Download public videos from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit, Vimeo, Twitch, and other yt-dlp-supported platforms with RenderIO.

Download Videos with yt-dlp

RenderIO can download public videos from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit, Vimeo, Twitch, Facebook, and other yt-dlp-supported platforms. You send a public URL to the API, RenderIO runs yt-dlp in managed cloud infrastructure, stores the file, and returns a storage_url you can use in your app.

Use this when you need a video file from a public URL without installing yt-dlp, keeping it patched, managing server IP blocks, or running binaries in serverless environments.

Only public content is supported. RenderIO does not bypass DRM, paywalls, private accounts, or content that requires a login. Make sure your use complies with the source platform's terms and applicable law.

Endpoint overview

RenderIO exposes two yt-dlp endpoints:

Endpoint	Use it for
`POST /api/v1/ytdlp-download`	Download and store the source video without post-processing.
`POST /api/v1/run-ytdlp-command`	Download the source video, then run FFmpeg on it in the same request.

Both endpoints are asynchronous:

Submit the URL and get a command_id.
Poll GET /api/v1/commands/:commandId until the command reaches SUCCESS or FAILED.
Read the final download URL from output_files.<key>.storage_url.

Download a YouTube video

Submit the YouTube URL to /api/v1/ytdlp-download:

curl -X POST https://renderio.dev/api/v1/ytdlp-download \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: ffsk_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "input_urls": {
      "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    },
    "metadata": {
      "source": "youtube"
    }
  }'

import os
import requests

API_KEY = os.environ["RENDERIO_API_KEY"]
BASE_URL = "https://renderio.dev/api/v1"

response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/ytdlp-download",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "X-API-KEY": API_KEY,
    },
    json={
        "input_urls": {
            "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
        },
        "metadata": {"source": "youtube"},
    },
)
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json()["command_id"])

const API_KEY = process.env.RENDERIO_API_KEY;
const BASE_URL = "https://renderio.dev/api/v1";

const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/ytdlp-download`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "X-API-KEY": API_KEY,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    input_urls: {
      in_video: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    },
    metadata: { source: "youtube" },
  }),
});

const { command_id } = await response.json();
console.log(command_id);

The response contains a command ID:

{
  "command_id": "cmd_abc123"
}

Poll for the download URL

Poll the command endpoint until the status is SUCCESS:

curl https://renderio.dev/api/v1/commands/cmd_abc123 \
  -H "X-API-KEY: ffsk_your_api_key_here"

When the download completes, the response includes an OutputFileMeta object:

{
  "command_id": "cmd_abc123",
  "status": "SUCCESS",
  "output_files": {
    "out_video": {
      "file_id": "file_abc123",
      "storage_url": "https://media.renderio.dev/downloads/cmd_abc123/out_video.mp4",
      "filename": "out_video.mp4",
      "size_mbytes": 45.2,
      "status": "STORED",
      "rendi_store_type": "OUTPUT",
      "is_deleted": false
    }
  }
}

Read the final URL from:

result.output_files.out_video.storage_url;

The output key mirrors your input key. in_video becomes out_video, in_clip becomes out_clip, and so on.

Download TikToks and other platforms

Use the same endpoint and swap the URL:

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789"
  }
}

Other common examples:

Platform	Example URL
YouTube	`https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ`
YouTube Shorts	`https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID`
TikTok	`https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789`
Instagram Reels	`https://www.instagram.com/reel/SHORTCODE/`
X / Twitter	`https://x.com/username/status/1234567890`
Reddit	`https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/...`
Vimeo	`https://vimeo.com/123456789`
Twitch clips	`https://www.twitch.tv/username/clip/SLUG`

If a URL is private, deleted, geo-restricted beyond what RenderIO can fetch, or requires a login, the command returns FAILED with an error message in the command response.

Download and process in one call

Use /api/v1/run-ytdlp-command when you want to download a public video and immediately transform it with FFmpeg.

For example, download a YouTube video and extract MP3 audio:

curl -X POST https://renderio.dev/api/v1/run-ytdlp-command \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: ffsk_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "input_urls": {
      "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    },
    "ffmpeg_command": "-i {{in_video}} -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 {{out_audio}}",
    "output_files": {
      "out_audio": "audio.mp3"
    }
  }'

curl -X POST https://renderio.dev/api/v1/run-ytdlp-command \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-API-KEY: ffsk_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "input_urls": {
      "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
    },
    "ffmpeg_command": "-i <<in_video>> -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 <<out_audio>>",
    "output_files": {
      "out_audio": "audio.mp3"
    }
  }'

When the command reaches SUCCESS, the MP3 URL is available at:

result.output_files.out_audio.storage_url;

Common yt-dlp recipes

Save the raw source video

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789"
  }
}

Output URL: result.output_files.out_video.storage_url

Extract audio from a public video

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i {{in_video}} -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 {{out_audio}}",
  "output_files": {
    "out_audio": "audio.mp3"
  }
}

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i <<in_video>> -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 <<out_audio>>",
  "output_files": {
    "out_audio": "audio.mp3"
  }
}

Convert a downloaded video to 9:16

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i {{in_video}} -vf scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:-1:-1 {{out_reel}}",
  "output_files": {
    "out_reel": "reel-9x16.mp4"
  }
}

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i <<in_video>> -vf scale=1080:1920:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1080:1920:-1:-1 <<out_reel>>",
  "output_files": {
    "out_reel": "reel-9x16.mp4"
  }
}

Trim the first 30 seconds

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i {{in_video}} -t 30 -c copy {{out_clip}}",
  "output_files": {
    "out_clip": "first-30-seconds.mp4"
  }
}

{
  "input_urls": {
    "in_video": "https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789"
  },
  "ffmpeg_command": "-i <<in_video>> -t 30 -c copy <<out_clip>>",
  "output_files": {
    "out_clip": "first-30-seconds.mp4"
  }
}

Payload rules

input_urls keys must start with in_.
output_files keys must start with out_.
FFmpeg placeholders use double braces, like {{in_video}} and {{out_audio}}.
Command statuses are QUEUED, PROCESSING, SUCCESS, or FAILED.
Output URLs live on nested file metadata objects, for example output_files.out_video.storage_url.

Download Videos with yt-dlp

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