API ReferenceYouTube Transcript API

YouTube Transcript API

The YouTube Transcript API extracts accurate transcripts from YouTube videos, providing both full text and timestamped segments for content analysis and accessibility purposes.

Endpoint

https://api.socialkit.dev/youtube/transcript

Example Request

GET https://api.socialkit.dev/youtube/transcript?access_key=<your-access-key>&url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "transcript": "[♪♪♪] ♪ We're no strangers to love ♪ ♪ You know the rules\nand so do I ♪ ♪ A full commitment's\nwhat I'm thinking of ♪ ♪ You wouldn't get this\nfrom any other guy ♪ ♪ I just wanna tell you\nhow I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Gotta make you understand ♪ ♪ Never gonna give you up ♪ ♪ Never gonna let you down ♪ ♪ Never gonna run around\nand desert you ♪ ♪ Never gonna make you cry ♪ ♪ Never gonna say goodbye ♪ ♪ Never gonna tell a lie\nand hurt you ♪ ♪ We've known each other\nfor so long ♪ ♪ Your heart's been aching\nbut you're too shy to say it ♪ ♪ Inside we both know\nwhat's been going ♪ ♪ We know the game\nand we're gonna play it ♪ ♪ And if you ask me\nhow I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Don't tell me\nyou're too blind to see ♪ ♪ Never gonna give you up ♪ ♪ Never gonna let you down ♪ ♪ Never gonna run around\nand desert you ♪ ♪ Never gonna make you cry ♪ ♪ Never gonna say goodbye ♪ ♪ Never gonna tell a lie\nand hurt you ♪",
    "transcriptSegments": [
      {
        "text": "[♪♪♪]",
        "start": 0,
        "duration": 5,
        "timestamp": "00:00"
      },
      {
        "text": "♪ We're no strangers to love ♪",
        "start": 5,
        "duration": 5,
        "timestamp": "00:05"
      },
      {
        "text": "♪ You know the rules\nand so do I ♪",
        "start": 10,
        "duration": 5,
        "timestamp": "00:10"
      },
      {
        "text": "♪ A full commitment's\nwhat I'm thinking of ♪",
        "start": 15,
        "duration": 5,
        "timestamp": "00:15"
      },
      {
        "text": "♪ You wouldn't get this\nfrom any other guy ♪",
        "start": 20,
        "duration": 5,
        "timestamp": "00:20"
      }
    ],
    "wordCount": 458,
    "segments": 61
  }
}

Parameters

url string Required
The YouTube URL of the video to extract transcript from. Supports various YouTube URL formats.

access_key string Required
Your API access key. Can be provided via the access_key query parameter, x-access-key header, or request body.

cache boolean Optional Defaults to false
Cache the response for faster subsequent requests.

cache_ttl number Optional Defaults to 2592000
Cache the response for a custom TTL (in seconds). Maximum 2592000 seconds (1 month), minimum 3600 seconds (1 hour).

Response Structure

The API returns both a complete transcript and individual timestamped segments:

Full Transcript

  • transcript: Complete text transcript of the video
  • wordCount: Total number of words in the transcript
  • segments: Total number of transcript segments

Timestamped Segments

Each segment in transcriptSegments contains:

  • text: The spoken text for this segment
  • start: Start time in seconds
  • duration: Duration of the segment in seconds
  • timestamp: Human-readable timestamp (MM:SS format)

Use Cases

  • Accessibility: Provide captions and transcripts for hearing-impaired users
  • Content Analysis: Analyze spoken content for keywords, topics, and sentiment
  • Search & Discovery: Make video content searchable by text
  • Content Creation: Extract quotes and key phrases from videos
  • Language Learning: Provide text alongside audio for language learners
  • Research: Analyze large volumes of video content efficiently
  • SEO: Extract text content for search engine optimization
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