# iv-org/invidious

Invidious is an alternative front-end to YouTube

Repository: https://github.com/iv-org/invidious
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/invidious
Homepage: https://invidious.io
Language: Crystal
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: invidious, watch, agplv3, youtube, video, youtube-video, libre, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-23T20:33:36+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 84, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3130, "days_push": 10, "days_rel": 29, "gap_med": 51, "n_releases_24m": 10}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 22865, forks 2590 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:34.166104+00:00)

## What it is
Invidious is an open-source, privacy-focused alternative front-end to YouTube written in Crystal. It lets users watch videos without ads or tracking, manage subscriptions and playlists without a Google account, and exposes a documented REST API, and can be self-hosted via Docker.

## Use cases
- watch YouTube videos without ads or tracking
- self-host a private YouTube front-end
- subscribe to channels without a Google account
- proxy YouTube videos to avoid Google data collection
- get a YouTube REST API for my app
- use YouTube with JavaScript disabled
- escape YouTube blocking with an IPv6 rotator
- run a public Invidious instance

## When to choose
- you want an ad-free, tracker-free YouTube viewing experience
- you need a lightweight, no-JavaScript video front-end
- you want to self-host a YouTube proxy for personal or community use
- you need programmatic access to YouTube data via a REST API

## When to avoid
- you need full YouTube feature parity such as comments posting, live chat, or uploads
- you cannot provide the required bandwidth and server resources for a public instance
- you rely on PaaS/SaaS platforms, which Invidious explicitly does not support
- you need guaranteed playback, since YouTube frequently breaks alternative front-ends

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: http-server, web-framework, proxy, search-engine, api-framework
- domain: web-development, privacy, media, self-hosted, censorship-circumvention
- platform: self-hosted, cross-platform
- tags: youtube-front-end, privacy-focused, no-ads, no-tracking, crystal, video-streaming, sponsorblock, rest-api, alternative-frontend, video, linux, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- iv-org/invidious (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:34.166104+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:56:50.901980+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/iv-org/invidious (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:34.166104+00:00, sha e5dc8bee1e05)
  - homepage: https://invidious.io (fetched 2026-08-29T07:54:55.518069+00:00, sha d6fa73c71215)
  - site_page: https://docs.invidious.io/ (fetched 2026-08-29T07:54:55.521297+00:00, sha 8af1ba4e5d2d)
  - site_page: https://docs.invidious.io/installation (fetched 2026-08-29T07:54:55.523781+00:00, sha 66a5539984ae)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.