# YouTube Shorts Trending API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/youtube/shorts-trending)

> Returns currently trending YouTube Shorts with view counts, like counts, channel info, and thumbnails. Send `include=channel` to add each Short's channel subscriber count (`post.ext.author_followers`) in the same call.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/youtube/shorts/trending` costs 5 credits for the feed. include=channel adds 1 credit per distinct channel filled, at most 5 per 50 channels (the feed carries about 70, so at most 10); channels that could not be read are refunded, and a repeat of the same call within the cache window costs 0. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `include` | no | Set to `channel` (one token only) to add each row's channel stats in this one call. `channel` puts the channel's subscriber count on `post.ext.author_followers` (YouTube's own figure, which it rounds to three significant figures above 1,000) and fills the channel's `post.author.display_name`, `.avatar_url` and `.username` where missing. It also adds the country the channel's owner set, as an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code on `post.ext.author_country` (null when the channel sets none). Each join costs 1 credit per distinct video or channel it filled, and never more than 5 per 50; ids that could not be filled are refunded. Each join adds 0.2 to 0.7 seconds on a fresh page (one lookup per 50 ids, never more than 8 seconds). Read `data.hydration` for the rows, lookups, credits held and kept, and the time. (channel) |
| `since` | no | Only rows published on or after this date: YYYY-MM-DD (midnight UTC) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Rows older than it are left off each page. This list is not in date order, so the walk does not stop at the date: keep following `next_cursor`, and each page costs what a page costs even when every row on it is filtered out. A row with no date is kept. `published_after`, `start_date`, `from_date`, `publish_time` (`yesterday`, `this-week`, `this-month`, `last-3-months`, `last-6-months`) and `max_age_days` are accepted and applied as `since`. |
| `until` | no | Only rows published on or before this date: YYYY-MM-DD (that whole UTC day is included) or an ISO 8601 timestamp. Newer rows are left off each page and the walk does not stop, so older pages follow. A row with no date is kept. `published_before`, `end_date` and `to_date` are accepted and applied as `until`. |

## Code example

```bash
curl "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/youtube/shorts/trending" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I get trending YouTube Shorts?

Send a GET request to /v1/youtube/shorts/trending, no parameters required. The response is a list of currently trending Shorts with view count, like count, channel info, and thumbnails.

### How often does the trending feed update?

Trending Shorts use the 2-minute search cache. Exact cache hits cost 0 credits; send Cache-Control: no-cache to request a billed refresh. YouTube's own trending shelf may still change independently between source fetches.

### How much does trending Shorts cost?

Trending Shorts is an advanced tier endpoint at 5 to 15 credits per request, slightly more than a standard endpoint because the underlying trend computation is heavier. 100 free signup credits = ~20 trending pulls.

### What fields come back for each trending Short?

videoId, title, viewCount, likeCount, thumbnails, duration, channel (id, title, handle), and publishedAt. Add include=channel for each channel's subscriber count. Enough to rank, filter, and route viral Shorts into any downstream system.

### Can I use this for a viral-content dashboard?

Yes. That's the primary use case. Poll the endpoint on a schedule, diff against the last snapshot to detect new viral Shorts, and push alerts into Slack or a creator-IQ dashboard.

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 build a viral YouTube Shorts dashboard with a trending API
- SocialCrawl trending YouTube Shorts endpoint data