# Youtube Transcript Extractor ( with Metadata ) (`devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor`) Actor Extract YouTube video transcripts with complete metadata including title, description, views, likes, channel information, tags, and more. - **URL**: https://apify.com/devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor.md - **Developed by:** [DevnaZ](https://apify.com/devnaz) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Videos, Automation - **Stats:** 27 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 3 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $2.00 / 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. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. 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 Transcript Extractor Extract YouTube video transcripts with complete metadata including title, description, views, likes, channel information, tags, and more. ### Features - **Complete video metadata** - Title, description, views, likes, thumbnails, channel info - **Full transcript extraction** - Text with precise timestamps - **Channel information** - Name, ID, subscribers, verification status - **Multi-language support** - Extract transcripts in any language available on YouTube - **Multiple output formats** - JSON with timestamps, SRT, WebVTT - **Fast extraction** - HTTP-only approach, no browser overhead ### Input #### Required Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `video_urls` | Array | List of YouTube video URLs or video IDs | #### Optional Fields | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `language` | String | `auto` | Transcript language (auto, en, fr, es, de, it, pt, ru, ja, ko, zh, ar, hi) | | `output_format` | String | `json` | Output format: `json`, `srt`, `webvtt` | | `include_metadata` | Boolean | `true` | Include video metadata (title, views, channel, etc.). Set to `false` for transcript only | #### 🔐 **`proxyConfig`** (Required) Proxy configuration to avoid YouTube bot detection. **Default**: Apify Datacenter proxy - **Free** (upgrade to Residential if blocked) **Available types**: - `"apify-datacenter"` - Apify datacenter proxy (free, included in your plan) - **Default** - `"apify-residential"` - Apify residential proxy (paid, most reliable if datacenter is blocked) - `"none"` - No proxy (direct connection, usually blocked by YouTube) - `"custom"` - Your own custom proxies ##### Option 1: Apify Datacenter proxy (default - free) ```json { "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } } ```` ##### Option 2: Apify Residential proxy (if datacenter is blocked) ```json { "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-residential" } } ``` ##### Option 3: No proxy (not recommended - YouTube blocks most requests) ```json { "proxyConfig": { "type": "none" } } ``` ##### Option 4: Custom proxy ```json { "proxyConfig": { "type": "custom", "proxyUrls": ["http://proxy.example.com:8080"] } } ``` #### Example Input ```json { "video_urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObhZ0Ga7EQ" ], "language": "auto", "output_format": "json", "include_metadata": true, "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } } ``` ### Output #### With Metadata (include\_metadata: true) ```json { "video_id": "bBC-nXj3Ng4", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBC-nXj3Ng4", "url_short": "https://youtu.be/bBC-nXj3Ng4", "embed_url": "https://www.youtube.com/embed/bBC-nXj3Ng4", "title": "But how does bitcoin actually work?", "description": "The math behind cryptocurrencies...", "thumbnail_url": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bBC-nXj3Ng4/maxresdefault.webp", "upload_date": "2017-07-07", "duration": "25:15", "duration_seconds": 1515, "view_count": 17474405, "view_count_text": "17.5M", "like_count": 395820, "like_count_text": "396K", "comment_count": 24000, "channel_name": "3Blue1Brown", "channel_id": "UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw", "channel_url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYO_jab_esuFRV4b17AJtAw", "channel_follower_count": 7840000, "channel_follower_count_text": "7.84M", "channel_is_verified": true, "transcript_text": "What does it mean to have a Bitcoin? Many people have heard...", "transcript_language": "auto", "transcript_segments": [ { "timestamp": "0:03", "text": "What does it mean to have a Bitcoin?", "start_seconds": 3.9, "duration_seconds": 2.58 }, { "timestamp": "0:07", "text": "Many people have heard of Bitcoin...", "start_seconds": 7.42, "duration_seconds": 3.838 } ], "word_count": 4422, "segment_count": 384, "tags": ["bitcoin", "cryptocurrency", "blockchain", "math"], "categories": ["Education"], "age_limit": 0, "is_live": false, "was_live": false, "has_transcript": true } ``` #### Without Metadata (include\_metadata: false) ```json { "video_id": "bBC-nXj3Ng4", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBC-nXj3Ng4", "transcript_text": "What does it mean to have a Bitcoin? Many people have heard...", "transcript_language": "auto", "transcript_segments": [ { "timestamp": "0:03", "text": "What does it mean to have a Bitcoin?", "start_seconds": 3.9, "duration_seconds": 2.58 }, { "timestamp": "0:07", "text": "Many people have heard of Bitcoin...", "start_seconds": 7.42, "duration_seconds": 3.838 } ] } ``` #### SRT Format (output\_format: "srt") ```srt 1 00:00:03,900 --> 00:00:06,480 What does it mean to have a Bitcoin? 