The YouTube Application Programming Interface, or the YouTube API, allows developers to access video statistics and YouTube channels' data via two types of calls, REST and XML-RPC. Google describe the YouTube API Resources as 'APIs and Tools that let you bring the YouTube experience to your webpage, application or device.' This is one of the Google Developers
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Players and Player APIs
The Players and Player APIs section identifies ways you can let your users watch YouTube videos in your application and control the playback experience. With an embedded YouTube player, you can integrate the YouTube video playback experience directly in your web page or application. You can use player parameters to customize the player's appearance, and you can also use Player APIs to control the player directly from your web page or app.
Android
The minimum version supported of Android for the most recent versions of the API's is currently version 2.2. The Android device must also be running the YouTube app version 4.2.16. From then, using a web key, it is possible to use Googles API's through a developer enabled Android phone.
IOS
Using the iOS versions of the API's is very similar to the Android explanation. However it involves using the Google Cloud Console. From there you are able to control the API's and set up the API's to work with your videos. You will also need a Client ID and a Client Secret; which can both be downloaded from Google's API Site. After this, it is a simple process of running the sample and the API's should then be properly integrated.
Other API's include resources that can be implemented into a 3rd party website. These are the usual social network integrated API's that we regularly come across such as the Facebook like button or the Twitter follow button. YouTube widget API's include:
Data and Analytics APIs
The Data and Analytics APIs section briefly describes APIs that let your application access features and data normally available on the YouTube website.
YouTube API V3
The YouTube Data API (v3) lets you incorporate YouTube functionality into your own application. You can use the API to fetch search results and to retrieve, insert, update, and delete resources like videos or playlists.
In conjunction with the YouTube Player APIs and the YouTube Analytics API, the API lets your application provide a full-fledged YouTube experience that includes search and discovery, content creation, video playback, account management, and viewer statistics.
Buttons, Widgets, and Tools
The Buttons, Widgets, and Tools section describes other tools you can use to add YouTube functionality to your app or to test YouTube APIs.
How To Use YouTube's API
To use YouTube's API, a developer must acquire a Developer ID - this is an additional property that is attached to the developer's YouTube account. The information that is available to developers is similar to the information that can be acquired by accessing YouTube's many RSS feeds. Since the integration of Google and YouTube it is possible to log in to YouTube using an existing Google account. An easy to use tutorial can be found as a YouTube video.
The API's have since been extended and are now compatible with many mobile operating platforms such as Android and iOS. Quite obviously the Android API's are more complete with the iOS resources somewhat lacking. A list of this API's available for both platforms are below:
Other YouTube API's (the traditional API's) include:
Analytics API's
Data API
Advantages
A great advantage of using YouTube's API's is that 3rd party companies are able to arrange pay per click coupled with advertising for your videos. This allows the video uploader to receive money for the work they have put into their videos. YouTube API's also allow a tighter integration of the video service into a 3rd party website. This essentially means that the user does not need to click a link to go to the YouTube video. Instead, they are able to view the video in the same page that they are visiting. Another advantage of using the YouTube APIs is that as there are hundreds of hours of footage, however with using an API, it is easy to select the data and videos to store on a 3rd party site.
Disadvantages
During a period that included March 2006, API calls from Flash were disabled due to security concerns. These, however, have since been re-enabled.
There are also problems currently (October 2014) with the orientation on Android devices. Even by adding the fullscreen to the AndroidManifest, it still does not load properly in the correct full screen orientation.
YouTube also does not allow videos to run whilst the Android device is sleeping. This can be seen as an annoyance for some users. Particularly if the user is trying to use YouTube as a replacement music player.
Overall, the YouTube API's help the user with certain pieces of code. If the code snippet is already present, there is no need for each user to recreate this code as it has been supplied by YouTube themselves.