# MeTube — Self-Hosted Web UI for YouTube and Video Downloads

> MeTube provides a browser-based interface for yt-dlp to download videos and audio from YouTube and hundreds of other sites on your own server.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# MeTube — Self-Hosted Web UI for YouTube and Video Downloads

## Quick Use
```bash
docker run -d -p 8081:8081 -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads ghcr.io/alexta69/metube
```

## Introduction
MeTube wraps yt-dlp in a clean web interface so you can paste a URL and download video or audio without touching the command line. Self-hosting means your downloads stay on your server with no third-party service involved.

## What MeTube Does
- Downloads video and audio from YouTube, Vimeo, and hundreds of other supported sites
- Provides format and quality selection through a simple web form
- Queues multiple downloads with progress tracking in the browser
- Extracts audio-only files in MP3, M4A, or other formats
- Integrates with browser extensions for one-click downloads

## Architecture Overview
MeTube is a Python Flask application with an Angular frontend. It shells out to yt-dlp for the actual downloading and FFmpeg for post-processing (format conversion, thumbnail embedding). The web UI communicates with the backend via a REST API and WebSocket for real-time progress updates.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Run the Docker container with a volume mount for the downloads directory
- Set output templates and default quality via environment variables
- Configure a dark theme toggle and custom download paths
- Optionally set authentication via a reverse proxy for private access
- Supports running behind Nginx or Traefik with path-based routing

## Key Features
- Clean responsive web UI with real-time download progress
- Supports playlist downloads with individual track selection
- Audio extraction with metadata and thumbnail embedding
- Queue management with pause, resume, and cancel controls
- Automatic updates to yt-dlp within the container

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **yt-dlp (CLI)** — command-line only; MeTube adds a graphical web interface
- **Tube Archivist** — full media library management; MeTube focuses on quick downloads
- **Stacher** — desktop GUI for yt-dlp; MeTube is web-based and self-hosted
- **AllTube** — similar web UI but less actively maintained
- **Invidious** — alternative YouTube frontend with download links but no queue management

## FAQ
**Q: Which sites does MeTube support?**
A: Any site supported by yt-dlp, which includes YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Reddit, and hundreds of others.

**Q: Can I download entire playlists?**
A: Yes, paste a playlist URL and MeTube will queue all videos for download.

**Q: Does it support authentication?**
A: MeTube itself does not have built-in auth, but you can place it behind a reverse proxy with basic auth or SSO.

**Q: How does it stay up to date with site changes?**
A: The container can auto-update yt-dlp on startup, so format extraction stays current as sites change.

## Sources
- https://github.com/alexta69/metube

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/d9eb22fd-3c2d-11f1-9bc6-00163e2b0d79
Author: AI Open Source