YouTube API: Upload Videos With Python - Easy Guide

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YouTube API: Upload Videos with Python - Easy Guide

Hey guys! Ever wanted to automate your YouTube uploads using Python? Well, you're in the right place! In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of using the YouTube Data API to upload videos directly from your Python scripts. Get ready to level up your YouTube game!

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:

  • Google Cloud Project: You'll need a Google Cloud project with the YouTube Data API enabled.

  • Python: Ensure you have Python 3.6+ installed.

  • Google API Client Library: Install the google-api-python-client and google-auth-httplib2 libraries. You can install them using pip:

    pip install google-api-python-client google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

Step 1: Setting Up Your Google Cloud Project

First things first, you need to set up a Google Cloud project. This involves creating a project and enabling the YouTube Data API. Let’s break it down:

  1. Create a Project: Go to the Google Cloud Console and create a new project. Give it a meaningful name like youtube-uploader.
  2. Enable the YouTube Data API: In the Cloud Console, navigate to "APIs & Services" and then "Library." Search for "YouTube Data API v3" and enable it. This allows your project to interact with YouTube.
  3. Create Credentials: To access the API, you’ll need credentials. Go to "APIs & Services" and then "Credentials." Create an OAuth 2.0 Client ID. You'll need to configure the consent screen first. For the application type, choose "Desktop app." Download the generated JSON file; this file contains your credentials.

Step 2: Authentication

Authentication is key to proving you have the right to upload videos. We'll use the google-auth-oauthlib library to handle the OAuth 2.0 flow.

Here’s a snippet to get you started:

import google.auth
import googleapiclient.discovery
import googleapiclient.errors

scopes = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload"]

def get_authenticated_service():
    credentials, project = google.auth.default(
        scopes=scopes
    )

    # If modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json.
    if not credentials:
        flow = google_auth_oauthlib.flow.InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
            'path/to/your/client_secret.json', scopes)
        credentials = flow.run_local_server(port=0)
    
    return googleapiclient.discovery.build("youtube", "v3", credentials=credentials)

youtube = get_authenticated_service()

Explanation:

  • Scopes: We define the scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload, which gives us permission to upload videos.
  • Credentials: The code attempts to get credentials automatically. If it fails (usually the first time), it uses the client secrets file to start the OAuth 2.0 flow. This will open a browser window asking you to grant permissions.
  • Building the Service: Finally, we use the credentials to build the YouTube Data API service.

Step 3: Preparing Your Video

Before uploading, you need to prepare your video file and metadata. The metadata includes details like the title, description, tags, and category. Let’s look at how to structure this information.

VIDEO_FILE_PATH = "path/to/your/video.mp4"

request_body = {
    'snippet': {
        'categoryI
d': 22,  # Entertainment category
        'title': 'My Awesome Video',
        'description': 'This is a description of my awesome video.',
        'tags': ['python', 'youtube', 'api', 'upload']
    },
    'status': {
        'privacyStatus': 'private',  # or 'public' or 'unlisted'
        'selfDeclaredMadeForKids': False,
    }
}

Details:

  • VIDEO_FILE_PATH: The path to your video file.
  • request_body: A dictionary containing the video’s metadata. The snippet section includes category, title, description, and tags. The status section controls the video's privacy settings.

Step 4: Uploading the Video

Now for the main event – uploading the video! We'll use the videos.insert method of the YouTube Data API.

media = googleapiclient.http.MediaFileUpload(VIDEO_FILE_PATH, mimetype='video/mp4', resumable=True)

request = youtube.videos().insert(
    part="snippet,status",
    body=request_body,
    media=media
)

response = None
while response is None:
    status, response = request.next_chunk()
    if status:
        print("Uploaded %d%%." % int(status.progress() * 100))
print("Upload Complete!")

Explanation:

  • MediaFileUpload: This class handles the actual file upload. We specify the file path and MIME type.
  • videos().insert: This method inserts the video with the provided metadata and media.
  • Resumable Upload: The resumable=True parameter enables resumable uploads. If the upload is interrupted, it can be resumed from where it left off. This is crucial for large video files.
  • Progress Updates: The while loop ensures the entire video is uploaded. It prints the upload progress to the console.

Step 5: Putting It All Together

Here’s the complete script:

import google.auth
import googleapiclient.discovery
import googleapiclient.errors
import googleapiclient.http
import google_auth_oauthlib.flow

VIDEO_FILE_PATH = "path/to/your/video.mp4"
SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload"]
CLIENT_SECRETS_FILE = "path/to/your/client_secret.json"

def get_authenticated_service():
    credentials = None
    try:
        credentials, project = google.auth.default(
            scopes=SCOPES
        )
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error getting default credentials: {e}")
        credentials = None

    # If modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json.
    if not credentials:
        flow = google_auth_oauthlib.flow.InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
            CLIENT_SECRETS_FILE, SCOPES)
        credentials = flow.run_local_server(port=0)

    return googleapiclient.discovery.build("youtube", "v3", credentials=credentials)


def upload_video(youtube):
    request_body = {
        'snippet': {
            'categoryI
d': 22,
            'title': 'My Awesome Video',
            'description': 'This is a description of my awesome video.',
            'tags': ['python', 'youtube', 'api', 'upload']
        },
        'status': {
            'privacyStatus': 'private',
            'selfDeclaredMadeForKids': False,
        }
    }

    media = googleapiclient.http.MediaFileUpload(VIDEO_FILE_PATH, mimetype='video/mp4', resumable=True)

    request = youtube.videos().insert(
        part="snippet,status",
        body=request_body,
        media=media
    )

    response = None
    while response is None:
        status, response = request.next_chunk()
        if status:
            print("Uploaded %d%%." % int(status.progress() * 100))
    print("Upload Complete!")


def main():
    youtube = get_authenticated_service()
    upload_video(youtube)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

How to Use: Replace `