Words explained
The technical words used on this site, in plain English. No coding knowledge needed.
Key words
API
A way for one program to ask another program for information. Like ordering from a menu: you ask, and you get the answer back.
Endpoint
One specific web address that gives you one kind of answer. For example, the address for “search” is different from the address for “video details”.
JSON
A neat, structured text format that computers read easily. It looks like labelled boxes: title: "Cats", views: 1200.
Parameter
Extra information you add to an address to be more specific. In limit=5, the parameter is limit and the value is 5.
Status code
A short number that says how a request went. 200 means it worked. 400 means the request was missing something. 404 means the address was not found. 500 means something broke on the server.
Empty result
The request worked, but there was nothing to show, for example a list with no videos in it. It often happens when YouTube has no data for that request right now.
Token
A short code that tells the site where to continue from, so you can load the next page of results.
SDK and library
Ready-made tools that save programmers time. Instead of building each request by hand, you call a simple function, such as search("cats").
CLI
A tool you run by typing commands in a terminal window, for example ytapis search cats.
MCP server
A small add-on that lets an AI assistant, such as Claude Desktop, use ytapis to search YouTube for you.
Video ID
The short code at the end of a YouTube link. It has 11 letters, numbers or symbols. In youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ, the ID is dQw4w9WgXcQ.
Channel ID
The code that identifies a YouTube channel. It usually starts with UC. A name like @handle is not the same thing.
Transcript (captions)
The written words spoken in a video. Not every video has one, and some are missing from the results right now.
Live stream
A video that is being broadcast right now, as it happens.
Shorts
YouTube’s short vertical videos, usually under a minute or a few minutes long.
Views and stats
How many times a video has been watched, and related counts such as likes. Numbers on this site are rounded and can be approximate.
Rate limit
A cap on how many requests you can send in a short time. Sending too many at once can get you blocked for a while, so slow down and wait between requests.
Cache
A saved copy of an answer, kept so the same question does not need to be asked again straight away.
Null, true and false
true and false are yes or no answers. null means “no value here”, which is different from zero.
Open source
Software whose source code is public, so anyone can read, learn from and reuse it under the terms of its licence.
Repository (repo)
The online folder where a project’s code and history are stored. On GitHub, it is where you find the project’s files.
Unofficial
Not made or approved by the company that owns the service. ytapis is unofficial, so YouTube could change its pages and break it at any time.
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