YouTube · Guide

How to get YouTube playlist

TL;DR

To get YouTube playlist, sign up for a free Captapi key, then send one GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist with your input. You get clean JSON back in seconds for 1 credit per call — no OAuth, scraping or platform SDKs. Playlist metadata only — title, channel{}, totalVideos, thumbnailUrl. No videos[]. Flat 1 credit.

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How to get YouTube playlist (step by step)

1
Get a free API key
Create a free Captapi account (100 credits, no card) and generate an API key from the dashboard.
2
Call the YouTube Playlist API
Send an authenticated GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist with your input. No OAuth, no scraping setup.
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/playlist?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fplaylist%3Flist%3DPLMC9KNkIncKtPzgY-5rmhvj7fax8fdxoj" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer capt_live_..."
# or: -H "x-api-key: capt_live_..."

What the response looks like

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "platform": "youtube",
    "url": "https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMC9KNkIncKtPzgY-5rmhvj7fax8fdxoj",
    "id": "PLMC9KNkIncKtPzgY-5rmhvj7fax8fdxoj",
    "title": "Pop Music Playlist - Timeless Pop Songs (Updated Weekly 2026)",
    "channelName": "by Redlist - Just Hits",
    "owner": {
      "id": "UCs72iRpTEuwV3y6pdWYLgiw",
      "name": "by Redlist - Just Hits",
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/@Redlist-JustHits",
      "handle": "@Redlist-JustHits"
    },
    "totalVideos": 200,
    "totalReturned": 5,
    "videos": [
      {
        "id": "ekr2nIex040",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekr2nIex040",
        "title": "ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - APT. (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "2025-08-03T20:35:07.000Z",
        "publishedTimeText": "1y ago",
        "viewCount": 2606548493,
        "durationSeconds": 173,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/ekr2nIex040/sddefault.webp?v=6711dbac",
        "channelName": "ROSÉ",
        "channel": {
          "id": "UCBo1hnzxV9rz3WVsv__Rn1g",
          "title": "ROSÉ",
          "url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo1hnzxV9rz3WVsv__Rn1g"
        }
      },
      {
        "id": "kPa7bsKwL-c",
        "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPa7bsKwL-c",
        "title": "Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile (Official Music Video)",
        "publishedAt": "2025-08-03T20:35:07.000Z",
        "publishedTimeText": "1y ago",
        "viewCount": 1782354502,
        "durationSeconds": 252,
        "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kPa7bsKwL-c/sddefault.jpg",
        "channelName": "LadyGagaVEVO",
        "channel": {
          "id": "UC07Kxew-cMIaykMOkzqHtBQ",
          "title": "LadyGagaVEVO",
          "url": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC07Kxew-cMIaykMOkzqHtBQ"
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

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

Request parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
url	string	Yes	YouTube playlist URL, e.g. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=ID. 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.
cache	boolean	No	Set true to serve from the 24h response cache (0 credits on hit). Default false — always fetch fresh. Envelope includes cached + cachedAt on hits.

Frequently asked questions

What does the YouTube Playlist API do?

The YouTube Playlist API lets you list items in bulk with metadata from a public YouTube playlist using one GET request to /v1/youtube/playlist. It returns clean JSON — no OAuth or infrastructure setup required.

How many credits does the YouTube Playlist 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. Hits include cached + cachedAt. 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.

Is the YouTube Playlist 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. Hits include cached + cachedAt. Selected profile endpoints also accept cacheMaxAge=1d|3d|7d|14d|30d. Use it for analytics, monitoring, and content automation.

Ready to get YouTube playlist?

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