youtube-local by user234683
browser-based client for watching Youtube anonymously and with greater page performance
About youtube-local
From the project's README at github.com/user234683/youtube-local. Lightly cleaned for readability; for the full source see the upstream repo.
youtube-local is a browser-based client written in Python for watching Youtube anonymously and without the lag of the slow page used by Youtube. One of the primary features is that all requests are routed through Tor, except for the video file at googlevideo.com. This is analogous to what HookTube (defunct) and Invidious do, except that you do not have to trust a third-party to respect your privacy. The assumption here is that Google won't put the effort in to incorporate the video file requests into their tracking, as it's not worth pursuing the incredibly small number of users who care about privacy (Tor video routing is also provided as an option). Tor has high latency, so this will not be as fast network-wise as regular Youtube. However, using Tor is optional; when not routing through Tor, video pages may load faster than they do with Youtube's page depending on your browser.
The Youtube API is not used, so no keys or anything are needed. It uses the same requests as the Youtube webpage. Screenshots Gray theme
[Non-Theater mode](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/28744867/64483433-92e14280-d1b6-11e9-9b56-2ef5d64c
Health score breakdown
6-dimension composite. See methodology for formula and weights.
Adoption signals
Real-world usage data, pulled from each registry. The bigger the numbers, the more battle-tested the project.
| Signal | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 751 | github.com/user234683/youtube-local |
| GitHub forks | 85 | github.com/user234683/youtube-local |
Release & maintenance
Is this project actively maintained, or about to die? Check the recency of last commit and last release.
| Project age | 7.8 years | since Jul 2018 |
| Last commit | 5 months ago | Dec 9, 2025 |
| Releases shipped | 56 | last: 1.2 years ago |
Self-hosting cost across providers
Detected requirements: 4GB RAM, 40GB disk minimum. Cheapest plan per provider that meets the requirement.
| Provider | Plan | Specs | Monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hetzner | CAX11 | 2c · 4GB · 40GB | $4.13 USD | Deploy → |
| vultr | VC2 | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5 USD | Deploy → |
| linode | Nanode 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $5.12 USD | Deploy → |
| digitalocean | Basic Regular 1GB | 1c · 1GB · 25GB | $6 USD | Deploy → |
What people say on Hacker News
Ready to self-host youtube-local?
Spin up a hetzner CAX11 (4GB RAM, 40GB disk) for $4.13/mo and follow the project's official install docs.
Data last refreshed May 7, 2026.
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