YouTube scraper quickstart

This tutorial shows you how to scrape a YouTube channel and get structured JSON data using the Bright Data YouTube Scraper API.

Prerequisites

A Bright Data account
cURL, Python 3, or Node.js 18+ installed

Get your API key

Go to the user settings page in your Bright Data account and create an API key, or use one you already have.If you don’t have an account yet, sign up at brightdata.com. New accounts get 5,000 free credits every month, no credit card required. See the free tier.

Your API key is shown only once when created. Copy and store it securely.

Send a request

We’ll use the Channels endpoint with a synchronous request. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your API key:

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.brightdata.com/datasets/v3/scrape?dataset_id=gd_lk538t2k2p1k3oos71&format=json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[{"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast"}]'

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.brightdata.com/datasets/v3/scrape",
    params={"dataset_id": "gd_lk538t2k2p1k3oos71", "format": "json"},
    headers={
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    json=[{"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast"}],
)

data = response.json()
if response.status_code == 202:
    print(f"Job running. Snapshot ID: {data['snapshot_id']}")
else:
    print(data)

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.brightdata.com/datasets/v3/scrape?dataset_id=gd_lk538t2k2p1k3oos71&format=json",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify([
      { url: "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast" }
    ]),
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
if (response.status === 202) {
  console.log(`Job running. Snapshot ID: ${data.snapshot_id}`);
} else {
  console.log(data);
}

You should see a 200 status code and a JSON array. A 202 means the scrape needs longer than 1 minute; see the note below. Processing time varies with target-site conditions and scraper workload.

A synchronous request waits up to 1 minute. If the Bright Data YouTube Scraper API needs longer, the response is HTTP 202 with a snapshot_id instead of channel data, and collection continues asynchronously. Fetch the result with the async workflow or have it pushed to you with webhook delivery.

Review the response

The Bright Data YouTube Scraper API returns a JSON array with structured channel data:

[
  {
    "subscribers": 516000000,
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@mrbeast",
    "handle": "@MrBeast",
    "handle_md5": "dd748d5dfc88b91ea388429c3c685874",
    "banner_img": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/mHMO_eEMp0dPvh0ADwXhPXNYb_GnjSVsLI8biqF1CpxT8OPl7izhNQsDPD3JHhd5y5Mg9GrP=w2560-fcrop64=1,00005a57ffffa5a8-k-c0xffffffff-no-...",
    "profile_image": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/nxYrc_1_2f77DoBadyxMTmv7ZpRZapHR5jbuYe7PlPd5cIRJxtNNEYyOC0ZsxaDyJJzXrnJiuDE=s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
    "name": "MrBeast",
    "Description": "SUBSCRIBE FOR A COOKIE!\nNew MrBeast or MrBeast Gaming video every single Saturday at noon eastern time!\nAccomplishments:\n- Raised $20,000,000 To Plant 20,000...",
    "videos_count": 1000,
    "created_date": "2012-02-19T00:00:00.000Z"
  }
]

Each channel object includes fields covering subscriber counts, video counts, description, and more. See the full response schema.

You’ve successfully scraped your first YouTube channel using the Bright Data YouTube Scraper API.

Common questions

Can I scrape multiple channels in one request?

Yes. Add more objects to the input array. Synchronous requests support up to 20 URLs. For larger batches, use the async /trigger endpoint.

[
  {"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast"},
  {"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@PewDiePie"},
  {"url": "https://www.youtube.com/@mkbhd"}
]

Getting a 401 or 403 error?

Verify your API key is correct and hasn’t expired. Create a new API key in Account settings. See the authentication guide for details.

Request is timing out?

Synchronous requests have a 1-minute timeout. If the request exceeds this limit, the API returns HTTP 202 with a snapshot_id and finishes the job asynchronously. Use the async workflow for large batches.

Empty or partial response data?

Verify the YouTube channel URL is publicly accessible and correctly formatted. The URL should follow the pattern https://www.youtube.com/@handle.

Do I have to call the API directly?

No. The Bright Data SDKs, the CLI and coding-agent tools call the same Scraper API, so you can start from whichever fits your stack.

Client	Install	First call
Python and Node.js SDK	`pip install brightdata-sdk` or `npm install @brightdata/sdk`	`client.scrape.youtube.channels(url="https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast")`; see the Python SDK and JavaScript SDK
CLI	`npm install -g @brightdata/cli`, then `bdata login`	`bdata pipelines youtube_profiles "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast" --pretty`; see the CLI commands
Coding agents	`npx skills add brightdata/skills` installs the skills; the Bright Data MCP server exposes the scrapers as tools	See the coding agent quickstart

Next steps

Endpoints

One request per endpoint, each with a captured response.

Async batch requests

Scrape hundreds of URLs in a single batch job.

Set up webhooks

Receive results automatically when scraping completes.

Get started

Data extraction

AI training data

Proxy networks

Prerequisites

Common questions

Can I scrape multiple channels in one request?

Getting a 401 or 403 error?

Request is timing out?

Empty or partial response data?

Do I have to call the API directly?

Next steps

Endpoints

Async batch requests

Set up webhooks

​Prerequisites

​Common questions

​Can I scrape multiple channels in one request?

​Getting a 401 or 403 error?

​Request is timing out?

​Empty or partial response data?

​Do I have to call the API directly?

​Next steps

Endpoints

Async batch requests

Set up webhooks

Prerequisites

Common questions

Can I scrape multiple channels in one request?

Getting a 401 or 403 error?

Request is timing out?

Empty or partial response data?

Do I have to call the API directly?

Next steps