# Tube Archivist — Self-Hosted YouTube Media Server

> A self-hosted YouTube media server that downloads, indexes, and organizes YouTube videos. Tube Archivist provides a browsable archive with search, subscriptions, and playback.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Tube Archivist — Self-Hosted YouTube Media Server

## Quick Use
```bash
# Docker Compose (recommended)
git clone https://github.com/tubearchivist/tubearchivist.git
cd tubearchivist
cp docker-compose.yml.example docker-compose.yml
# Edit settings (passwords, paths)
docker compose up -d
# Access at http://localhost:8000
```

## Introduction
Tube Archivist is a self-hosted application for downloading and managing YouTube videos as a personal media library. It uses yt-dlp for downloading, Elasticsearch for search and metadata indexing, and Redis for task queuing. The result is a browsable, searchable archive of YouTube content you control.

## What Tube Archivist Does
- Downloads YouTube videos, channels, and playlists with configurable quality settings
- Indexes all metadata (titles, descriptions, tags, subtitles) in Elasticsearch for full-text search
- Manages subscriptions to YouTube channels with automatic download of new uploads
- Provides a web-based media player with resume, playback speed, and subtitle support
- Generates sponsor-block segment skipping using SponsorBlock community data

## Architecture Overview
Tube Archivist is a Python Django application that coordinates several services. yt-dlp handles video downloading. Elasticsearch stores and indexes video metadata, channel info, and subtitles for search. Redis manages the task queue for background downloads and scans. The front end is a server-rendered Django template UI. Media files are stored on the local filesystem in an organized directory structure.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Requires Docker with three containers: Tube Archivist, Elasticsearch, and Redis
- Configure download quality, format preferences, and subtitle languages in the web UI
- Set media storage paths via Docker volume mounts
- Schedule automatic downloads and channel scans with built-in task scheduler
- Optional: integrate with Jellyfin or Plex via community plugins for unified media browsing

## Key Features
- Full-text search across video titles, descriptions, subtitles, and channel names
- Channel subscription management with automatic new video detection
- Playlist archiving that preserves order and metadata
- Built-in SponsorBlock integration for skipping sponsored segments
- Video thumbnail and metadata caching for fast browsing

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **Jellyfin** — General media server that can play downloaded videos, but has no YouTube integration
- **Invidious** — YouTube front end for privacy, streams but does not archive locally
- **yt-dlp** — Command-line downloader without a media server UI or library management
- **PeerTube** — Federated video hosting platform, not designed for YouTube archiving
- **Stash** — Media organizer with different content focus, no YouTube-specific features

## FAQ
**Q: How much storage does Tube Archivist require?**
A: Storage depends on video quality and quantity. A 1080p video averages 1-3 GB per hour. The application itself and Elasticsearch index add minimal overhead compared to media files.

**Q: Can I access my archive from mobile devices?**
A: The web UI is responsive and works on mobile browsers. Community apps and Jellyfin/Plex integration provide additional mobile access options.

**Q: Does Tube Archivist support subtitles?**
A: Yes. It downloads subtitles (auto-generated and manual) and indexes them in Elasticsearch. You can search within subtitle text and display them during playback.

**Q: How does the subscription feature work?**
A: Add YouTube channel URLs in the subscriptions page. Tube Archivist periodically checks for new uploads and queues them for download based on your configured schedule and quality preferences.

## Sources
- https://github.com/tubearchivist/tubearchivist
- https://docs.tubearchivist.com

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/9bd08f11-3bca-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source