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yaydl

NOASSERTIONRust

A lightweight command-line tool for downloading videos from YouTube and other sites, packaged as a single binary.

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316 stars20 forks0 contributors

What is yaydl?

yaydl is a command-line video downloader written in Rust that supports YouTube, Invidious, Vimeo, and numerous other video sites. It focuses on simplicity and portability, avoiding complex configuration and external dependencies like Python.

Target Audience

Users who need a lightweight, portable tool for downloading videos from various sites without requiring Python or complex setup, such as system administrators, developers, or anyone preferring command-line utilities.

Value Proposition

Developers choose yaydl for its single binary distribution, eliminating runtime dependencies, and its extensible architecture that allows adding support for new video sites via custom Rust implementations.

Overview

yet another youtube down loader (Git mirror)

Use Cases

Best For

  • Downloading videos from YouTube, Invidious, Vimeo, and other supported sites via command line.
  • Extracting audio tracks from videos without needing separate audio extraction tools.
  • Portable video downloading with a standalone executable that requires no Python or external runtime.
  • Extending support to new video sites by implementing custom handlers in Rust.
  • Handling JavaScript-heavy video sites through optional WebDriver integration.
  • Direct downloading of .mp4 and .mpg files without additional processing.

Not Ideal For

  • Users who need to select specific video resolutions or formats for bandwidth or storage optimization.
  • Projects requiring built-in support for a wide range of video sites without writing custom Rust code.
  • Environments where setting up and maintaining WebDriver for JavaScript-heavy sites is too complex or unstable.
  • Teams looking for a tool with GUI, extensive configuration options, or playlist management features.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Single Binary Portability

Compiles into a standalone executable with no Python or runtime dependencies, making it easy to run on any system with the binary, as emphasized in the README.

Audio Extraction Built-in

Includes an option to download only the audio track from videos, eliminating the need for separate audio extraction tools.

Extensible Architecture

Uses a modular handler system in Rust, allowing developers to add support for new video sites by implementing the SiteDefinition trait, as detailed in the contribution section.

Simplicity and Focus

Deliberately omits complex features like quality selection and filters, resulting in a straightforward, reliable tool with minimal bloat.

Cons

No Quality Selection

Explicitly lacks the ability to choose video resolution or format, which can be a deal-breaker for users with limited bandwidth or storage, as admitted in the 'Non-features' section.

Beta WebDriver Integration

WebDriver support is labeled 'very beta' and requires external setup of ChromeDriver, Edge WebDriver, or geckodriver, adding complexity and instability for JavaScript-heavy sites.

Limited Package Support

Package manager availability is sparse, with only a few Linux distributions supported, and the README notes that 'nobody has provided any other packages,' limiting easy installation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Stats

Stars316
Forks20
Contributors0
Open Issues1
Last commit23 days ago
CreatedSince 2020

Tags

#video-downloader#ffmpeg#youtube-downloader#portable#command-line-tool#webdriver#vimeo#download#youtube#self-contained#video#rust

Built With

C
Cargo
R
Rust

Links & Resources

Website

Included in

Rust56.6k
Auto-fetched 8 hours ago

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