yt-dlp web downloader

A browser-based interface for [yt-dlp][https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp]. Paste a URL, pick a quality, download. No Electron, no build step — just Python and a single HTML file.

What it does

• Fetches video metadata (title, uploader, duration, available formats) before you commit to a download
• Detects automatically whether a URL is a single video or a playlist and sets the mode accordingly
• Streams yt-dlp's real output to the browser in real time so you can see exactly what is happening
• Pipes single-stream formats directly to the browser so the file lands in your Downloads folder without first buffering to the server
• Shows a toast while the download is being prepared and lets you cancel it at any time
• Keeps advanced options (post-processing, output templates, rate limiting, subtitles) out of the way until you need them

Requirements

• Python 3.10 or newer
• yt-dlp installed in the same Python environment
• ffmpeg on your PATH if you want audio extraction or format merging

Installation

git clone https://github.com/madebyorunto/ytdlp-web.git
cd ytdlp-web
pip install -r requirements.txt

Running

python start.py

Then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser.

Alternatively, run directly with uvicorn:

uvicorn main:app --reload

How to use

1. Paste a YouTube (or any yt-dlp-supported) URL into the input and press Enter or click Fetch Info.
2. The app detects whether the URL is a video or playlist and shows the available quality options.
3. Pick a quality. Files are saved to the downloads/ folder next to main.py.
4. If you need post-processing (audio extraction, subtitle embedding, SponsorBlock removal, etc.) open Advanced options.

Project structure

ytdlp-web/
├── main.py            # FastAPI backend — info, download WebSocket, direct stream
├── static/
│   ├── index.html     # Frontend — all HTML, CSS, and JS in one file
│   ├── favicon.ico    # yt-dlp icon
│   └── favicon.png    # yt-dlp icon (PNG variant)
├── start.py           # Convenience launcher
├── requirements.txt
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
└── downloads/         # Created automatically on first run

Downloaded files

Files land in downloads/ relative to where you run the server. The output template defaults to %(title)s.%(ext)s. You can change this in Advanced options.

Supported sites

Anything yt-dlp supports — YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter/X, SoundCloud, and hundreds more. See the full list at https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/blob/master/supportedsites.md.

License

MIT