YouTube Trending Shorts API
Bulk-list YouTube content with full metadata for each item.
GET request to /v1/youtube/trending-shorts that responds with clean JSON, costs 28 credits, and is cached for 24 hours (repeat calls are free). Start with 100 free credits — no credit card.What is the YouTube Trending Shorts API?
The YouTube Trending Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from YouTube with a single REST call. No OAuth, no scraping infrastructure, and no platform SDKs — send the URL, get clean structured JSON back. Results are cached for 24 hours, so repeat lookups are instant and free.
What you get
- Bulk list of items with full metadata
- View counts, dates, and direct URLs
- Configurable result limit
- Ideal for monitoring and content pipelines
Try it
Fill in the parameters below and copy a ready-to-run request in your language of choice.
Parameters
curl "https://api.captapi.com/v1/youtube/trending-shorts?q=structured%20data%20api" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."Edit the parameters and the code updates instantly. Switch languages and hit copy.
Example response
{
"success": true,
"cached": false,
"creditsUsed": 28,
"data": {
"total": 2,
"items": [
{
"title": "Latest upload",
"url": "https://example.com/a",
"views": 90120,
"publishedAt": "2025-01-12"
},
{
"title": "Previous upload",
"url": "https://example.com/b",
"views": 75230,
"publishedAt": "2025-01-04"
}
]
}
}Response structure
A successful call returns success, cached, creditsUsed, and a data object with the following fields:
Result
totalNumber of items returned.
Each item
Each item in items contains:
titleItem title.urlDirect URL to the content.viewsView count.publishedAtPublish date (ISO 8601).
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | string | No | Seed keyword for trending Shorts. Defaults to trending. |
| limit | integer | No | Max items to return (default 20, max 100). Billed per result. |
Authentication: send your key as Authorization: Bearer capt_live_.... A typical call costs 28 credits — billed per result, so the exact amount scales with how many items you request. Repeat calls for the same request are served from cache for free (metrics refresh within ~1 hour).
youtube_trending_shorts via @captapi/mcp. Set it up →How it works
- 1. Sign up — get 100 free credits, no card required.
- 2. Create a key from your dashboard.
- 3. Send one request to
/v1/youtube/trending-shortsand parse the JSON response.
Use cases
Content Pipelines
Ingest a channel's catalog in bulk.
Monitoring
Detect new uploads automatically.
Archiving
Snapshot a creator's full library.
Analytics
Aggregate performance across many videos.
Frequently asked questions
What does the YouTube Trending Shorts API do?+
The YouTube Trending Shorts API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube video using one GET request to /v1/youtube/trending-shorts. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or scraping setup required.
How many credits does the YouTube Trending Shorts API cost?+
Each successful call costs 28 credits. Responses are cached for 24 hours, and cached results cost 0 credits. 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, and Rumble. We handle proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.
Is the YouTube Trending Shorts API suitable for production use?+
Yes. It is a stable REST endpoint with predictable JSON, automatic retries, and a shared 24-hour cache. Use it for RAG pipelines, analytics, monitoring, and content automation.
More YouTube APIs
Ready to use the YouTube Trending Shorts API?
Sign up, grab your key, and make your first call in 60 seconds.