YouTube Search API

#What YouTube Search solves

Use youtube/search to discover demand (autocomplete), source competitors & collaborators (channels), map curation targets (playlists), and fill topical gaps (videos). Filters like date, duration, and sorting let you bias for fresh vs evergreen.

#Endpoints & when to use them

#POST /v1/youtube/search/autocomplete — Autocomplete

• Best for: Idea mining, SEO variations, quick demand checks per language (hl).
• Output: query, lang, suggestions[], cnt_results (wrapped under data).
• Tip: Seed titles/descriptions with top 2–3 suggestions; batch by locale to localize copy.

#POST /v1/youtube/search/videos — Search Videos

• Best for: Spot rising topics, collect examples by date or viewCount, and scope by duration.
• Filters: sort (relevance/date/rating/title/viewCount), published_after/published_before (YYYY-MM-DD), duration (short/medium/long).
• Output: videos[] with id, title, publishedAt, channelId, durationISO, views (wrapped under data).

#POST /v1/youtube/search/channels — Search Channels

• Best for: Competitor mapping, outreach, “featured creators” rails.
• Output: channels[] with id (channelId), title, description, publishedAt, thumb (wrapped under data).
• Tip: Combine with youtube/channel/info to enrich topics and country.

#POST /v1/youtube/search/playlists — Search Playlists

• Best for: Finding curation hubs to pitch or mirror; tracking “series” potential by list size.
• Output: playlists[] with id, title, publishedAt, channelId, items (wrapped under data).

#Quick start

# Autocomplete (English)
curl -X POST "https://api.yeb.to/v1/youtube/search/autocomplete" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{ "q":"minecraft survival", "hl":"en" }'

# Videos (latest, short-form only)
curl -X POST "https://api.yeb.to/v1/youtube/search/videos" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{ "q":"how to draw", "sort":"date", "published_after":"2025-01-01", "duration":"short", "limit":10 }'

# Channels (top 5 by relevance)
curl -X POST "https://api.yeb.to/v1/youtube/search/channels" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{ "q":"technology reviews", "limit":5 }'

# Playlists (lofi, last year)
curl -X POST "https://api.yeb.to/v1/youtube/search/playlists" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -d '{ "q":"lofi chill", "published_after":"2024-11-01", "limit":8 }'

#Parameters that actually matter

#Reading & acting on responses

#Autocomplete — interpretation

{
  "data": {
    "query": "minecraft survival",
    "lang": "en",
    "suggestions": ["minecraft survival house","minecraft survival guide"],
    "cnt_results": 2
  }
}

• Use top suggestions as title leads; echo 1–2 in description for better CTR + intent match.

#Videos — interpretation

{
  "data": {
    "cnt_results": 1,
    "videos": [
      {
        "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
        "title": "How to draw a cat",
        "publishedAt": "2025-06-05T14:00:01Z",
        "channelId": "UCabc123",
        "durationISO": "PT3M45S",
        "views": 15230
      }
    ]
  }
}

• Pipe id into youtube/video/* to check engagement, restrictions, and trending signals.
• Use publishedAt with your calendar to time responsive mixes while the topic is hot.

#Channels — interpretation

{
  "data": {
    "cnt_results": 2,
    "channels": [
      {
        "id": "UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw",
        "title": "Google Developers",
        "description": "The official Google Developers channel.",
        "publishedAt": "2007-08-23T00:34:43Z",
        "thumb": "https://yt3.ggpht.com/…"
      }
    ]
  }
}

• Enrich each id with youtube/channel/info and statistics to prioritize partners.

#Playlists — interpretation

{
  "data": {
    "cnt_results": 1,
    "playlists": [
      {
        "id": "PL12345ABCDE",
        "title": "Lo-Fi Chill Beats",
        "publishedAt": "2024-11-17T10:00:00Z",
        "channelId": "UCLofi123",
        "items": 35
      }
    ]
  }
}

• Sort by items to locate big curators; track publish cadence via publishedAt.

#Practical recipes

• Idea mining per locale: Run autocomplete with hl in target languages; harvest 10–20 suggestions; group by stem.
• Fresh topic tracker: videos with sort=date + published_after = last 7–30 days → push timely mixes.
• Playlist outreach: Use playlists to find curators (high items); pitch your best-fitting mix.
• Competitor map: channels → enrich with channel statistics and info; tag by topic for dashboards.

#YouTube identifiers you’ll use

#Errors & troubleshooting

• 400 "Missing "action" parameter" — Ensure routing sets the action segment.
• 400 "Missing "q" (query) parameter" — Required for all except autocomplete.
• No 4xx on bad dates — invalid published_after/before are ignored (safe default).
• sort outside allowed values quietly falls back to relevance.

#API Changelog (youtube/search)

Try the Playgrounds attached to each endpoint above with your own queries to see live shapes and decide which filters matter for your workflow.