youtube-dl Download/Alternative: Is the YouTube Downloader Still Available?

Is youtube-dl unavailable to download and use now?

“October 23, 2020” means a lot to youtube-dl because a series of related repository places (that contain a representative sample of youtube-dl forks) are disabled on github due to DMCA takedown requirement. This is another typical discontinuation of YouTube ripping related service after the shutdown of hot ones like YouTube-MP3.org and savefrom.net. Maybe they don’t actually want to end the service and the users are still badly in need of them, however, under the pressure or even attack of (US) copyright holders, they have no choice but to say goodbye to their programs forever.

Can I Use My youtube-dl Installed on PC Already as Usual?

If you are a frequent youtube-dl user and have set it up on your computer already, you can use it as usual with command lines. And the repository cancelling on GitHub has no influence on further usage on installed software project.

Can I Download youtube-dl After the DMCA Takedown?

Currently, youtube-dl’s official site does offer three downloads of its latest v2020.09.02 like before, so you can normally download it and get it work on your Windows, Mac or Linux machine with required version of Python interpreter. Youtube-DLG can be taken into consideration if you really need a front-end GUI of it.

With over 12 years life on GitHub, this open-source software has became one of the most started (>72,000 stars) projects on the largest software source code host site since the first release in 2008. Initially designed to download video form YouTube only, through continuous updates, it’s now capable of ripping and converting video content from hundreds of other sites like Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Vimeo, Instagram, Dailymotion and so forth.

In short, youtube-dl is a truly powerful online video downloader and converter. The only problem is that this command-line program is more suitable for those who have tech knowledge, development background or basis. That being said, if you are a super newbie, maybe simply encountering its name from (reddit) community or top Google search results, and more want to use an app with visual interface, you are suggested to skip youtube-dl and directly rely on easier downloader extension for browser or desktop software.

Free Download Stable and Secure Online Streaming Recorder Here

Although video downloading utility is the go-to pick, screencasting software is a good partner for saving any online video or audio on computer without trouble. It can not only capture media files into mainstream MP4/AVI/MOV/FLV/M4V video or MP3/WAV/CAF/M4A audio format, but also enables you to control the content to record, quality to obtain, and whether to sycn sound/subtitles with video or not.

As an entry-level screen video creation tool, it has helped thousands of gamers, educators and ordinary users produce vlogging footage, work out pro-looking video presentation, as well as document any on-screen activity for daily usage. If you happen to the one with such demand, free download this easy screen recorder right away.

Is It Really Illegal to Download Media with youtube-dl? Will It Be Back on GibHub?

At this time, according to the DMCA takedown request from RIAA (a trade organization representing the recording industry in U.S.) to youtube-dl, youtube-dl violates the Section 1201 of U.S. Code Title 17 on Circumvention of copyright protection systems. To prove the truth, it cites youtube-dl’s comments on GitHub and several exact copyrighted music video names from Icona Pop, Justin Timberlake, and Taylor Swift owned by RIAA’s members in detail.

Even so, since the legality or illegality of downloading behavior depends on the final file usage, many customers still support the legitimation of this open source tool because they only involve themselves in a world of lawful uses with it. Journalists say they leverage it to check fact, reach theory and for doing interview transcription, a lot of common users allege they only utilize it to archive their own video contents on the web…

youtube-dl mainly gains its reputation and downloads from GitHub. Once its main repository and many folks are done with this host site, the developer will surely take time on fixes to have it work again. It’s hard to say whether youtube-dl will be restored on GitHub, but one thing is obviously, RIAA is making up his mind to remove it from GitHub forever.

Any easy-to-use youtube-dl alternative project/app for online video ripping on computer?

As is mentioned above, youtube-dl is strong enough to save online video in diversified formats and you are now still free to download it from non-GitHub site including its homepage. While for beginners who are not familiar with common line and Phyton things, you’d better dig around for another simpler (YouTube) online video downloader or converter, be it web service, browser extension, or standalone apps.

● Online/YouTube video downloader Python project
There are piles of youtube-dl similar open source projects on GitHub or other sites like python.libhunt. You can search and try them to see which is more competent for the youtube-dl alternative role.

● Online/YouTube video downloader
Act as a content mover, this kind of tools work in the same way with youtube-dl: parsing (YouTube) video from YouTube video library with a full address (e.g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97uUIBhXDck) -> list all available or say downloadable file options -> download the selected video in your preferred format/size/resolution to local space and audio can also be saved if there’s such option.

● Online/YouTube video converter
Operating in a similar way to downloader (convert via video link), most of these web-based video converters are designed to extract audio from YouTube or other platforms as MP3, M4A while desktop programs offer more video conversion choices for both video and audio types thanks to the internal video transforming mechanism.

● Online/YouTube video recorder
Generally, among url-analyzing video downloader and converter tools, the supported video libraries are more or less the similar, especially on the same video hosting site. In other words, if the target YouTube video is unable to parse and download, live streaming ones included, you will have to seek help from screen recording software to grab and save.