# Cobalt — Open-Source Media Downloader for Any Platform

> Save videos and audio from social platforms without ads, trackers, or rate limits using a privacy-first self-hosted API.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# Cobalt — Open-Source Media Downloader for Any Platform

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d -p 9000:9000 ghcr.io/imputnet/cobalt:latest
# Then open http://localhost:9000 in your browser
# Or use the API directly:
curl -X POST http://localhost:9000/api/json 
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" 
  -d '{"url": "https://youtube.com/watch?v=example"}'
```

## Introduction
Cobalt is a media downloader that extracts video and audio from popular social platforms. It runs entirely without ads, tracking, or paywalls, and can be self-hosted as a private API instance for personal or team use.

## What Cobalt Does
- Downloads video and audio from YouTube, Twitter/X, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, and more
- Supports multiple quality options including highest available resolution
- Provides both a clean web UI and a REST API for programmatic access
- Strips tracking parameters and does not log user activity
- Converts and remuxes media into common formats like MP4 and MP3

## Architecture Overview
Cobalt is a Node.js application that acts as a proxy between the user and upstream media platforms. When given a URL, it resolves the media source, fetches stream metadata, and either redirects to the direct download link or tunnels the content through the server. The frontend is a lightweight single-page app that communicates with the backend API.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Deploy with Docker using the official `ghcr.io/imputnet/cobalt` image
- Configure via environment variables for port, rate limiting, and CORS
- Supports reverse proxy setups with Nginx or Caddy for HTTPS
- No database required; the service is stateless
- Resource usage is low; a 1-core VPS with 512 MB RAM is sufficient

## Key Features
- Completely ad-free and tracker-free by design
- No account registration or API key required for self-hosted instances
- Supports downloading with or without audio, and audio-only extraction
- Clean API that integrates easily with scripts, bots, and automation tools
- Active development with frequent updates for platform compatibility

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **yt-dlp** — CLI-focused with broader site support; Cobalt adds a web UI and API layer
- **Invidious** — Focuses on YouTube playback, not downloading; Cobalt handles multiple platforms
- **MeTube** — Self-hosted YouTube downloader wrapping yt-dlp; Cobalt has its own extraction engine
- **Stacher** — Desktop GUI for yt-dlp; Cobalt is web-based and self-hostable

## FAQ
**Q: Which platforms does Cobalt support?**
A: YouTube, Twitter/X, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Tumblr, SoundCloud, Twitch clips, and several others. The list is updated as new extractors are added.

**Q: Is Cobalt legal to self-host?**
A: Cobalt is open-source software. Legality of downloading specific content depends on your jurisdiction and the terms of service of each platform.

**Q: Does Cobalt store downloaded files on the server?**
A: No. Cobalt streams or redirects content directly to the client without caching files on disk.

**Q: Can I use the Cobalt API in my own applications?**
A: Yes. The JSON API accepts a URL and returns download links. It is straightforward to integrate into bots or automation scripts.

## Sources
- https://github.com/imputnet/cobalt
- https://cobalt.tools

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/cobalt-open-source-media-downloader-any-platform-f875af5a
Author: Script Depot