What is Invidious?
Invidious is an open source alternative frontend to YouTube. It allows users to watch YouTube videos without ads, comments, recommendations, or many of the privacy concerns and tracking associated with using the YouTube website directly.
Some of the key features of Invidious include:
- Watch YouTube videos without ads or distractions
- Avoids tracking by Google and YouTube
- Lightweight interface that loads quickly
- Supports YouTube accounts for subscriptions, history, playlists etc.
- Available as a web interface or API
Invidious is developed as a free and open source software project, built in the Crystal programming language. It acts as an intermediary layer between the user and YouTube, requesting only the minimum amount of data required to play videos while avoiding heavy websites resources that contribute to tracking. This makes it popular among privacy-conscious users.
The project is community-driven and maintained by volunteers. It offers public API endpoints that allow third-party developers to integrate Invidious video playback into their own applications. Overall, Invidious brings some of the core video functionality of YouTube to users in a simplified form, while greatly enhancing privacy.
NewPipe, YouTube Vanced, FreeTube, Piped, LiteTube, YouTube ReVanced, Hooktube, SkyTube, CloudTube, VueTube, Vinegar, ViewTube, Tubular, uYouPlus, WatchTube, SongTube, Yattee, Outvidious, LightTube, Clipious, Playtoob are some alternatives to Invidious.