Youtube Downloader CLI

Downloads Youtube videos either as music or video files

Features

• Download videos as music (.mp3)
• Download videos (.mp4)
• Download a queue of videos with the --queue option flag
• Download Progress Bar
• Save downloaded files anywhere
• Generate logs (or don't) to keep track of downloaded files, with file and channel names and download size

Installation

Requirements

• Git
• Node.js version 20.18.1 or higher
• NPM

Steps

Just run:

git clone https://github.com/augustofrade/yt-downloader-cli.git
cd yt-downloader-cli
npm run create

Or if you prefer to run each step of the installation separately:

git clone https://github.com/augustofrade/yt-downloader-cli.git
cd yt-downloader-cli
npm install
npm run build
npm i -g

Check if the CLI program was successfully installed:

ytdl help

Usage

Command Name

The CLI program name is ytdl . Use: ytdl <command>

Example

Example usage with input and output

$ ytdl download <url>


*Generating logs for downloaded files

Downloading <Video Name> by <Channel Name>
  Progress: [====================] XXXX/mbps 100% 1.4s
Finished downloading 9.23 MB.

Available Commands

1. Download
   • Command: ytdl download [url]
   • Description: Downloads a video from the provided URL.
   • Download a queue of videos:
     • Downloads multiple videos in a queue by providing multiple URLs.
     • Use --queue or -q.
     • ytdl download --queue [url1] [url2] ...
   • Change download directory:
     • Sets the directory where files will be saved for this session.
     • Use --dir or -d.
     • ytdl download [url] --dir [directory]
   • Select the download type
     • Selects the download type. Accepted values are:
       • audio (default)
       • video
     • Use --type or -t
     • ytdl download [url] --type [audio|video]
2. Configuration
   • Command: ytdl configs [option]=[value]
   • Description: Sets configuration values for the downloader. If a configuration is not specified during the command call, the value set here (in the config file) will be used.
   • Available options:
     • --dir or -d: Sets the directory where files will be saved. The program will create it during the next startup if it does not exist.
     • --log or -l: Enable or disable logging after downloading.
   • Example:
     • ytdl configs --dir /home/user/Music --log false
   • Show current configurations:
     • ytdl configs show
3. Help
   • Show general CLI help:
     • ytdl help
   • Show help for a specific command:
     • ytdl <command> --help

Storage

Data is stored under the data/ directory in the root of the project. The default contents of this folder are:

• configs.json: file containing the configurations of the CLI application, such as download directory, logging and default file format.
• logs.txt: file containing logs with information about the downloaded files. Content won't be appended if the --log flag is passed when downloading or if the "generateLogs" option in configs.json is set to false.
• downloads/: directory containing all the downloaded content.

Run in Development Mode

You can also run the CLI directly in development mode without compiling the TypeScript files and installing the CLI.

For both options, you must move be in the root directory of the project.

Option 1: Run with Typescript (no build required)

npm run ts -- <command> [options]

Example:

npm run ts -- config --dir /home/user/Downloads

Options 2: Run transpiled JavaScript

If you prefer to compile Typescript to JavaScript manually:

npx tsc
node build/index.js <command> ...

Example:

npx tsc
node build/index -- config --dir /home/user/Downloads