4.7 KiB
YouTube Backup
A modern desktop application for archiving YouTube channels using yt-dlp. Browse your downloaded channels, manage downloads, and play videos with your preferred media player—all from a clean, user-friendly GUI.
Features
- Channel Browser: Browse downloaded YouTube channels and videos with thumbnails
- Download Queue: Queue new channels or videos for download with a simple interface
- Video Playback: Play videos directly using your preferred video player (mpv, VLC, etc.)
- Live Chat Archives: Identify and manage downloaded live chat archives
- Search: Search across your entire video library
- System Tray: Minimize to system tray for quick access
- Configurable: Customize backup location and video player via
config.toml - SQLite Database: Efficient metadata storage and retrieval
Requirements
- Rust 1.70+ (for building from source)
- yt-dlp: Required for downloading videos. Install via:
pip install yt-dlp(Python)apt install yt-dlp(Debian/Ubuntu)brew install yt-dlp(macOS)- Or build from source
- Video Player: A command-line compatible player like:
- mpv (default)
- VLC
- ffplay
- Any player accepting a file path as argument
Installation
From Source
git clone https://codeberg.org/your-username/youtube-backup
cd youtube-backup
cargo build --release
The compiled binary will be at target/release/youtube-backup.
Linux Desktop Integration
A .desktop file is included for easy launcher integration:
cp youtube-backup.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
Configuration
Create a config.toml file in the same directory as the binary:
[backup]
directory = "/path/to/your/video/library"
[player]
command = "mpv" # or "vlc", "ffplay", etc.
Configuration Options
| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
backup.directory |
string | ./channels |
Where downloaded videos are stored |
player.command |
string | mpv |
Command to launch video player |
Usage
Running the Application
./youtube-backup
Or from your application launcher after installing the .desktop file.
Workflow
-
Add a Channel:
- Click the "Download" tab
- Enter the YouTube channel URL (e.g.,
https://www.youtube.com/@channelname) - Optionally specify a custom directory
- Click "Queue Download"
-
Browse Downloads:
- Videos are automatically organized by channel
- Browse channels in the left sidebar
- Click a channel to view its videos
- Videos display with thumbnails and metadata
-
Play a Video:
- Click any video card
- Select "Play" to launch it in your configured player
-
Search:
- Use the search bar to find videos by title
- Results update in real-time across your entire library
-
View Downloads:
- Toggle the "Show Downloads" button to monitor active downloads
- Tracks download progress for queued jobs
Project Structure
youtube-backup/
├── src/
│ ├── main.rs # Application entry point
│ ├── app.rs # Main GUI and event loop
│ ├── downloader.rs # yt-dlp integration
│ ├── library.rs # Channel and video scanning
│ ├── config.rs # Configuration loading
│ ├── database.rs # SQLite metadata storage
│ └── tray.rs # System tray integration
├── config.toml # Configuration template
├── Cargo.toml # Rust dependencies
└── youtube-backup.desktop # Linux launcher entry
Dependencies
- eframe/egui: Fast, native GUI framework for Rust
- rusqlite: SQLite database bindings (bundled)
- serde/toml: Configuration file parsing
- image: Thumbnail decoding (JPEG, PNG, WebP)
- tray-icon: System tray integration
Building and Packaging
Release Build
cargo build --release
AUR (Arch Linux)
A PKGBUILD is included for Arch Linux:
makepkg -si
Troubleshooting
yt-dlp Not Found
Ensure yt-dlp is installed and in your $PATH:
which yt-dlp
Videos Won't Play
Check that your configured player command is correct in config.toml and installed on your system.
Thumbnails Not Loading
Verify the image dependencies are compiled correctly. Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP.
Database Issues
Delete backup.db (in the parent directory of your video library) and rescan:
rm backup.db
Restart the application to rebuild the index.
License
See LICENSE file for details.
Contributing
Contributions welcome! Feel free to open issues or submit pull requests.