What is this?
cobalt is a media downloader with no ads, trackers, or paywalls: you paste a link to a video or song, get the file, and move on.
cobalt is a media downloader with no ads, trackers, or paywalls: you paste a link to a video or song, get the file, and move on.Is it a website I visit or a program I install?It is an open-source monorepo: a web frontend you open in your browser, the API behind it, and shared packages that hold the common code.
It is an open-source monorepo: a web frontend you open in your browser, the API behind it, and shared packages that hold the common code.Can I run my own instance of it?Yes. The docs tree covers how to run a cobalt instance and how to protect one, lists the API's environment variables, and the repo builds Docker images in CI.
Yes. The docs tree covers how to run a cobalt instance and how to protect one, lists the API's environment variables, and the repo builds Docker images in CI.Can it grab private or paywalled videos too?No. It is in no way a piracy tool: it can only download free and publicly accessible content — the same files your browser's dev tools could fetch.
No. It is in no way a piracy tool: it can only download free and publicly accessible content — the same files your browser's dev tools could fetch.Does cobalt keep copies of the media I download?No. It never caches any content and works like a fancy proxy — the file goes from the source straight to you.
No. It never caches any content and works like a fancy proxy — the file goes from the source straight to you.Is it free to use, and what's the catch in the license?There is no catch: the repository is licensed under AGPL-3.0 unless specified otherwise, and the api and web parts carry licensing details in their own READMEs.
There is no catch: the repository is licensed under AGPL-3.0 unless specified otherwise, and the api and web parts carry licensing details in their own READMEs.Which sites does it work with?Per the repo's GitHub topics: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, SoundCloud, Vimeo, and VK.
Per the repo's GitHub topics: YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Reddit, SoundCloud, Vimeo, and VK.What is cobalt built with?The web app is written in Svelte and TypeScript, the repo uses pnpm 9 or newer, and Docker builds its images.
The web app is written in Svelte and TypeScript, the repo uses pnpm 9 or newer, and Docker builds its images.If someone downloads something they shouldn't, who is responsible?The end user. cobalt states it takes zero liability, and that what you download and how you use or distribute it is on you.
The end user. cobalt states it takes zero liability, and that what you download and how you use or distribute it is on you.What are similar projects?yoinks, TikTokDownloader, postiz-agent, RSSHub, SpotiFlyer, last30days-skill, Douyin_TikTok_Download_API, VidBee
yoinks, TikTokDownloader, postiz-agent, RSSHub, SpotiFlyer, last30days-skill, Douyin_TikTok_Download_API, VidBeeWhich topics is it in?soundcloud, media-downloader, music-downloader, reddit, no-ads, instagram, webapp, youtube-downloader, tiktok, twitter, video-downloader, social-media
soundcloud, media-downloader, music-downloader, reddit, no-ads, instagram, webapp, youtube-downloader, tiktok, twitter, video-downloader, social-media