How to Retrieve Like and Dislike Counts for YouTube Videos Using the YouTube Data API

Introduction

The YouTube Data API is a powerful tool for retrieving various details about YouTube videos, including like and dislike counts. However, as of November 2021, YouTube has hidden the public visibility of the dislike counts. This article will guide you through the process of using the YouTube Data API to retrieve like counts and provide additional context and best practices.

Steps to Get Like Counts Using the YouTube Data API

Create a Project in Google Cloud Console

Go to the Google Cloud Console.

Create a new project or select an existing one.

Enable YouTube Data API v3

In the API Library, search for YouTube Data API v3.

Navigate to the Credentials page and create an API key.

Use the API to Get Video Details

You can use the get method to get details about specific videos including the like count.

Example API Request:

GET {VIDEO_ID}?key{YOUR_API_KEY}

Replace:

{VIDEO_ID} with the ID of the video you want to check. {YOUR_API_KEY} with your actual API key.

Response:

The response will include a JSON object with statistics including the like count:

{
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "video_id",
      "statistics": {
        "likeCount": "12345",
        "viewCount": "67890"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Important Notes:

Dislike Count: Dislike counts are no longer available on the public API. Quota Limits: Be mindful of the API quota limits. Excessive requests may result in your API key being temporarily disabled.

Alternative: Retrieving Likes and Dislikes for Specific Videos

There is no single API call that will return the number of likes and dislikes for all videos on YouTube. However, the YouTube Data API does support retrieving likes and dislikes for a specific video. To do this:

Obtain an API key from YouTube. Enable YouTube Data API v3 by going to Google Cloud Platform - Dashboard. Then click “ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES”. Find YouTube Data API v3, click it and then press “ENABLE”. Send a request to YouTube Data API:

_{VIDEO_ID}key{YOUR_API_KEY}partstatistics

Now, let's analyze this request:

- Base URL

?id{VIDEO_ID} - Video ID. You can find it as part of the video URL.

key{YOUR_API_KEY} - This is where you paste your API key created in Step 1.

partstatistics - Asking the API what kind of information you want to retrieve. In this case, it's statistics (like count, view count, etc.).

Step 4: Parse API Response

After you send a request to the URL with your valid API key, you should receive a JSON response. For testing purposes, you can paste that URL directly in the browser.

It is up to you to decide on which programming language you will use to send the request and parse the response. Here are some examples from YouTube:

Node.js Quickstart

Official YouTube Data API documentation

YouTube Data API Getting Started Guide

Always refer to the official documentation for the most up-to-date and accurate information.