbnails data with one API call. Returns the thumbnail image files for a YouTube video at every available size — each with a direct image `url`, dimensions (`width`/`height`), aspect `ratio`, and image `format` (webp / jpg).
Last updated August 2026Maintained by the SocialCrawl team
Returns a video's thumbnail images at every available size, each with a direct image URL, width, height, aspect ratio, and image format.
Use it when you need a video's artwork on its own, for example to pick the largest image for your own listing or preview.
Searching 48 platforms in parallel
TikTok·
Instagram·
YouTube·
Facebook·
X·
LinkedIn·
Reddit·
Threads·
Pinterest·
Twitch·
Truth Social·
Snapchat·
Kick·
Bluesky·
Kwai·
Rumble·
Spotify·TikTok Shop·
Amazon Shop·
Google Shopping·
Trustpilot·
TripAdvisor·
Linktree·
Komi·
Pillar·
lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·
Polymarket·
Tavily·
Hacker News·
GitHub·
Perplexity·
Naver·Utility·
Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchTikTok·Instagram·YouTube·Facebook·X·LinkedIn·Reddit·Threads·Pinterest·Twitch·Truth Social·Snapchat·Kick·Bluesky·Kwai·Rumble·Spotify·TikTok Shop·Amazon Shop·Google Shopping·Trustpilot·TripAdvisor·Linktree·Komi·Pillar·lnk.bio·Facebook Ads·Google Ads·LinkedIn Ads·Google Search·Google News·Google Finance·Polymarket·Tavily·Hacker News·GitHub·Perplexity·Naver·Utility·Universal SearchWhat can you do with the Video Thumbnails API?
The Video Thumbnails 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/video/thumbnails?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ"import requests
response = requests.get(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/video/thumbnails",
params={
'url': 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ',
},
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
data = response.json()const response = await fetch(
"https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/video/thumbnails?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdQw4w9WgXcQ",
{
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
},
);
const data = await response.json();Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| url | Yes | Full URL of the YouTube video. |
What does the YouTube Video Thumbnails 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/video/thumbnails",
"data": {
"items": [
{
"id": "default",
"width": 120,
"height": 90,
"format": "webp",
"ratio": "4:3",
"url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/dQw4w9WgXcQ/default.webp"
},
{
"id": "medium",
"width": 320,
"height": 180,
"format": "webp",
"ratio": "16:9",
"url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/dQw4w9WgXcQ/mqdefault.webp"
}
],
"dropped": 0
},
"credits_used": 1,
"credits_remaining": 9999,
"request_id": "req_example000000",
"cached": false,
"pagination": {
"next_cursor": null,
"has_more": false,
"page_size": 10
}
}Live sample illustrating the unified response shape. Field values reflect the record you query.
How does the YouTube Video Thumbnails 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 48 platforms covering 10B+ monthly active users.
One schema, every platform
Query 48 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.
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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 video's thumbnail via API?
What sizes do I get back?
What image formats are returned?
Do I need the Data API to fetch thumbnails?
How much does the thumbnails endpoint cost?
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