Tunelio developer guides
Practical, copy-paste guides for building with the Tunelio YouTube download API — one request returns a direct download URL, with no queues or polling. Pick a guide below, or jump straight to the full API reference.
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 →YouTube to MP3 API
Use the Tunelio YouTube to MP3 API to get a direct MP3 URL in one request. cURL, Python, and Node.js examples. 100 free credits, no polling.
Read guide →YouTube to MP4 API
Use the Tunelio YouTube to MP4 API to get a direct MP4 download URL up to 4K in one request. cURL and code examples. 100 free credits.
Read guide →YouTube Metadata API
Use the Tunelio YouTube metadata API to fetch a video title, duration, thumbnail, and every format with file sizes in one request. Free credits.
Read guide →A yt-dlp alternative that needs no maintenance
A yt-dlp alternative for production: Tunelio is a hosted YouTube download API. No PO tokens, no proxies, no bans — a direct URL in one request.
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 →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 cookies: how to export them, use them, and why they stop working
How to pass cookies to yt-dlp safely: --cookies vs --cookies-from-browser, exporting from a private window, why they expire, account risks and 2026 caveats.
Read guide →How to update yt-dlp — every install method, plus nightly and why it matters
Update yt-dlp for every install method: yt-dlp -U, pip install -U yt-dlp, brew, winget, nightly/master channels, Docker — and why old builds break.
Read guide →yt-dlp and ffmpeg: why you need it, how to install it, and the commands that use it
Why yt-dlp needs ffmpeg, how to install it on Windows, macOS and Linux, fix “ffmpeg not found”, merge 1080p video+audio, extract MP3, and use --ffmpeg-location.
Read guide →Is yt-dlp safe? Security, privacy and legality, honestly
yt-dlp is open source and safe from the official GitHub releases or pip. What antivirus warnings mean, the real risks (fake sites, cookies, plugins), legality.
Read guide →yt-dlp to MP3: the correct command, quality settings and metadata
Download YouTube audio as MP3 with yt-dlp: -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0, embed cover art and tags, playlists, output templates, why ffmpeg is needed.
Read guide →yt-dlp audio: WebM/Opus, M4A/AAC or MP3 — which one should you keep?
YouTube serves audio as Opus in WebM and AAC in M4A; MP3 is always a transcode. When to keep the original, when to convert, and the yt-dlp command for each.
Read guide →yt-dlp with a proxy: syntax, which proxies actually work against YouTube, and what it costs
How to route yt-dlp through a proxy (--proxy http/socks5, auth), why datacenter proxies rarely help against YouTube, residential bandwidth costs, IPv6 gotchas.
Read guide →Using yt-dlp from Python: the embedded API, options, hooks and running it in a server
yt-dlp as a Python library: import yt_dlp, YoutubeDL options, extract_info without downloading, progress hooks, errors, async servers, production Dockerfile.
Read guide →yt-dlp “HTTP Error 404: Not Found” — what it means and how to fix each cause
Why yt-dlp returns 404 Not Found: removed or private videos, bad URLs, expired media links, playlist items, outdated extractors — and how to fix each one.
Read guide →yt-dlp as an API: embedding it, self-hosting a REST wrapper, or using a hosted service
Three ways to put yt-dlp behind an API: embed it in Python, self-host a REST wrapper (FastAPI example), or use a hosted YouTube download API — real costs.
Read guide →Build a Telegram bot that downloads YouTube videos
Build a Telegram bot that downloads YouTube videos in one API call — full Python code, no yt-dlp, no self-hosted Bot API server. 100 free credits.
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About the Tunelio API
Tunelio is a developer-first YouTube media API. GET /info returns rich metadata and available formats, GET /create returns a direct signed MP4 or MP3 URL, and GET /transcript returns timestamped subtitles as JSON, text, SRT, or VTT. Download links require no job queue or polling.
Authentication is a Bearer API key, and new accounts get 100 free credits to try the API before choosing a plan. The guides above walk through the most common integrations with copy-paste examples in cURL, Python, and Node.js.