Install youtubedr with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• youtubedr

Project history

The public repository was created in December 2015 as a Go implementation for discovering and downloading YouTube streams. Its README documents both binary use through `youtubedr` and library use from Go programs, with examples for getting stream information and downloading by URL, video ID, quality, or itag.

The README also explains the scraper mechanics at a high level: parse the video ID, fetch video information, decode stream data, and download from the extracted URL. That makes the project useful as both a CLI and a learning/reference implementation for Go developers interested in YouTube download internals.

Adoption history

Adoption appears modest compared with Python media downloaders, but meaningful inside the Go ecosystem. The module is documented on pkg.go.dev, packaged by Homebrew and Termux, and has several thousand GitHub stars according to metadata collected in July 2026.

How it is used

Users install the binary, then run `youtubedr info URL` to inspect available streams or `youtubedr download URL` to save a video. The README documents output naming, destination directories, quality selection, itag selection, and ffmpeg use for high-resolution combinations.

Go developers can import the package directly when they need YouTube stream discovery in their own programs, though the README explicitly frames the tool for CC0-licensed content and discourages illegal use.

Why package nerds care

youtubedr matters as a small Go-native counterpart to larger Python downloaders. It is packageable as a static-ish CLI, importable as a Go module, and a reminder that site-specific media downloaders are often both tools and living protocol notes.

Timeline

• 2015-12-15: The public kkdai/youtube GitHub repository is created.
• Late 2010s: The project is documented as both a Go package and the `youtubedr` command.
• 2020s: Homebrew and Termux package the command for easier CLI installation.

Related projects

• youtube-dl and yt-dlp are broader media downloaders referenced by the project for more download options.
• FFmpeg is needed for some high-resolution download combinations.
• iawia002/annie, later known as Lux, is listed among inspirations in the README.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/kkdai/youtube
• https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/youtubedr
• https://github.com/kkdai/youtube
• https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/kkdai/youtube/v2