Tutorial: Using the banner.yt API

Learn how to integrate YouTube banners, avatars, and channel data into your website or application.

Quick Start

The simplest way to use banner.yt is to embed a banner image directly using the channel ID:

HTML

<!-- Default banner in WebP -->
<img src="https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA" alt="MrBeast Banner" />

<!-- Avatar in WebP -->
<img src="https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA?type=avatar" alt="MrBeast Avatar" />

<!-- Mobile banner in JPEG -->
<img src="https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA?type=mobile&format=jpeg" />

Step 1: Find the Channel ID

Every YouTube channel has a unique ID starting with "UC". You can find it by:

Going to the channel page on YouTube
Looking at the URL — it may contain the channel ID (e.g., youtube.com/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA)
Or use our search feature to find channels by name
Or use our search API: /api/search?q=MrBeast

Step 2: Choose Your Format

banner.yt supports multiple output formats. The default is WebP for the best balance of quality and file size.

Format	Parameter	Best For	File Size
WebP	`format=webp`	Default, best compression	Smallest
AVIF	`format=avif`	Next-gen compression	Smallest
JPEG	`format=jpeg`	Universal compatibility	Medium
PNG	`format=png`	Lossless quality	Largest

Step 3: Choose Your Size

Use presets or specify custom dimensions:

URL Examples

# Desktop (default, 2560×1440)
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID

# TV (2560×1440)
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?type=tv

# Tablet (1855×423)
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?type=tablet

# Mobile (1280×720)
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?type=mobile

# Avatar (500×500)
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?type=avatar

# Custom dimensions
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?width=800&height=200

# Custom with format and quality
/api/banner/CHANNEL_ID?width=1200&height=300&format=webp&quality=90

Code Examples

JavaScript (Fetch)

// Get channel data as JSON
const response = await fetch('/api/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA');
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data.name, data.subscribers);

// Download banner as blob
const bannerResponse = await fetch('/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA?format=webp');
const blob = await bannerResponse.blob();
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);

Python (requests)

import requests

# Get channel data
data = requests.get('https://banner.yt/api/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA').json()
print(f"{data['name']}: {data['subscribers']} subs")

# Download banner
banner = requests.get('https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA?format=webp')
with open('banner.webp', 'wb') as f:
    f.write(banner.content)

cURL

# Download banner
curl -o banner.webp "https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA"

# Get channel data
curl "https://banner.yt/api/channel/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA" | jq .

# Download avatar in AVIF format
curl -o avatar.avif "https://banner.yt/api/banner/UCX6OQ3DkcsbYNE6H8uQQuVA?type=avatar&format=avif"

Rate Limits & Caching

The API has a generous rate limit of 10 requests per 30 seconds per IP. Banners are cached for 24 hours. Responses include cache headers so your browser and CDN will cache the images automatically.

Response Headers

Cache-Control: public, max-age=86400 — Cached for 24h
X-Cache: HIT/MISS — Whether the response was served from cache
Vary: Accept — Content negotiation for format