2 00:00:07,420 --> 00:00:11,258 Many people have heard of Bitcoin, that it's a fully digital currency ``` #### WebVTT Format (output\_format: "webvtt") ```webvtt WEBVTT 00:00:03.900 --> 00:00:06.480 What does it mean to have a Bitcoin? 00:00:07.420 --> 00:00:11.258 Many people have heard of Bitcoin, that it's a fully digital currency ``` ### Use Cases - Content analysis and research - Subtitle generation for videos - Accessibility improvements - SEO and keyword extraction - Video content indexing - Educational content processing - Data mining and analytics ### Supported Languages The actor automatically detects and extracts transcripts in any language available on YouTube: - English (en), Français (fr), Español (es), Deutsch (de), Italiano (it) - Português (pt), Русский (ru), 日本語 (ja), 한국어 (ko), 中文 (zh) - العربية (ar), हिन्दी (hi), and many more... ### Limitations - Only publicly available transcripts can be extracted - Private or age-restricted videos may not be accessible - Transcripts must be enabled by the video owner - Some videos may not have transcripts available # Actor input Schema ## `video_urls` (type: `array`): List of YouTube video URLs or video IDs to extract transcripts from ## `language` (type: `string`): Transcript language code (auto, en, fr, es, de, it, pt, etc.) ## `translate_to` (type: `string`): Translate transcript to target language (leave empty for no translation) ## `output_format` (type: `string`): Choose how to format the transcript output ## `include_metadata` (type: `boolean`): Include language, word count, and segment count in output ## `proxyConfig` (type: `object`): Proxy required to avoid YouTube bot detection (recommended: apify-datacenter for free, apify-residential if blocked) ## Actor input object example ```json { "video_urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObhZ0Ga7EQ" ], "language": "auto", "output_format": "json", "include_metadata": true, "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } } ``` # 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 = { "video_urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObhZ0Ga7EQ" ], "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor").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 = { "video_urls": ["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObhZ0Ga7EQ"], "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor").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 '{ "video_urls": [ "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObhZ0Ga7EQ" ], "proxyConfig": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } }' | apify call devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=devnaz/youtube-transcript-extractor", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Youtube Transcript Extractor ( with Metadata )", "description": "Extract YouTube video transcripts with complete metadata including title, description, views, likes, channel information, tags, and more.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "Xgnk6rMmJnhkTTr14" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/devnaz~youtube-transcript-extractor/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-devnaz-youtube-transcript-extractor", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/devnaz~youtube-transcript-extractor/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-devnaz-youtube-transcript-extractor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/devnaz~youtube-transcript-extractor/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-devnaz-youtube-transcript-extractor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "video_urls" ], "properties": { "video_urls": { "title": "Video URLs or IDs", "type": "array", "description": "List of YouTube video URLs or video IDs to extract transcripts from", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "language": { "title": "Language", "enum": [ "auto", "en", "fr", "es", "de", "it", "pt", "ru", "ja", "ko", "zh", "ar", "hi" ], "type": "string", "description": "Transcript language code (auto, en, fr, es, de, it, pt, etc.)", "default": "auto" }, "translate_to": { "title": "Translate to language (optional)", "enum": [ "", "en", "fr", "es", "de", "it", "pt", "ru", "ja", "ko", "zh", "ar", "hi" ], "type": "string", "description": "Translate transcript to target language (leave empty for no translation)" }, "output_format": { "title": "Output Format", "enum": [ "json", "srt", "webvtt", "txt" ], "type": "string", "description": "Choose how to format the transcript output", "default": "json" }, "include_metadata": { "title": "Include Metadata", "type": "boolean", "description": "Include language, word count, and segment count in output", "default": true }, "proxyConfig": { "title": "🔐 Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy required to avoid YouTube bot detection (recommended: apify-datacenter for free, apify-residential if blocked)", "default": { "type": "apify-datacenter" } } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```