yt-dlp Web UI

yt-dlp Web UI is a self-hosted web application and RPC server that provides a graphical interface for the yt-dlp command line tool. It allows users to fetch videos and monitor upcoming livestreams through a browser based interface rather than a terminal, making it easier to manage media downloads from a remote location.

The software is deployed as a server and can be run via Docker containers, prebuilt binaries, or compiled from source. It is designed for low resource impact and is suitable for installation on NAS devices, home servers, or Raspberry Pi hardware. Users can configure the application to save files to specific directories on the host system by mounting volumes or specifying output paths.

Key features

• Custom output paths and filename overrides
• Concurrent download queue with adjustable limits
• Audio extraction and optional format selection
• Support for custom yt-dlp arguments
• RPC authentication with username and password
• JSON-RPC 1.0 interface via Websockets and HTTP-POST
• Theme switching and multi-language support
• Integration with systemd for background operation

The application is written in Go and uses a SQLite database for local data storage. It exposes an OpenAPI specification via Swagger for developers and supports the use of custom frontends by specifying a separate resource path in the configuration. This architecture allows users to replace the default Material design interface with their own custom frontend if desired. Users can manage settings through a YAML configuration file or via command line flags to define the downloader path, server host, and port.

For deployment, the software supports various environments including NixOS and standard Linux distributions. It can be managed as a system service to ensure it starts automatically on boot. The inclusion of a JSON-RPC interface ensures that the server can be extended or integrated with other automation tools.

This tool is positioned as a lightweight management layer for users who require a web interface to handle media downloads on a remote server.