youtube-transcript-api is a Python library designed to retrieve and download subtitles and captions from YouTube videos using video IDs. It functions as an API client that extracts text and timing data for video content.
The project includes a wrapper for automated translation, allowing transcripts to be converted into different target languages. It also features a retrieval system that supports routing requests through HTTP, HTTPS, or SOCKS proxies to avoid IP blocking and regional restrictions.
The library provides tools for identifying available subtitle tracks and converting raw transcript objects into standardized formats such as SRT, VTT, JSON, CSV, or plain text. A command-line tool is included for exporting these transcripts directly to the terminal or local storage.