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YouTube · Guide

How to run a YouTube search

TL;DR
To run a YouTube search, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/search with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 2 credits per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Search YouTube programmatically and get structured, ranked results.
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How to run a YouTube search (step by step)

  1. 1

    Get a free API key

    Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.

  2. 2

    Call the YouTube Search API

    Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/search with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.

  3. 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/search?q=space" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "query": "space",
    "totalReturned": 5,
    "results": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvrxcrlG6Mo",
        "title": "SpaceX set to attempt starship rocket launch in South Texas",
        "publishedAt": "5 days ago",
        "viewCount": 41084,
        "durationSeconds": 35,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KvrxcrlG6Mo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCOADEI4CSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLBvGaxl9zxxMlI9UvgXerbpjUI0pg",
        "channelName": "WFAA"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBHfGJ76GlY",
        "title": "SpaceX is learning as much as it can about rocket updates in test launch: Former SpaceX engineer",
        "publishedAt": "5 days ago",
        "viewCount": 17838,
        "durationSeconds": 210,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kBHfGJ76GlY/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLC1mzXfCTVM5XmdCSHQnrpdqEbbFA",
        "channelName": "CNBC Television"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYCmoZCSqkI",
        "title": "The Most Disturbing Events in Space",
        "publishedAt": "5 months ago",
        "viewCount": 1891769,
        "durationSeconds": 1254,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gYCmoZCSqkI/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLAeIltRB8k6SADrQC5wKX6UQSOiPg",
        "channelName": "The Paint Explainer"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvwfkTmyHFU",
        "title": "Why Space Is Genuinely Terrifying",
        "publishedAt": "6 months ago",
        "viewCount": 3019696,
        "durationSeconds": 2298,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SvwfkTmyHFU/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLDlvwzdnNDl-ZwXafY3GMI18oDXWA",
        "channelName": "Joe Bart Philosophy"
      },
      {
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiZRQBOs4Sk",
        "title": "Undeniable proof that humans walked on the moon (six times) #space #astronomy #science #nasa",
        "publishedAt": "8 days ago",
        "viewCount": 283980,
        "durationSeconds": 94,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UiZRQBOs4Sk/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwE2CNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAygIARUAAIhCGABwAcABBvABAfgBtgiAAoAPigIMCAAQARhjIGMoYzAP&rs=AOn4CLBl05WqCDjAc9UuFJnRaEs94ADrRw",
        "channelName": "ASTRO ALEXANDRA"
      }
    ]
  }
}

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

Request parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
qstring YesSearch query or keywords (min 2 characters).
limitintegerNoMax items to return (default 20, max 200). Billed per result.
cachebooleanNoSet true to serve from the 24h response cache. Default false — always fetch fresh data.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Search API do?

The YouTube Search API lets you search and return matching results from a public YouTube query using one GET request to /v1/youtube/search. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Search API cost?

Each successful call costs 2 credits. Pass cache=true to serve from the 24h shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. 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 proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Is the YouTube Search 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 shared cache (0 credits on hit); default is always fresh. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to run a YouTube search?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

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