API Reference

The YouTube Data API lets you incorporate functions normally executed on the YouTube website into your own website or application. The lists below identify the different types of resources that you can retrieve using the API. The API also supports methods to insert, update, or delete many of these resources.

This reference guide explains how to use the API to perform all of these operations. The guide is organized by resource type. A resource represents a type of item that comprises part of the YouTube experience, such as a video, a playlist, or a subscription. For each resource type, the guide lists one or more data representations, and resources are represented as JSON objects. The guide also lists one or more supported methods ( LIST , POST , DELETE , etc.) for each resource type and explains how to use those methods in your application.

Calling the API

The following requirements apply to YouTube Data API requests:

1. Every request must either specify an API key (with the key parameter) or provide an OAuth 2.0 token. Your API key is available in the Developer Console's API Accesspane for your project.

2. You mustsend an authorization token for every insert, update, and delete request. You must also send an authorization token for any request that retrieves the authenticated user's private data.

   In addition, some API methods for retrieving resources may support parameters that require authorization or may contain additional metadata when requests are authorized. For example, a request to retrieve a user's uploaded videos may also contain private videos if the request is authorized by that specific user.

3. The API supports the OAuth 2.0 authentication protocol. You can provide an OAuth 2.0 token in either of the following ways:

   • Use the access_token query parameter like this: ?access_token= oauth2-token
   • Use the HTTP Authorization header like this: Authorization: Bearer oauth2-token

   Complete instructions for implementing OAuth 2.0 authentication in your application can be found in the authentication guide .