Tubelab

TubeLab API

YouTube analytics and research API. Discover profitable niches, find viral outlier videos, analyze channels, get transcripts and comments, and run automated scans - all through REST endpoints returning JSON.

• Base URL: https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1
• Auth: API key in header
• Rate limit: 10 requests/minute per API key
• Format: JSON request/response
• Docs: https://tubelab.net/docs/api/introduction

Authentication

Every request requires an Authorization header with your API key:

Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY

Get your API key at https://tubelab.net/developers - requires an active subscription.

Rate Limits & Credits

Rate limited to 10 requests per minute per API key. Exceeding this returns 429 Too Many Requests.

Most endpoints cost credits. Cached responses (same request within a short window) are free.

Scan cost depends on mode: Fast = 50 credits, Standard = 100 credits.

Search Endpoints

Search for YouTube channels and viral videos (outliers). All search endpoints support pagination, sorting, and 30+ filters.

GET /search/channels

Channels Search for channels directly from the YouTube Niche Finder with AI enhanced data and 30+ filters. Cost: 10 credits per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?query=minecraft%20adventures" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Query parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "pagination": { "total": 100, "from": 0, "size": 20 },
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w",
      "snippet": { "handle": "@tubelabhq", "title": "TubeLab", "contentKind": ["video","long-form"] },
      "statistics": { "subscribers": 15000, "averageViews": 5000, "avgViewsToSubscribersRatio": 0.33 },
      "language": { "code": "en" },
      "monetization": { "adsense": true },
      "classification": { "quality": "positive", "isFaceless": false }
    }
  ]
}

GET /search/channels/related

Similar Channels Search for YouTube channels with related content to another channel. Cost: 10 credits per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels/related?relatedChannelId=UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Query parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "pagination": { "total": 50, "from": 0, "size": 20 },
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": "UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA",
      "snippet": { "handle": "@example", "title": "Example Channel", "contentKind": ["video"] },
      "statistics": { "subscribers": 25000, "averageViews": 8000 },
      "language": { "code": "en" }
    }
  ]
}

GET /search/outliers

Outliers Search for videos directly from the YouTube Outliers Finder library with AI enhanced data and 30+ filters. Cost: 5 credits per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?query=minecraft%20adventures&type=video" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Query parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "pagination": { "total": 100, "from": 0, "size": 20 },
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": "SVeXR66hcIg",
      "kind": "video",
      "snippet": { "channelId": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w", "title": "Video Title", "channelTitle": "Channel Name", "publishedAt": "2025-01-15T00:00:00Z" },
      "statistics": { "viewCount": 500000, "zScore": 4.2, "averageViewsRatio": 10.5, "likeCount": 15000, "commentCount": 1200 },
      "classification": { "quality": "positive", "isFaceless": false }
    }
  ]
}

GET /search/outliers/related

Similar Outliers Search for YouTube outliers with related content to another outlier(s). Cost: 5 credits per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers/related?title=minecraft%20survival%20tutorial&type=video&by=semantic" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Query parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "pagination": { "total": 50, "from": 0, "size": 20 },
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
      "kind": "video",
      "snippet": { "channelId": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w", "title": "Similar Video", "publishedAt": "2025-02-01T00:00:00Z" },
      "statistics": { "viewCount": 120000, "zScore": 3.1, "averageViewsRatio": 5.2 }
    }
  ]
}

Channel & Video Endpoints

Get detailed information about specific channels and videos.

GET /channel/videos/{id}

Channel Videos Get videos from a YouTube channel with sampled metrics. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/channel/videos/UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "id": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w",
  "time": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "item": {
    "id": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w",
    "kind": "channel",
    "snippet": { "title": "TubeLab", "handle": "@tubelabhq" },
    "videos": [{ "id": "SVeXR66hcIg", "title": "Video Title", "viewCount": 50000, "publishedAt": "2025-01-15T00:00:00Z" }],
    "statistics": { "subscribers": 15000, "totalViews": 500000, "videoCount": 120 }
  }
}

GET /channel/shorts/{id}

Channel Shorts Get shorts from a YouTube channel with sampled metrics. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/channel/shorts/UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "id": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w",
  "time": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "item": {
    "id": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w",
    "kind": "channel",
    "snippet": { "title": "TubeLab", "handle": "@tubelabhq" },
    "shorts": [{ "id": "abc123", "title": "Short Title", "viewCount": 100000, "publishedAt": "2025-03-01T00:00:00Z" }],
    "statistics": { "subscribers": 15000, "totalViews": 500000 }
  }
}

