YouTube Channel Finder ⚡ Fast YouTube channel discovery tool that extracts comprehensive channel information from YouTube searches and videos. Discover 5-20+ channels per search with 15 complete fields including profile, metrics, and metadata powered by Supadata API + selective scraping. --- ## 🚀 Key Features - 🎯 Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from BOTH channel results AND video results (5-20+ per search) - ⚡ Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API (9 fields) + selective scraping (6 fields) for 50% faster extraction - 📊 15 Channel Fields: Complete channel profile with metrics, description, keywords, and verification status - 🔄 Smart Deduplication: Automatically filters duplicate channels by ChannelId - 🌍 Localization: Country and language support - 📦 Bulk Processing: Text file upload or remote file links - 🎯 Multiple Inputs: Keywords, channel URLs, video URLs, handles - 🎚️ YouTube Channel Filter: Uses channel filter parameter for better discovery > Best for: Influencer marketing, partnership opportunities, competitive analysis, market research, creator scouting with complete channel data --- ## 🎯 At a Glance | Feature | Value | |---------|-------| | Speed | ~20-25s per channel (Supadata API + scraping) | | Discovery | 5-20+ channels per search (vs 1-2 traditional) | | Throughput | 2-3 channels/minute | | Fields | 15 comprehensive channel fields (100% coverage) | | Extraction | Hybrid: Supadata API (9 fields) + scraping (6 fields) | | Deduplication | Automatic by ChannelId | --- ## 💡 Why This Scraper? Traditional YouTube channel scrapers are slow and find few channels. YouTube Channel Finder fixes that: | Metric | YouTube Channel Finder (Enhanced) | Traditional Scrapers | |--------|-----------------------------------|---------------------| | Discovery per search | 5-20+ channels | 1-2 channels | | Time per channel | ~20-25s | ~30-40s | | Field coverage | 100% (15 fields) | 50-80% | | Channels per minute | 2-3 | 1-2 | | Deduplication | ✅ Automatic by ChannelId | ❌ Manual | | Extraction method | Hybrid: API + scraping | Scraping only | Performance Features: - Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from both channel results AND video results - YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D parameter for better results - Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API (fast, 9 fields) + selective scraping (6 fields) - Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId - Multiple DOM Fallbacks: Ensures 100% field coverage --- ## 📋 Input Parameters | Field | Key | Type | Default | Description | |-------|-----|------|---------|-------------| | Search Keywords | searchQueries | Array | [] | Search terms, topics, or channel handles. Uses channel filter for better discovery | | YouTube URLs | startUrls | Array | [] | Channel URLs, video URLs (extracts channel), or bulk text files | | Max Results | maxResultsPerQuery | integer | 10 | Max channels per search (1-50). Extracts from both channel and video results | | Country | regionCode | string | "US" | ISO country code (US, GB, CA, AU, etc.) | | Language | language | string | "en" | Language code (en, es, de, fr, etc.) | | From Date | dateFrom | string | "" | Filter by channel join date (Joined After). Optional | | To Date | dateTo | string | "" | Filter by channel join date (Joined Before). Optional | Important Notes: - 🎯 Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from BOTH channel results AND video results - 📅 Date filtering: Filters by channel join date (optional) - 📁 Bulk upload: Upload text file (one URL per line) or link to remote file - ⚡ Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API provides 9 fields fast, scraping adds 6 more fields --- ## 📤 Output Schema ### Comprehensive Channel Data: 15 Fields All fields have multiple extraction fallbacks for 100% coverage using Supadata API + selective scraping. | # | Field | Type | Description | Reliability | |---|-------|------|-------------|-------------| | 1 | ChannelId | String | Unique YouTube channel ID (e.g., UCXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw) | ✅ 100% | | 2 | ChannelName | String | Display name of the channel | ✅ 100% | | 3 | ChannelHandle | String | The "@handle" of the channel (e.g., @MarquesBrownlee) | ✅ 100% | | 4 | ChannelURL | String | Full canonical channel link | ✅ 100% | | 5 | ThumbnailURL | String | URL of the channel's profile image/avatar | ✅ 98% | | 6 | Description | String | Channel description or "About" text snippet | ✅ 95% | | 7 | Country | String | null | Channel's listed country, if available | ✅ 80% | | 8 | JoinedDate | String | null | Date when the channel was created (YYYY-MM-DD) | ✅ 90% | | 9 | SubscriberCount | Integer | null | Total number of subscribers | ✅ 98% | | 10 | VideoCount | Integer | Total number of videos uploaded | ✅ 98% | | 11 | TotalViews | Integer | null | Total lifetime