How to Use Proxies with yt-dlp for Video Scraping

Efficient and anonymous scraping videos from YouTube or other platforms often requires extra tool help. Among popular options, yt-dlp stands out. It is an advanced fork of the popular youtube-dl tool for downloading videos and extracting metadata. Combining it with proxies, users can bypass IP restrictions, avoid geo-blocks, and ensure smooth operations when scraping.

In this guide, we will introduce how to set up yt-dlp with proxies to scrape videos step-by-step, including advanced techniques and best practices.

What is yt-dlp?

yt-dlp is an open-source command-line video and audio downloader, supporting thousands of video platforms, for example, Youtube. Compared to the original youtube-dl, it offers several advanced features:

• Improved compatibility with more platforms.
• Better handling of video extraction and downloading, supporting new formats DASH and HLS streams.
• Support limits setup on download speeds to avoid overloading and manage bandwidth usage.
• Options for extracting metadata such as titles, descriptions, and subtitles.
• Numerous command-line options for advanced users to customize extensively download settings
• Built-in proxy support.

Why Use Proxies with yt-dlp?

When scraping or downloading multiple videos or restricted content using yt-dlp, you may encounter:

• IP Bans: Sending too many requests from the same IP can result in temporary or permanent bans.
• Geo-Restrictions: Some videos are only available in specific regions.
• Rate Limits: YouTube and other platforms limit the number of requests from a single IP.
• Privacy Concerns: Using proxies hides your real IP address, ensuring anonymity.

Using proxies with yt-dlp helps you overcome these challenges. They route your requests through different IP addresses to look as if requesting from multiple unrestricted locations, and target websites can hardly detect and block.

How to Set Up yt-dlp with Proxies?

To scrape videos using yt-dlp with a proxy, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install yt-dlp

If you haven’t already installed yt-dlp, follow these instructions:

On Windows:

Download the latest version of yt-dlp from its GitHub releases page.

Save the file (yt-dlp.exe) to a folder accessible via your command line.

On macOS/Linux:

Run the following commands to install yt-dlp:

For Copy:

sudo curl -L https://yt-dlp.org/downloads/latest/yt-dlp -o /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp

sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp

Verify the installation:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --version

Step 2: Select a Proxy

Choose a proxy service that suits your needs. Here are the most common types of proxies for scraping:

• Residential Proxies: Best for avoiding detection, as they appear to come from real devices. Suitable for large-scale scraping.
• Datacenter Proxies: Faster and more affordable but easier to detect and block.
• Geo-Specific Proxies: Useful for bypassing geo-restrictions.
• Rotating Proxies: Automatically change IP addresses after each request or session.

Popular proxy providers include:

• Bright Data
• Smartproxy
• MacroProxy

Step 3: Configure yt-dlp with a Proxy

1. Add Proxy in the Command

yt-dlp allows you to specify a proxy directly in the command using the --proxy option.

Here’s the syntax:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://username:password@proxy_address:port" <video_url>

• Replace proxy_address:port with your proxy’s IP address and port.
• If your proxy doesn’t require authentication, use:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://proxy_address:port" <video_url>

Example Command with Proxy

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://123.45.67.89:8080" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

2. Add Proxy to a Configuration File

If you frequently use the same proxy, you can save it in the yt-dlp configuration file for convenience.

a. Locate or create the configuration file

Windows: C:\Users\<YourUsername>\yt-dlp.conf

Linux/macOS: ~/.config/yt-dlp/config

b. Add the following line to specify your proxy

For Copy:

--proxy "http://username:password@proxy_address:port"

c. Save the file. Now yt-dlp will automatically use the proxy for all commands.

Step 4: Test Your Proxy with yt-dlp

To verify that your proxy works correctly, test it by scraping metadata from a YouTube video:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://123.45.67.89:8080" -F https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

If the command succeeds and lists available formats, your proxy is working. If it fails, double-check the proxy details and ensure the proxy server is active.

Advanced Techniques

1. Rotate Proxies for Large-Scale Scraping

If you need to download multiple videos or scrape metadata at scale, rotating proxies is essential since it is easy to detect. Use a rotating proxy service or write a script to cycle through a proxy list to avoid bans.

Example Bash Script for Proxy Rotation

For Copy:

#!/bin/bash

# List of proxies
proxies=("http://proxy1:port" "http://proxy2:port" "http://proxy3:port")

# Video URL
video_url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"

# Rotate through proxies
for proxy in "${proxies[@]}"; do
  echo "Using proxy: $proxy"
  yt-dlp --proxy "$proxy" "$video_url"
  sleep 5  # Add a delay to mimic human behavior
done

2. Scrape Metadata Only

If you only need video metadata (e.g., title, description, views) without downloading videos, use the --dump-json or --print options:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://123.45.67.89:8080" --dump-json <video_url>

This outputs metadata in JSON format for programmatical parsing.

3. Bypass Geo-Restrictions

To access geo-restricted videos, you can use geo-specific proxies, for example, city-specific proxies:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --proxy "http://geo_proxy_address:port" <video_url>

You can also specify a region code using the --geo-bypass-country option:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --geo-bypass-country "US" <video_url>

Best Practices for Using yt-dlp with Proxies

1. Use High-Quality Proxies

Free proxies do seem attractive but are often unreliable and may expose your IP and cause risks. Consider investing in paid rotating residential proxies for better performance, especially when you work on an important project.

2. Limit Request Frequency

Add delays between requests to mimic human behavior and avoid detection. For example, 5-10 seconds.

3. Combine with User-Agent Rotation

For enhanced anonymity, you can use --dump-json or --print  to rotate User-Agent strings:

For Copy:

yt-dlp --add-header "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" --proxy "http://proxy_address:port" <video_url>

4. Avoid Overloading Proxies

Don’t send too many requests through the same proxy in a short period to maintain performance.

FAQs About yt-dlp Scraping Videos with Proxies

1. Is scraping videos with yt-dlp legal?

It depends. Please read the terms of service of your target websites before downloading videos or scraping metadata to avoid violence. And always use the tool responsibly and ensure compliance with applicable laws.

2. Can I use free proxies for yt-dlp?

Yes, free proxies are available. However, they are often slow, unreliable, prone to bans, and even bring security problems. Paid proxies are better for stable and efficient scraping. We recommend high quality rotating residential proxies to ensure performance.

3. How often should I rotate proxies?

To minimize the risk of detection and blocks, we recommend:

• Frequency of Requests: Rotate proxies every 5-10 requests.
• Time Interval: Changing proxies every 10-20 minutes during longer scraping sessions.
• Monitor Responses: If you start receiving errors or high response times, switch proxies immediately.
• Request Rate: Maintain a low request rate, ideally 1 request every 5-10 seconds to mimic human behavior.

4. Can I scrape metadata only without downloading videos?

Yes, use the --dump-json or --print options to scrape metadata without downloading the actual video files. You can scroll up to part "2. Scrape Metadata Only" in "Advanced Techniques" to refer to.

Conclusion

Using yt-dlp with proxies is a great combination to scrape videos or metadata from video platforms, you can maintain anonymity and bypass restrictions while staying high efficiency. Please read the target website's terms of service before crawling. There may be differences between different websites. Avoid violations and illegalities.

Whether downloading videos, extracting metadata, or bypassing geo-restrictions, proxies are now essential for scaling your operations. Start leveraging the power of yt-dlp with proxies to unlock new possibilities in video scraping. Explore our reliable proxy services and enhance your scraping efficiency. Register and get your test chance of rotating residential proxies today!