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A YouTube download API built for builders, not browsers.

Paste a YouTube URL and get a direct download link or timestamped transcript — no queueing, no polling, no progress webhook. MP4 up to 4K, MP3 at 320kbps.

tunelio.dev
$ curl "https://tunelio.dev/create?quality=720p&url=…" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tnl_…"
{ "url": "…/tunnel?id=…&sig=…", "file_size_str": "28.52 MB", "status": "ok"  }
How it works

Simple calls. No waiting.

Most "download API"s queue your job and make you poll for progress. We just give you the link. Same request, same response.

016 credits
GET /info
Send any YouTube URL. We return metadata, all available video qualities, and audio formats — in under a second.
0210 credits
GET /create
Pick a quality, hit /create with the URL. The download link comes back in the same response.
03free
Download directly
Pipe the returned tunnel URL straight to your user, S3, or transcoder. We stream straight through our tunnel — your server stays out of it.
What you won't find here
✗ No job queues✗ No status polling✗ No progress webhooks✗ No SSE streams
For yt-dlp users

What is Tunelio?

Tunelio is a hosted YouTube download API. Send a YouTube URL and get back a direct MP4 or MP3 download URL, the video’s metadata, or a timestamped transcript — in one HTTP request, usually in under a second. It is the managed alternative to running yt-dlp, cookies, proxies and ffmpeg yourself.

Coming from yt-dlp? Keep the workflow, drop the babysitting.

No cookies, no PO tokens
We handle YouTube’s bot checks, proof-of-origin tokens and IP reputation on our side. Your code never sees “Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot”.
No nightly updates
yt-dlp breaks whenever YouTube changes. We patch the extraction fleet continuously, so your integration keeps working while you sleep.
No ffmpeg, no proxy pool
Muxed MP4 up to 4K and 320 kbps MP3 come back as one signed URL you can hand to a user, a bot or an S3 upload — no local conversion, no rotating IPs.
yt-dlp alternative: when a hosted API makes sense →Fix “Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot” →Fix yt-dlp 403 Forbidden →
Developer API

Drop it into your stack today.

One auth header for direct media URLs, metadata, and transcripts. Copy-paste examples for the languages you actually use.

Instant download URLs
/create returns the link in the same response. No polling.
Telegram & Email auth
Sign up via Telegram or with your Email. Generate a key in seconds.
Pay only for what you use
Monthly credits, fresh each cycle.
# 1. Get available formats
curl "https://tunelio.dev/info?url=https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tnl_8f3a92…"

# 2. Get a direct download URL (returns instantly)
curl "https://tunelio.dev/create?quality=720p&url=https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tnl_8f3a92…"

# 3. Get a timestamped transcript
curl "https://tunelio.dev/transcript?url=dQw4w9WgXcQ&lang=en&format=json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tnl_8f3a92…"
Full reference
Endpoints

A focused API. Clear contracts.

GET/info
6 credits
Returns title, duration, thumbnail, and every available video & audio format with file sizes.
Query params
urlstringrequired— Any YouTube watch / shorts / share URL
Response shape
{ title, duration_seconds, thumbnail, formats[], audioFormat }
GET/create
10 credits
Returns a signed, direct download URL — in the same response. No polling, no progress webhook.
Query params
urlstringrequired— Any YouTube watch / shorts / share URL
qualitystringrequired— e.g. 144p, 360p, 720p, 1080p, mp3, opus
Response shape
{ url, filename, quality, file_size_str, expires, status }
GET/transcript
6 credits
Returns timestamped subtitles as structured JSON, with plain text, SRT, and VTT output options.
Query params
urlstringrequired— Any YouTube watch / shorts / share URL
langstring— Optional language code, e.g. en, ru, zh
Response shape
{ language, available_languages[], segments[], full_text, status }
The URL returned by /create points to tunelio.dev/tunnel — that's the file. You don't call it from your code; you hand it to your user or your downloader.
Capabilities

Only the bits you'll actually use.

Instant download URLs
/create gives you the link in the same response. Zero polling.
Every native quality
144p to 1080p out of the box. 4K available on Mega.
Audio-only MP3
Server-side transmux. Skip the ffmpeg setup.
Direct stream delivery
Files stream straight through our tunnel — your server never proxies the bytes.
Developer-ready transcripts
Timestamped JSON, plain text, SRT, or VTT with language and source metadata.
100 free credits on signup
Every new account starts with 100 credits — try the API before you pay a cent. No card required.
Pricing

Pay by the call. No surprises.

Straightforward per-call credits. Every endpoint's cost is shown before you call it.

Monthly billing.

Free on signup
Trial
Try the API before paying anything.
$0/month
100 credits — one-time
15 requests / minute
Up to 720p MP4 + 320k MP3
Community support
Pro
$9/month
100,000 credits / month
No rate limit
Up to 1080p MP4 + MP3
Email support · 48h
Recommended
Ultra
$39/month
500,000 credits / month
No rate limit
Up to 1080p MP4 + MP3
Priority support · 24h
Mega
$89/month
1,500,000 credits / month
No rate limit
Up to 4K MP4 + MP3
Dedicated support · 4h
Need something custom?
Higher volume or dedicated infrastructure — we'll put together a plan that fits. Tell us what you need and we'll reply within one business day.
Contact support support@tunelio.dev
Built for

Telegram bots, websites, and mobile apps.

TG BOT
Telegram bots
Reply to a YouTube link with the downloaded file in seconds. /create gives you a direct URL that Telegram can fetch and re-upload as a file.
WEB
Websites
Embed a download box on your site. Pass the URL to /create from your backend, hand the response link to the browser — done.
MOBILE
Mobile apps
Offline-first video apps that let users save lectures or playlists for the plane. No queues, so your UI shows "downloading" instead of "waiting".
Guides

Developer guides

Copy-paste examples and fixes for the problems you actually hit.

All guides →
yt-dlp errors explained: what each one means and the fix that works
Every common yt-dlp error in one place — bot check, 403, 404, format not available, nsig, ffmpeg, cookies, proxy, throttling — with the cause and the first fix.
Read guide →
yt-dlp: "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" — what it means and how to fix it
Why yt-dlp shows “Sign in to confirm you’re not a bot” and the 2026 fix order that works: update, JS runtime, IPv4, cookies, PO token, IP change.
Read guide →
yt-dlp 403 Forbidden: why it happens and the fix order that works
Fix yt-dlp HTTP Error 403 Forbidden in the right order: update, JS runtime, IPv4, cookies, player client, IP. Real causes from an extraction operator.
Read guide →
YouTube Downloader API
Use the Tunelio YouTube downloader API to get direct MP4 and MP3 URLs in one request. cURL, Python, and Node.js examples. 100 free credits.
Read guide →
Questions

Asked & answered.

Still wondering? Message us on Telegram →

Tunelio is a generic content-resolution API. You are responsible for ensuring your downstream use complies with YouTube's ToS and your local copyright law. Most jurisdictions permit personal-use downloads and educational re-use.

Start free. Ship today.

100 credits on signup, no card. Open Telegram, get a key, and you'll be downloading inside a minute.