Install ykdl with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• ykdl

Project history

The official README records a migration chain: the origin was zhangn1985/ykdl, later SeaHOH/ykdl, and now LifeActor/ykdl. The LifeActor repository was created in May 2016 and has continued the project under the same ykdl name.

The project evolved from a Youku-oriented downloader name into a broader extractor collection. Its README highlights focus on China mainland video sites and points users to a site-status wiki, while release notes document repeated extractor updates for services such as Bilibili, Douban, DouYin, Huya, iQIYI, Weibo, and others.

Adoption history

ykdl's adoption niche is regional and practical: users who need a command-line downloader for Chinese streaming platforms and are comfortable combining Python packaging with FFmpeg and mpv. The repository has more than a thousand stars and hundreds of forks, indicating a durable user base for a specialized downloader.

The README presents several package-manager routes and a PyPI/GitHub install flow, but its deeper adoption story is maintenance against changing site extractors. Releases in the 1.7 and 1.8 series show the package tracking platform-specific breakage and compatibility.

How it is used

The README documents installing Python 3, updating pip and setuptools, installing ykdl from PyPI or GitHub, and ensuring command directories are on PATH. It also names FFmpeg for merging media files and mpv as the default player for compatibility.

In practice ykdl is a command-line extractor/downloader: users give it media URLs from supported sites, then rely on FFmpeg/mpv integration and the maintained extractor list to download or play streams.

Why package nerds care

ykdl is important package-nerd material because it shows the regional fork ecology around video downloaders. It descends from you-get, migrated maintainers more than once, and survives by packaging extractor knowledge for sites that global downloaders may not prioritize.

It also demonstrates why some CLI packages are valuable despite simple interfaces: the hard work is not the binary shape, but keeping many site adapters working as platforms change.

Timeline

• 2016-05: LifeActor/ykdl repository created.
• 2020-12: v1.7.0 release published.
• 2021-08: v1.8.0 alpha releases begin.
• 2022-03: v1.8.0 published with broad dependency, output, and site updates.
• 2023-07: v1.8.2 published with playlist/API changes and extractor updates.

Related projects

• you-get: upstream project that ykdl forked from.
• FFmpeg: documented helper for merging media files.
• mpv: documented default player.
• Bilibili, iQIYI, DouYin, Huya, Weibo, Douban: examples of site extractors mentioned in release notes.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/LifeActor/ykdl - repository creation date, description, and adoption signals.
• https://api.github.com/repos/LifeActor/ykdl/releases - release tags and publication dates.
• https://api.github.com/repos/LifeActor/ykdl/releases/tags/v1.8.0 - v1.8.0 release notes.
• https://api.github.com/repos/LifeActor/ykdl/releases/tags/v1.8.2 - v1.8.2 release notes.
• https://github.com/LifeActor/ykdl - README describes focus, migration chain, fork origin, installation, dependencies, and site-status wiki.