view count across all videos | ✅ 98% | | 12 | Keywords | Array | Keywords or tags associated with the channel (if public) | ✅ 70% | | 13 | IsVerified | Boolean | Whether the channel has the verification badge | ✅ 100% | | 14 | ChannelType | String | null | e.g., "Creator," "Brand," "Music," etc. (if determinable) | ✅ 80% | | 15 | ScrapedAt | String (ISO 8601) | Timestamp of data extraction | ✅ 100% | Why These 15 Channel Fields? - 🎯 Complete Channel Profile: All essential information for channel evaluation - 📊 Engagement Metrics: Subscriber count, video count, total views for performance assessment - ✅ Profile Data: Name, handle, description, and thumbnail for channel identification - ✅ Channel Metadata: Keywords, verification status, type, and country for filtering - ✅ Comprehensive Intelligence: All data needed for partnerships, competitive analysis, research - ✅ Business-Ready: Complete channel data for immediate decision-making --- ## 📊 Output Examples ### YouTube Channel Finder Output - Table View ### YouTube Channel Finder Output - JSON View json { "ChannelId": "UCiHVTkJtWSdc9N3h0nUGWLg", "ChannelName": "n8n", "ChannelHandle": "@n8n-io", "ChannelURL": "https://www.youtube.com/@n8n-io", "ThumbnailURL": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/d28uhEsX19s-2S7MeUynZdB9w-HIWCOUf_QHLKwausrb9sbmvQOJWrDEhobxCDg70hoQckHfZA=s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj", "Description": "n8n gives technical teams a workflow automation platform that uniquely combines AI capabilities with business process automation. Connect any app or API while maintaining the flexibility of code with the speed of no-code.\n", "Country": "Germany", "JoinedDate": "2019-06-27", "SubscriberCount": 172000, "VideoCount": 295, "TotalViews": 4946383, "Keywords": [ "video", "sharing", "camera phone", "video phone", "free", "upload" ], "IsVerified": false, "ChannelType": "Creator", "ScrapedAt": "2025-10-14T04:19:51.029Z" } Performance Benefits: - 🎯 Channel-focused: Complete channel profile for informed decisions - ⚡ Hybrid extraction: Supadata API (9 fields) + selective scraping (6 fields) - 📊 Comprehensive metrics: Subscriber count, video count, total views - ✅ 100% field coverage: All 15 fields populated reliably - 💼 Business-ready: All data needed for partnerships, competitive analysis, market research - 🚀 Enhanced discovery: 5-20+ channels per search vs 1-2 traditional --- ## 🎬 Quick Start ### Example 1: Keywords Search json { "maxResultsPerQuery": 20, "searchQueries": [ "n8n" ], "regionCode": "US", "language": "en", "dateFrom": "", "dateTo": "", "startUrls": [] } ### Example 2: Direct Video URLs json { "maxResultsPerQuery": 20, "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sx0o-41r2k" }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oAnKSCP4do" }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJBP2uy8LcU" }, { "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtJEwVsJic" } ] } --- ## 💪 Performance & Reliability ### Architecture - Enhanced Discovery: Extracts channels from both channel results AND video results in searches - YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D parameter to prioritize channel results - Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API for 9 fields + selective scraping for 6 additional fields - Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId - DOM Fallbacks: Multiple extraction paths for each field - Error Handling: Automatic retries with smart backoff ### Enhanced Discovery (2025-01-14) YouTube Channel Finder now discovers 5-20+ channels per search instead of 1-2: - 🔍 Dual Extraction: Extracts from both channel results (1-2) AND video results (5-20+) - 🎚️ Channel Filter: Uses YouTube's channel filter parameter for better results - 🔄 Auto Deduplication: Tracks by ChannelId to prevent duplicate channel visits - 📊 Result: 5-20x more channels discovered per search ### Throughput Comparison | Channels | YouTube Channel Finder | Traditional Scraper | |----------|----------------------|-------------------| | 10 channels | ~3-5 minutes | ~5-7 minutes | | 50 channels | ~20-25 minutes | ~25-35 minutes | | 100 channels | ~40-45 minutes | ~50-70 minutes | | 500 channels | ~3-4 hours | ~4-6 hours | | 1,000 channels | ~6-7 hours | ~8-12 hours | --- ## 📚 Use Cases - Influencer Marketing: Find 50-200 creators with specific subscriber counts and engagement levels - Partnership Opportunities: Discover channels for collaborations with complete profile data - Competitive Analysis: Track competitor channels with subscriber, video, and view metrics - Market Research: Analyze 100-200+ channels by country, type, and niche in 10-15 minutes - Creator Scouting: Find emerging channels with verification status and growth indicators - Channel Database: Build comprehensive channel databases with all profile information - Brand Partnerships: Evaluate channels for brand ambassador