YouTube · Guide

How to get YouTube playlist

TL;DR

To get YouTube playlist, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 1 credit per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Playlist metadata only — title, channel{}, totalVideos, thumbnailUrl. No videos[]. Flat 1 credit.

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How to get YouTube playlist (step by step)

1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
2
Call the YouTube Playlist API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
3
Read the JSON response
Parse the clean JSON response. Pass cache=true for a free 24h cache hit; default is always fresh.

Code example

curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/playlist?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist%3DPLB29CbKaE2OY" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "platform": "youtube",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB29CbKaE2OY",
    "id": "PLB29CbKaE2OY",
    "title": "NASA Moon Base",
    "channel": {
      "id": "UCLA_DiR1FfKNvjuUpBHmylQ",
      "title": "NASA",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@NASA",
      "handle": "@NASA"
    },
    "totalVideos": 9,
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/pl_c/PLB29CbKaE2OY/studio_square_thumbnail.jpg?sqp=CPzo1NYG-oaymwEICIAKENAFSFqi85f_AwYIqMLO0wY=&rs=AOn4CLDjc6wlpwzRGGvWzRwJLPv6u0T2zA"
  }
}

Billing metadata (credits charged, cache hit/miss) is returned in the X-Captapi-Credits and X-Captapi-Cache response headers.

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	YouTube playlist URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=ID. The URL platform must match this endpoint's platform. Do not pass cross-platform URLs, e.g. YouTube to TikTok, Instagram to Facebook, LinkedIn to X/Twitter, or Pinterest to Rumble.
cache	boolean	No	Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Playlist API do?

The YouTube Playlist API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube playlist using one GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Playlist API cost?

Each successful call costs 1 credit. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Failed or empty results are never charged.

Do I need a YouTube API key or OAuth?

No. A single Captapi key works across every platform Captapi supports — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Reddit, Threads, Bluesky, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Rumble, Spotify, Kwai, and more. We handle access, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Is the YouTube Playlist API suitable for production use?

Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON and automatic retries. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to get YouTube playlist?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

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