YouTube Transcription

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Overview

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Authentication

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1. API Key Authentication (Recommended)

x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

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2. Session Authentication

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Request Format

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Headers

{
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
  "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}

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Body

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID_1",
    "https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID_2",
    "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID_3"
  ]
}

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Parameters

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Supported YouTube URL Formats

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• https://youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• https://youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID

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Response Format

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Success Response (200 OK)

{
  "transcripts": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "success": true,
      "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up",
      "transcript": "We're no strangers to love\nYou know the rules and so do I..."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=invalid",
      "success": false,
      "error": "Video not found or transcripts not available"
    }
  ],
  "summary": {
    "requested": 2,
    "processed": 2,
    "successful": 1,
    "failed": 1,
    "totalCost": 0.01
  }
}

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Response Fields

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transcripts Array

• url (string): The original YouTube URL
• success (boolean): Whether the transcript was successfully retrieved
• title (string, optional): Video title (only if successful)
• transcript (string, optional): The full transcript text (only if successful)
• error (string, optional): Error message (only if failed)

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summary Object

• requested: Number of URLs provided in the request
• processed: Number of valid YouTube URLs found and processed
• successful: Number of transcripts successfully retrieved
• failed: Number of transcripts that failed
• totalCost: Total cost in USD for successful transcripts

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Error Responses

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400 Bad Request

{
  "error": "Please provide an array of YouTube URLs"
}

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401 Unauthorized

{
  "error": "Invalid session"
}

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402 Payment Required

{
  "error": "Insufficient balance. Current balance: $0.50, required: $1.00"
}

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429 Too Many Requests

{
  "error": "Rate limit exceeded. Please wait before sending another request."
}

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Pricing

• Cost: $0.01 USD per successful transcript
• Billing: You are only charged for successfully retrieved transcripts
• Failed transcripts: No charge

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Rate Limits

• 10 requests per minute per IP address
• 10 URLs maximum per request

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Code Examples

const axios = require('axios');

async function getYouTubeTranscripts() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post('https://nano-gpt.com/api/youtube-transcribe', {
      urls: [
        'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ',
        'https://youtu.be/kJQP7kiw5Fk'
      ]
    }, {
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
      }
    });

    console.log('Transcripts:', response.data.transcripts);
    console.log('Summary:', response.data.summary);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

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Best Practices

1. Batch Requests: Send multiple URLs in a single request (up to 10) rather than making individual requests for better efficiency.
2. Error Handling: Always check the success field for each transcript, as some videos may not have transcripts available.
3. Rate Limiting: Implement exponential backoff if you receive a 429 status code.
4. URL Validation: The API automatically detects and validates YouTube URLs, but validating on your end can save API calls.
5. Cost Monitoring: Use the summary.totalCost field to track your spending.

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Limitations

1. Transcript Availability: Not all YouTube videos have transcripts available. Videos may lack transcripts if:
   • The creator hasn’t enabled auto-captions
   • The video is private or age-restricted
   • The video has been deleted
   • The video is a live stream without captions
2. Language: Transcripts are returned in their original language. The API doesn’t provide translation services.
3. Formatting: Transcripts are returned as plain text with natural line breaks. Timestamp information is not included.

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Use Cases

• Content Analysis: Analyze video content for keywords, topics, or sentiment
• Accessibility: Create accessible versions of video content
• Research: Study communication patterns, language use, or content trends
• SEO: Extract content for search engine optimization
• Education: Create study materials from educational videos
• Content Moderation: Check video content for compliance

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Support

• Email: support@nano-gpt.com
• Documentation: https://docs.nano-gpt.com
• Status Page: https://status.nano-gpt.com