You-Get Deployment and Usage Guide
1. Prerequisites
Required Dependencies
- Python 3.7.4 or above
- FFmpeg 1.0 or above (required for video processing)
- (Optional) RTMPDump (for RTMP streams)
Optional Dependencies
dukpy(required for YouTube video extraction)pipenv(for managing virtual environments)
2. Installation
Option 1: Install via pip (Recommended)
pip install you-get
Option 2: Install from Source
# Clone the repository
git clone git://github.com/soimort/you-get.git
# Install using pip
cd you-get
pip install .
Option 3: Install via Homebrew (Mac only)
brew install you-get
Option 4: Install via pkg (FreeBSD only)
pkg install you-get
Option 5: Install via Flox (Mac, Linux, and Windows WSL)
flox install you-get
Option 6: Install via pipenv (Virtual Environment)
pipenv install -e .
pipenv run you-get --version
3. Configuration
Environment Variables
No specific environment variables are required for basic functionality.
Shell Completion
Shell completion definitions are available for Bash, Fish, and Zsh in the contrib/completion directory. Consult your shell's manual for setup instructions.
Cookies (Optional)
For some sites like Youku, you may need to provide cookies. You can import cookies or let the tool fetch them automatically.
4. Build & Run
Basic Usage
# Download a video
you-get 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw'
# Check available formats before downloading
you-get -i 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw'
# Download with specific quality
you-get --itag=43 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw'
# Stream video directly to media player
you-get -p 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw'
# Download images from a webpage
you-get 'https://example.com/image-gallery.html'
# Download binary files
you-get 'https://example.com/file.zip'
Common Options
-i, --info: Show available formats and qualities-p, --player: Stream to media player-l, --list: List playlist contents-o, --output-dir: Specify output directory--itag: Select specific format by itag value
5. Deployment
Local Development
For development purposes, clone the repository and install in editable mode:
git clone git://github.com/soimort/you-get.git
cd you-get
pip install -e .
Production Deployment
Since You-Get is a command-line tool, deployment typically means making it available system-wide:
# Install system-wide (may require sudo)
pip install you-get
# Or install in user space
pip install --user you-get
Platform Compatibility
- Linux: Works natively with Python 3.7+
- macOS: Works natively with Python 3.7+
- Windows: Works with Python 3.7+ and WSL recommended for better compatibility
6. Troubleshooting
Common Issues and Solutions
Python Version Compatibility
Issue: "Python 3.7.4 or above required" Solution: Upgrade Python to version 3.7.4 or higher
Missing Dependencies
Issue: "Please install dukpy in order to extract videos from YouTube"
Solution: Install dukpy using pip install dukpy
FFmpeg Not Found
Issue: Video processing fails Solution: Install FFmpeg and ensure it's in your PATH
Network Errors
Issue: "Failed to fetch the video file! Retrying..." Solution: Check your internet connection or use a VPN if the site is region-restricted
Cookie Issues
Issue: Some sites require authentication Solution: Import cookies or let the tool fetch them automatically
SSL/TLS Issues
Issue: "Support for Python 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7 will eventually be dropped" Solution: Use Python 3.8 or higher for TLS 1.3 support
Permission Issues
Issue: "Permission denied" when installing
Solution: Use pip install --user you-get or run with appropriate permissions
Getting Help
- Check the full list of supported sites
- Report issues on the GitHub repository
- Join the Gitter chat for community support
Upgrading
# Upgrade to latest version
pip install --upgrade you-get
# Upgrade to development branch
pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall git+https://github.com/soimort/you-get@develop