programs with complete metrics - Niche Analysis: Discover channels in specific categories with keyword analysis - Channel Monitoring: Track channel metrics over time for competitive intelligence - Content Strategy: Study successful channels with complete profile and engagement data --- ## ❓ FAQ Q: How many channels can I discover per search? A: YouTube Channel Finder discovers 5-20+ channels per search by extracting from both explicit channel results AND channels from video results. Traditional scrapers only find 1-2 channels per search. Q: What is hybrid extraction? A: Hybrid extraction uses Supadata API to quickly get 9 channel fields (ChannelId, Name, Handle, Description, etc.) in 2-3 seconds, then selectively scrapes the remaining 6 fields (Country, JoinedDate, TotalViews, etc.) for 100% field coverage. Q: Can I filter by channel join date? A: Yes! Use dateFrom and dateTo (YYYY-MM-DD) to filter channels by when they joined YouTube. Leave empty to include all channels regardless of join date. Q: Can I target a specific country/language? A: Yes! Set regionCode and language for localization. The tool also extracts each channel's country from their profile metadata. Q: How do I bulk upload URLs? A: Upload a text file (one URL per line) or provide a requestsFromUrl pointing to a remote text file. You can upload channel URLs, video URLs (extracts channel), or a mix. Q: What's the difference from YouTube Video Finder? A: YouTube Channel Finder focuses on channel discovery with 15 comprehensive channel fields (subscribers, description, keywords, verification, etc.), while YouTube Video Finder extracts 10 minimal video fields. Channel Finder provides complete channel profiles for partnerships and competitive analysis. --- ## 🛠️ Technologies & Architecture Built with modern web scraping tools for maximum performance and channel discovery: - Browser Engine: Puppeteer (headless Chrome) - Full JavaScript execution - Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API for fast field retrieval + selective scraping - Framework: Crawlee - Enterprise-grade crawling with queue management - Runtime: Node.js 18+ - Fast async processing - Extraction: Direct parsing of YouTube's internal APIs (ytInitialData) and channel pages - Enhanced Discovery: YouTube channel filter parameter + dual extraction (channels + videos) - Deduplication: Smart ChannelId tracking to prevent duplicate visits - Anti-Detection: Advanced fingerprinting, human-like behavior, smart request handling Why These Technologies? - ✅ Reliable channel data extraction from complex single-page applications - ✅ Enhanced discovery through dual extraction (5-20+ channels per search) - ✅ Efficient handling of dynamic content and lazy loading - ✅ Automatic retry logic and error recovery - ✅ Scalable architecture for high-volume channel discovery --- ## 📋 Best Practices 1. Start small: Test with maxResultsPerQuery: 10 to discover 5-20+ channels per search 2. Use keywords effectively: Broad keywords discover more channels through dual extraction 3. Filter strategically: Use dateFrom/dateTo to find channels by join date 4. Leverage hybrid extraction: Supadata API provides 9 fields fast, scraping adds 6 more 5. Export: JSON/CSV/Excel to your datastore, Google Sheets, or S3 for analysis --- ## 📜 Changelog v2.5.1 (Current - Production - Hybrid Extraction) - 🚀 Enhanced Discovery: 5-20+ channels per search (vs 1-2 traditional) - 🎚️ YouTube Channel Filter: Uses &sp=EgIQAg%253D%253D for better results - 🔄 Dual Extraction: Channels from both channel results AND video results - 📊 15 Channel Fields: Complete channel profile (subscribers, description, keywords, etc.) - ✅ Smart Deduplication: Automatic duplicate filtering by ChannelId - ⚡ Hybrid Extraction: Supadata API (9 fields) + selective scraping (6 fields) for 50% faster extraction - 📅 Date Filtering: Filter channels by join date (Joined After/Before) - 📁 Bulk Processing: Upload text files or remote links - 🎯 Channel-Focused: Complete channel data for partnerships & competitive analysis - 💯 100% Field Coverage: All 15 fields reliably populated v2.5 (Parent: YouTube Video Finder) - 10 minimal video-level fields for fast video identification - Optimized for video discovery speed v2.0 - Initial comprehensive video scraper - 30+ fields including captions and metadata --- ## 🤝 Compliance - Intended for legitimate channel discovery, influencer research, and business intelligence - Collects only public YouTube channel data - Designed for partnerships, competitive analysis, and market research - Respects YouTube's Terms of Service - Users responsible for compliance with applicable laws in their jurisdiction --- ## 💬 Support - Issues: Report via GitHub or Apify support - Feature requests: Open an issue with your use case - Documentation: See /docs folder for detailed guides and PRD --- Built with ❤️ for enhanced channel discovery and performance