# YouTube Channels API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/youtube/channels)

> Fetches full details for up to 1000 YouTube channels by id in a single POST request. Each item is the unified channel (author) object. Body: { ids: string[], include_localizations?: boolean }. Metered per 50-id chunk; a request that resolves no channels at all returns 200 with an empty list at 0 credits.

TL;DR: `POST /v1/youtube/channels` costs 5 credits per 50-id chunk, so a 50-id batch is 5 credits and the 1,000-id maximum is 100. Batching is what makes this cheap: the same 1,000 channels fetched one at a time through GET /v1/youtube/channel cost 1,000 credits. A chunk is charged whether or not every id in it resolves, so there is no per-id refund; a call that resolves nothing at all is refunded in full and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `ids` | yes | JSON array of BARE YouTube channel ids (24 characters, starting with 'UC', e.g. 'UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw'), 1 to 1000 per request. Unlike GET /v1/youtube/channel, channel URLs/handles are not accepted here. |
| `hl` | no | Preferred response language for localized text (ISO 639-1, e.g. 'en', 'ko'). |
| `include_localizations` | no | When true, adds author.ext.localizations to each item: a map from language code to the localized { title, description }. Present only on channels whose owner localized them. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -X POST "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/channels" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"ids":["UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw","UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"]}'
```

## FAQ

### How do I fetch many YouTube channels in one request?

Send a POST to /v1/youtube/channels with a body of { ids: [...] } holding up to 1,000 channel IDs. Each item comes back as the same unified author object as the single-channel endpoint.

### What channel ID format does the batch endpoint accept?

Bare 24-character IDs that start with UC, like UC_x5XG1OV2P6uZZ5FSM9Ttw, not channel URLs or @handles. Pass 1 to 1,000 per request.

### How is the batch channel endpoint billed?

Metered per 50-ID chunk, so 300 IDs bill as six chunks. Batch endpoints are advanced tier, and new accounts start with 100 free credits.

### What comes back for each channel?

The unified author object: subscriber count, video count, view total, handle, description, verification, and avatar. It is identical to GET /v1/youtube/channel.

### Can I get localized channel text?

Yes. Set include_localizations to true and pass hl with an ISO 639-1 code to receive per-language localizations in each item's ext.

See the full YouTube API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/youtube

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to fetch thousands of YouTube channel stats in one API call
- Batch YouTube channel data API without Data API quota