How to Get YouTube Video Stats

Get YouTube Video Statistics Programmatically

This guide shows you how to track YouTube video statistics using the ContentStats.io API. Get hourly snapshots of views, likes, and comments without YouTube Data API quotas.

No YouTube API credentials needed. Just use your ContentStats.io API key.

What You’ll Get

Track these YouTube metrics hourly:

Views: Total view count
Likes: Like count (dislikes no longer public)
Comments: Total comment count

Step-by-Step Guide

Get Your API Key

Sign up at contentstats.io/auth/signup
Go to Dashboard → API Keys
Click “Create New Key”
Copy and save your key

Find a YouTube Video

Get the URL of any public YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Both formats work!

Start Tracking

Send a POST request to start tracking:

curl -X POST https://contentstats.io/api/v1/videos/track \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-Key: cs_live_YOUR_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "video_link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "duration_days": 7
  }'

Response:

{
  "id": "cm5xyz789",
  "job_id": "job_abc123",
  "video_link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "platform": "youtube",
  "status": "monitoring",
  "estimated_cost": 2.52,
  "monitoring_duration_days": 7
}

Retrieve Statistics

After 1 hour, get your first snapshot:

curl https://contentstats.io/api/v1/videos/cm5xyz789 \
  -H "X-API-Key: cs_live_YOUR_KEY"

Response:

{
  "id": "cm5xyz789",
  "video_link": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "platform": "youtube",
  "status": "monitoring",
  "snapshots": [
    {
      "snapshot_time": "2024-01-29T10:00:00Z",
      "views": "1425000000",
      "likes": "14000000",
      "comments": "1250000"
    },
    {
      "snapshot_time": "2024-01-29T11:00:00Z",
      "views": "1425055000",
      "likes": "14001200",
      "comments": "1250150"
    }
  ]
}

Analyzing the Data

Growth Over Time

Calculate hourly growth:

function calculateGrowth(snapshots) {
  const growth = [];
  
  for (let i = 1; i < snapshots.length; i++) {
    const current = snapshots[i];
    const previous = snapshots[i - 1];
    
    growth.push({
      time: current.snapshot_time,
      views_gained: parseInt(current.views) - parseInt(previous.views),
      likes_gained: parseInt(current.likes) - parseInt(previous.likes),
      comments_gained: parseInt(current.comments) - parseInt(previous.comments)
    });
  }
  
  return growth;
}

const growth = calculateGrowth(video.snapshots);
console.log('Hourly view growth:', growth.map(g => g.views_gained));

Engagement Rate

Calculate engagement percentage:

def calculate_engagement_rate(snapshot):
    views = int(snapshot['views'])
    likes = int(snapshot['likes'])
    comments = int(snapshot['comments'])
    
    total_engagement = likes + comments
    engagement_rate = (total_engagement / views) * 100
    
    return round(engagement_rate, 2)

latest = video['snapshots'][-1]
rate = calculate_engagement_rate(latest)
print(f"Engagement rate: {rate}%")

Supported YouTube URL Formats

We accept all YouTube URL formats:

✅ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
✅ https://youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
✅ https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
✅ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
✅ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=30s

Query parameters (like &t=30s for timestamps) are automatically stripped.

Advanced: Batch Tracking

Track multiple YouTube videos:

const videos = [
  'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ',
  'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0',
  'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw'
];

async function trackBatch(urls, duration = 7) {
  const results = await Promise.all(
    urls.map(video_link =>
      fetch('https://contentstats.io/api/v1/videos/track', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          'X-API-Key': process.env.CONTENTSTATS_API_KEY
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ video_link, duration_days: duration })
      }).then(r => r.json())
    )
  );
  
  return results;
}

const tracked = await trackBatch(videos);
console.log(`Tracking ${tracked.length} YouTube videos`);

