# YouTube Video Captions API

> Returns available video caption tracks or transcripts in multiple formats, filtered by video identifier and language code.

Source: https://www.sandbase.ai/apis/youtube/web-v2/video-captions
API reference: https://www.sandbase.ai/apis/youtube/web-v2/video-captions/docs

## Facts

- Provider: YouTube
- Type: Data API
- Endpoint: `POST https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/api/youtube/web-v2/video-captions`
- Price: $0.01 per call
- Free allowance: 100 calls per organization per UTC day, shared across eligible APIs
- Capabilities: api, youtube
- Billing: pay per use from one SandBase balance; no provider account or subscription needed

## Call it

`POST https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/api/youtube/web-v2/video-captions` with `Authorization: Bearer $SANDBASE_API_KEY` and the parameters as a JSON body.

| Parameter | Type | Required | Allowed values |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `format` | string | no | srt, xml, json3, txt |
| `language_code` | string | no |  |
| `video_id` | string | no |  |
| `video_url` | string | no |  |

## FAQ

### How do I use the YouTube Video Captions API?

Send a POST request to https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/api/youtube/web-v2/video-captions with your SandBase API key in the Authorization header (Bearer) and the parameters as a JSON body. You can also try it in the Playground on this page without writing code.

### How much does the YouTube Video Captions API cost?

$0.01 per call. Every organization gets 100 free calls per UTC day, shared across eligible SandBase APIs including this one; after that each call is billed at this price from your SandBase balance. There is no subscription.

### What parameters does the YouTube Video Captions API accept?

No parameters are required. Optional: format (one of srt, xml, json3, txt), language_code (string), video_id (string) and video_url (string). The Parameters table and the Playground on this page list every field.

### What does the YouTube Video Captions API return?

A JSON response returned in the same HTTP request (synchronous).

### Do I need a YouTube developer account or API key?

No. YouTube Video Captions runs through SandBase, so one SandBase API key covers this endpoint and every other API and model in the catalog. You do not need to apply for YouTube API access separately.

## README

### YouTube Video Captions API

Fetch YouTube caption lists or full subtitle text by providing `video_id` or `video_url`. Specify `language_code` to retrieve subtitle text or leave it empty to inspect available caption tracks.

#### Use cases

- Extract subtitles in TXT or SRT formats for video summarization workflows.
- Inspect all available subtitle tracks and languages for a specific video.
- Download structured JSON3 transcript data for search indexing.

#### Request

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.sandbase.ai/v1/api/youtube/web-v2/video-captions" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SANDBASE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'
```

#### Parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `format` | string | No | Caption format |
| `video_id` | string | No | Video ID (recommended) |
| `video_url` | string | No | Full video URL (optional) |
| `language_code` | string | No | Language code (e.g. en, zh-Hans, a.en), returns available caption list if empty |

#### Notes

- Leaving `language_code` empty returns the list of available caption tracks.
- Supported `format` options include `srt`, `xml`, `json3`, and `txt`.
- Providing `video_id` is recommended instead of `video_url`.

#### Related APIs

- [YouTube Channel Community Posts](/model/youtube/web-v2/channel-community-posts): Returns community posts from a specific YouTube channel, including text content, polls, votes, and comment counts.
- [YouTube Channel Description](/model/youtube/web-v2/channel-description): Returns YouTube channel details including subscriber counts, video totals, view counts, joined date, and social links.
- [YouTube Channel ID from URL](/model/youtube/web-v2/channel-id): Resolves a YouTube channel URL to its canonical channel ID.