YouTube · Guide

How to get YouTube channel details

TL;DR
To get YouTube channel details, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-details with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 1 credit per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. YouTube channel stats — ISO country, createdAt date-only, real banner or null, quote-aware SEO tags, absolute links. Flat 1 credit.

How to get YouTube channel details (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 Channel Details API

    Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-details 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/channel-details?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fchannel%2FUCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
    "id": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
    "name": "MrBeast",
    "handle": "@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 20,000,000 Trees\n- Removed 30,000,000 pounds of trash from the ocean\n- Helped 2,000 people walk again\n- Helped 1,000 blind people see\n- Helped 1,000 deaf people hear\n- Built wells in Africa\n- Built and gave away 100 houses\n- Adopted every dog in a shelter (twice)\n- Given millions to charity\n- Started my own snack company Feastables\n- Started my own software company Viewstats\n- Gave away a private island (twice)\n- Gave away 1 million meals\n- I counted to 100k\n- Ran a marathon in the world's largest shoes\n- Survived 50 hours in Antarctica\n- Recreated Squid Game in real life\n- Created the largest competition show with 1000 people (Beast Games)\n- Gave $5,000,000 to one person\n\nTerms & Conditions of Current Sweepstakes: \nhttps://mrb.gg/bow-and-arrow\nhttps://bit.ly/MrB_Birthday_YT\nhttps://bit.ly/MrB_Cash_Giveaway",
    "subscriberCount": 510000000,
    "videoCount": 994,
    "viewCount": 135029730952,
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/nxYrc_1_2f77DoBadyxMTmv7ZpRZapHR5jbuYe7PlPd5cIRJxtNNEYyOC0ZsxaDyJJzXrnJiuDE=s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj",
    "bannerUrl": null,
    "country": "US",
    "joinedDate": "Feb 19, 2012",
    "verified": true,
    "links": [
      {
        "text": "$1,000,000 Contest",
        "url": "https://themostdangerousgames.com"
      },
      {
        "text": "Follow",
        "url": "https://instagram.com/mrbeast"
      }
    ],
    "platform": "youtube",
    "canonicalUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/@MrBeast",
    "countryName": "United States",
    "joinedAt": "2012-02-19",
    "tags": [
      "challenge",
      "philanthropy"
    ]
  }
}

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

Request parameters

NameTypeRequiredDescription
urlstring YesYouTube channel URL, @handle, bare handle, or UC... channel ID, e.g. https://youtube.com/@handle or @mkbhd. 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.
cachebooleanNoSet true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Channel Details API do?

The YouTube Channel Details API lets you fetch profile or page details and audience stats from a public YouTube profile or page using one GET request to /v1/youtube/channel-details. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Channel Details 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 proxies, rate limits, retries, and authentication for you.

Why is banner null instead of omitted?

Channel-details identity cards keep a stable key set. banner, country, countryName, and email are present and null when unknown. banner: null is deliberate — we never substitute the avatar. Resolver/search rows (instagram/profile-search) omit-when-absent; that is a different class of endpoint.

Is cache on by default?

No. Default is always fresh (1 credit). Pass cache=true for the 24h shared cache.

Is the YouTube Channel Details 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 channel details?

Start free with 100 credits — no credit card required.

Get your free API key