Export Data

Export to CSV

import csv
import requests

def export_to_csv(video_id, filename='youtube_stats.csv'):
    response = requests.get(
        f'https://contentstats.io/api/v1/videos/{video_id}',
        headers={'X-API-Key': os.environ['CONTENTSTATS_API_KEY']}
    )
    
    video = response.json()
    
    with open(filename, 'w', newline='') as file:
        writer = csv.writer(file)
        writer.writerow(['Timestamp', 'Views', 'Likes', 'Comments'])
        
        for snapshot in video['snapshots']:
            writer.writerow([
                snapshot['snapshot_time'],
                snapshot['views'],
                snapshot['likes'],
                snapshot['comments']
            ])
    
    print(f"Exported to {filename}")

export_to_csv('cm5xyz789')

Visualize with Chart

import Chart from 'chart.js/auto';

async function visualizeGrowth(videoId) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://contentstats.io/api/v1/videos/${videoId}`,
    { headers: { 'X-API-Key': process.env.CONTENTSTATS_API_KEY } }
  );
  
  const video = await response.json();
  
  new Chart(document.getElementById('chart'), {
    type: 'line',
    data: {
      labels: video.snapshots.map(s => new Date(s.snapshot_time).toLocaleString()),
      datasets: [{
        label: 'Views',
        data: video.snapshots.map(s => parseInt(s.views)),
        borderColor: 'rgb(75, 192, 192)'
      }]
    }
  });
}

Cost Examples

Tracking cost calculation:

Duration	Snapshots	Total Cost
1 day	24	$0.36
3 days	72	$1.08
7 days	168	$2.52
14 days	336	$5.04
30 days	720	$10.80

Your $5 free credit covers 333 snapshots (~14 days of tracking).

Troubleshooting

Error: Video not found

Causes:

Video is private or deleted
Invalid URL format
Age-restricted video

Fix: Verify the video is public and accessible without login

Views not updating

Cause: YouTube sometimes caches view countsExpected: View counts may stay the same for a few hours, especially on older videos

No snapshots appearing

Cause: First snapshot takes up to 1 hourFix: Wait 60 minutes after starting tracking

Best Practices

Poll Hourly

Don’t poll faster than hourly — snapshots update every 60 minutes:

// Poll every hour for new snapshots
setInterval(() => {
  fetchVideoStats(videoId);
}, 60 * 60 * 1000);

Track High-Value Videos

Focus on videos that matter:

Your own content
Competitor best performers
Trending videos in your niche
Influencer campaign videos

Monitor Balance

Check balance before tracking:

curl https://contentstats.io/api/v1/usage \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY"

Use Cases

Monitor Your Own Videos

const myVideos = [
  'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO1',
  'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO2'
];

// Track all your videos
myVideos.forEach(url => trackVideo(url, 30));

Competitive Analysis

const competitors = [
  { name: 'Competitor A', url: 'https://youtube.com/...' },
  { name: 'Competitor B', url: 'https://youtube.com/...' }
];

// Track competitor performance
competitors.forEach(comp => {
  trackVideo(comp.url, 7);
  console.log(`Tracking ${comp.name}`);
});

Trend Research

// Track trending videos to find patterns
const trendingUrls = await getTrendingVideos('tech');

trendingUrls.forEach(url => trackVideo(url, 3));

Next Steps

YouTube Analytics Alternative

Compare with YouTube Data API

API Reference

Complete API docs

Automate Analytics

Build automated tracking

Platform Guides

Use Cases

​Get YouTube Video Statistics Programmatically

​What You’ll Get

​Step-by-Step Guide

​Analyzing the Data

​Growth Over Time

​Engagement Rate

​Supported YouTube URL Formats

​Advanced: Batch Tracking

​Export Data

​Export to CSV

​Visualize with Chart

​Cost Examples

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Use Cases

​Monitor Your Own Videos

​Competitive Analysis

​Trend Research

​Next Steps

YouTube Analytics Alternative

API Reference

Automate Analytics

Get YouTube Video Statistics Programmatically

What You’ll Get

Step-by-Step Guide

Analyzing the Data

Growth Over Time

Engagement Rate

Supported YouTube URL Formats

Advanced: Batch Tracking

Export Data

Export to CSV

Visualize with Chart

Cost Examples

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Use Cases

Monitor Your Own Videos

Competitive Analysis

Trend Research

Next Steps