GET /video/{id}

Video Details Get details of a YouTube video. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/video/SVeXR66hcIg" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "ids": ["SVeXR66hcIg"],
  "time": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "SVeXR66hcIg",
      "kind": "video",
      "snippet": { "channelId": "UChn5jutPQB_bRjnG80pzl5w", "title": "Video Title", "publishedAt": "2025-01-15T00:00:00Z" },
      "statistics": { "viewCount": 50000, "likeCount": 2000, "commentCount": 300 }
    }
  ]
}

GET /video/transcript/{id}

Video Transcript Get the transcript of a YouTube video. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/video/transcript/SVeXR66hcIg" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "ids": ["SVeXR66hcIg"],
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "SVeXR66hcIg",
      "events": [{ "startMs": 0, "durationMs": 5000, "endMs": 5000, "text": "Hello and welcome..." }],
      "transcript": "Hello and welcome to this video..."
    }
  ]
}

GET /video/comments/{id}

Video Comments Get the last 100 comments of a YouTube video. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/video/comments/SVeXR66hcIg" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "ids": ["SVeXR66hcIg"],
  "time": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "SVeXR66hcIg",
      "comments": [{ "authorText": "User", "text": "Great video!", "likesCount": 42, "replyCount": 3, "publishedAt": "2025-01-16T00:00:00Z" }],
      "statistics": { "count": 300 }
    }
  ]
}

Scanning Endpoints

Start YouTube scans to discover channels and outlier videos in any niche. Scans run asynchronously - start one, then poll for status.

POST /scan

Scan Start a YouTube scan to search for outliers and channels on any given topic. Cost: 50–100 credits per request.

curl -s -X POST "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/scan" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"findBy":"query","query":["UCUyeluBRhGPCW4rPe_UvBZQ","UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"],"mode":"standard"}'

Body parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "id": "2a5e56f5-75f3-4f01-ac85-6e796f5cde87",
  "name": "minecraft, gaming",
  "status": "Queued",
  "input": { "query": ["minecraft", "gaming"], "threshold": 1000 },
  "endedAt": null,
  "createdAt": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z"
}

GET /scan/{id}

Scan Get a scan by id. Cost: free per request.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/scan/2a5e56f5-75f3-4f01-ac85-6e796f5cde87" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Path parameters:

Response shape (abbreviated):

{
  "id": "2a5e56f5-75f3-4f01-ac85-6e796f5cde87",
  "name": "minecraft, gaming",
  "status": "Completed",
  "input": { "query": ["minecraft", "gaming"], "threshold": 1000 },
  "endedAt": "2025-06-15T13:30:00Z",
  "createdAt": "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2025-06-15T13:30:00Z"
}

Scan Workflow

Scans run asynchronously. Here's the typical flow:

1. Start a scan with POST /scan - returns a scan ID and status Queued
2. Poll for status with GET /scan/{id} - status progresses: Queued → Running → Completed
3. Search results with GET /search/outliers?referenceId={scanId} - returns discovered outlier videos

# 1. Start scan
SCAN_ID=$(curl -s -X POST "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/scan" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":["minecraft","gaming"],"mode":"fast"}' | jq -r '.id')

# 2. Poll until complete
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/scan/$SCAN_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '.status'

# 3. Search results once completed
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?referenceId=$SCAN_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Common Patterns

Pagination

Search endpoints return pagination.total, pagination.from, and pagination.size. Use from and size query params to paginate:

# Page 1 (items 0-19)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?query=minecraft%20adventures&type=video&from=0&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

# Page 2 (items 20-39)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?query=minecraft%20adventures&type=video&from=20&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Range Filters

Many numeric fields support From/To suffixes for range filtering:

# Channels with 10k-100k subscribers and avg views > 5000
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?query=cooking%20healthy%20recipes&subscribersFrom=10000&subscribersTo=100000&averageViewsFrom=5000" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Sorting

Use sortBy and sortOrder params. Available sort fields vary by endpoint.

Important: When using query, omit sortBy to get the default relevance-based ranking. Adding a sort like sortBy=views overrides relevance and returns results ordered by that field, which usually produces worse matches. Only add sortBy when you don't use query (e.g. filter-only searches).

# Filter-only search (no query) — sorting makes sense here
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&classificationQuality=positive&sortBy=views&sortOrder=desc" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Array Parameters

Array params use repeated keys:

# Multiple search queries
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?query=minecraft%20adventures&query=gaming%20tutorials" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Search Recipes

Ready-to-use filter combinations for common research tasks. Date filters use ISO 8601 format - compute relative dates with date or substitute directly.

Tip - queries: Search is semantic — longer, descriptive queries return much better results than single keywords. Use query=minecraft adventures or query=cooking healthy recipes instead of just query=minecraft or query=cooking. Think 2-4 words that describe the niche.

