# Youtube Comments Api (`caa_software/youtube-comments-api`) Actor This alternative YouTube Data API has no limits or quotas. Extract YouTube comments data from any YouTube video via Url or VideoId: full comment text, posting date, author username, video title, videoId. Download YouTube comments in JSON, CSV, and Excel. - **URL**: https://apify.com/caa\_software/youtube-comments-api.md - **Developed by:** [CAA Software](https://apify.com/caa_software) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, AI, Integrations - **Stats:** 28 total users, 2 monthly users, 97.2% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks - **User rating**: 4.28 out of 5 stars ## Pricing from $1.75 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## YouTube Comments Api for Apify **Professional YouTube comments api actor for Apify platform** This documentation provides complete integration guide for creating an Apify actor that downloads YouTube video comments. No API keys required. ### 🎯 Overview #### What This Actor Does - Extracts comments from any public YouTube video - Supports multiple languages and sorting options - Returns structured data perfect for analysis - Handles large datasets efficiently - No YouTube API quotas or restrictions #### Key Features - ✅ **No API Key Required** - Uses direct scraping approach - ✅ **Flexible Input** - Accepts video URLs or IDs - ✅ **Language Support** - Multiple language options - ✅ **Sorting Options** - Top comments or newest first - ✅ **Scalable** - Handle any number of comments - ✅ **Rich Metadata** - Complete comment information - ✅ **Error Handling** - Robust error management ### 📋 Input Schema #### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | `urlOrVideoId` | Array[String] | ✅ Yes | - | YouTube video URLs or video IDs | | `language` | String | ✅ Yes | "en" | Language code (en, tr, es, fr, de, it) | | `max_comments` | Number | ✅ Yes | 50 | Maximum comments per video | | `sortBy` | String | ✅ Yes | "top" | Sort method: "top" or "newest" | #### Input Examples ##### Basic Input ```json { "language": "en", "max_comments": 50, "sort_by": "newest", "urlOrVideoId": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnF3sUfyNRI" } ```` ### 📤 Output Schema #### Output Structure Each video produces an output record with the following structure: ```json [ { "video_info": { "video_id": "mnF3sUfyNRI", "video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnF3sUfyNRI", "download_date": "2025-09-03T20:22:16.881390", "downloader": "youtube-comments-api" }, "settings": { "max_comments": 50, "sort_by": "newest", "language": "en", "total_downloaded": 50 }, "comments": [ { "comment_id": "Ugz_xHS6GebfPxWhAjt4AaABAg", "author": "@sandro6411", "author_channel_id": "UCkAr1IWgyEBfp49BamNnVTw", "text": "what's up with speed's voice ?", "time_text": "1 minute ago", "time_parsed": 1756930876.09903, "like_count": "0", "reply_count": 0, "is_reply": false, "parent_id": null, "is_hearted": false, "is_pinned": false, "is_verified": false }, ... ], "summary": { "total_comments": 50, "main_comments": 50, "replies": 0, "hearted_comments": 0, "pinned_comments": 0 } } ] ``` ### 📊 Performance Guidelines #### Best Practices 1. **Batch Size**: Process 10-50 videos per run for optimal performance 2. **Memory**: Allocate at least 512MB for large comment sets 3. **Timeout**: Set timeout to 15-30 minutes for large datasets 4. **Error Handling**: Always include error handling for failed videos 5. **Rate Limiting**: Add delays between requests if processing many videos ### 🚨 Error Handling #### Common Errors and Solutions ##### Video Unavailable ```json { "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INVALID", "error": true, "errorMessage": "Video unavailable: INVALID", "processedAt": "2023-12-01T10:30:00.000Z" } ``` ##### Comments Disabled ```json { "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ", "error": true, "errorMessage": "Comments disabled: dQw4w9WgXcQ", "processedAt": "2023-12-01T10:30:00.000Z" } ``` ##### Invalid URL ```json { "videoUrl": "invalid-url", "error": true, "errorMessage": "Invalid YouTube URL or video ID: invalid-url", "processedAt": "2023-12-01T10:30:00.000Z" } ``` ### 🔐 Security & Privacy #### Data Handling - Only public comments are extracted - No personal data beyond public usernames - Comments are processed as-is from YouTube - No authentication or login required #### Compliance - Respects YouTube's public content policy - No rate limiting violations - Ethical scraping practices - GDPR compliant for public data *** **This documentation provides everything needed to create a professional YouTube comment extraction actor for the Apify platform. The solution is scalable, robust, and ready for production use.** # Actor input Schema ## `urlOrVideoId` (type: `string`): The URL or VideoId of video you want to get the data from. ## `max_comments` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of comments to download ## `sort_by` (type: `string`): 'top' for popular, 'newest' for chronological ## `language` (type: `string`): tr, en, es, fr, de, it, etc. ## Actor input object example ```json { "urlOrVideoId": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbFXuGDRTs", "max_comments": 50, "sort_by": "newest", "language": "en" } ``` # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "urlOrVideoId": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbFXuGDRTs", "sort_by": "newest", "language": "en" }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("caa_software/youtube-comments-api").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "urlOrVideoId": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbFXuGDRTs", "sort_by": "newest", "language": "en", } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("caa_software/youtube-comments-api").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "urlOrVideoId": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AbFXuGDRTs", "sort_by": "newest", "language": "en" }' | apify call caa_software/youtube-comments-api --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=caa_software/youtube-comments-api", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Youtube Comments Api", "description": "This alternative YouTube Data API has no limits or quotas. Extract YouTube comments data from any YouTube video via Url or VideoId: full comment text, posting date, author username, video title, videoId. Download YouTube comments in JSON, CSV, and Excel.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "GYc0SaFx56vsHMYry" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/caa_software~youtube-comments-api/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-caa_software-youtube-comments-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/caa_software~youtube-comments-api/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-caa_software-youtube-comments-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/caa_software~youtube-comments-api/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-caa_software-youtube-comments-api", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "urlOrVideoId", "max_comments", "sort_by", "language" ], "properties": { "urlOrVideoId": { "title": "URL or VideoId of the video", "type": "string", "description": "The URL or VideoId of video you want to get the data from." }, "max_comments": { "title": "Max Comments", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of comments to download", "default": 50 }, "sort_by": { "title": "Sorting Method", "type": "string", "description": "'top' for popular, 'newest' for chronological" }, "language": { "title": "Language Code", "type": "string", "description": "tr, en, es, fr, de, it, etc." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```