Tip - sorting: When using query, do NOT add sortBy — the default sort is by relevance and gives the best matches. Only use sortBy for filter-only searches (no query), e.g. sorting by foundAt or views.

Tip - averageViewsRatio: When searching outliers, prefer averageViewsRatioFrom=1 to find videos that outperformed the channel's average. A ratio of 2 means the video got 2x the channel's usual views. Values above 5 are very rare and indicate extreme virality - only use higher thresholds when you want to narrow results significantly.

Tip - content type: When searching outliers, prefer type=video to focus on long-form videos. Shorts tend to have inflated view counts and skew results. Only use type=short when specifically researching short-form content.

Profitable channels (recently found)

Monetized channels found in the last year with estimated monthly revenue above $1,000 and at least 1,000 subscribers. Sorted by discovery date.

ONE_YEAR_AGO=$(date -u -d "1 year ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-1y +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?monetizationAdsense=true&revenueMonthlyEstimationFrom=1000&subscribersFrom=1000&publishedAtFrom=$ONE_YEAR_AGO&language=en&language=de&language=fr&excludeNiche=music&excludeNiche=song&excludeNiche=lofi&excludeNiche=movies&excludeNiche=kids&excludeNiche=news&excludeNiche=politic&sortBy=foundAt&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Trending channels

Channels with high engagement (avg views/subscribers ratio above 1) and at least 10,000 average views, found in the last 6 months. Good for spotting rising creators.

SIX_MONTHS_AGO=$(date -u -d "6 months ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-6m +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?avgViewsToSubscribersRatioFrom=1&averageViewsFrom=10000&subscribersFrom=100&publishedAtFrom=$SIX_MONTHS_AGO&language=en&language=de&language=fr&excludeNiche=music&excludeNiche=song&excludeNiche=lofi&excludeNiche=movies&sortBy=foundAt&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Faceless viral videos

AI-classified faceless videos with positive quality published in the last month. Useful for finding faceless niche ideas.

ONE_MONTH_AGO=$(date -u -d "1 month ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-1m +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&classificationIsFaceless=true&classificationQuality=positive&publishedAtFrom=$ONE_MONTH_AGO&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

High authenticity videos

Videos classified as positive quality by AI. Filters out low-effort and spammy content.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&classificationQuality=positive&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Monetized channel videos

Outlier videos from channels with AdSense enabled. Useful for researching niches that generate ad revenue.

curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&channelMonetizationAdsense=true&size=20" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY"

Error Handling

All errors return JSON with an error object:

jq Recipes

# Profitable channels: extract name, subs, revenue, and views -u -d "1 year ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-1y +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?monetizationAdsense=true&revenueMonthlyEstimationFrom=1000&subscribersFrom=1000&publishedAtFrom=$ONE_YEAR_AGO&sortBy=foundAt&size=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '[.hits[] | {title: .snippet.title, handle: .snippet.handle, subs: .statistics.subscribers, avgViews: .statistics.averageViews}]'

# Trending channels: list titles with engagement ratio
SIX_MONTHS_AGO=$(date -u -d "6 months ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-6m +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/channels?avgViewsToSubscribersRatioFrom=1&averageViewsFrom=10000&subscribersFrom=100&publishedAtFrom=$SIX_MONTHS_AGO&sortBy=foundAt&size=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '[.hits[] | {title: .snippet.title, subs: .statistics.subscribers, ratio: .statistics.avgViewsToSubscribersRatio}]'

# Faceless viral videos: extract title, views, and z-score -u -d "1 month ago" +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z 2>/dev/null || date -u -v-1m +%Y-%m-%dT00:00:00Z)
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&classificationIsFaceless=true&classificationQuality=positive&publishedAtFrom=$ONE_MONTH_AGO&size=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '[.hits[] | {title: .snippet.title, views: .statistics.viewCount, zScore: .statistics.zScore, channel: .snippet.channelTitle}]'

# High-quality outliers: get top videos by views
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/search/outliers?type=video&classificationQuality=positive&sortBy=views&sortOrder=desc&size=10" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '[.hits[] | {title: .snippet.title, views: .statistics.viewCount, channel: .snippet.channelTitle}]'

# Get full transcript as plain text
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/video/transcript/SVeXR66hcIg" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq -r '.items[0].transcript'

# Poll scan status until complete
curl -s "https://public-api.tubelab.net/v1/scan/2a5e56f5-75f3-4f01-ac85-6e796f5cde87" \
  -H "Authorization: Api-Key $TUBELAB_API_KEY" | jq '{status: .status, endedAt: .endedAt}'