A robust utility function to reliably extract the 11-character YouTube video ID from all official URL formats

gistfile1.md

A robust utility function to reliably extract the 11-character YouTube video ID from all official URL formats. Most solutions break on edge cases, but this logic handles variations including shorts, live streams, and mobile URLs.

Supported URL Formats

The extractor supports the following formats, including those with extra parameters (like ?t= or &si=):

• Standard: youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID
• Shortened: youtu.be/VIDEO_ID
• Shorts: youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID
• Embeds: youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• Legacy/Alternative: youtube.com/v/VIDEO_ID or /e/VIDEO_ID
• Live: youtube.com/live/VIDEO_ID
• Privacy Enhanced: youtube-nocookie.com/embed/VIDEO_ID
• Subdomains: m.youtube.com, music.youtube.com

---

Implementation (JavaScript / TypeScript)

/**
 * Extracts the 11-character YouTube video ID from a URL string.
 * @param {string} input - The YouTube URL.
 * @returns {string|null} - The video ID or null if invalid.
 */
function extractYouTubeVideoId(input) {
  if (!input) return null;

  const urlString = input.startsWith("http")
    ? input
    : `https://${input}`;

  let url;
  try {
    url = new URL(urlString);
  } catch {
    return null;
  }

  const host = url.hostname.toLowerCase();
  let id = null;

  // Handle shortened youtu.be links
  if (host === "youtu.be") {
    id = url.pathname.split("/")[1];
  } 
  // Handle standard and nocookie domains
  else if (
    host.endsWith("youtube.com") ||
    host.endsWith("youtube-nocookie.com")
  ) {
    const parts = url.pathname.split("/");

    // Path-based IDs: /shorts/, /live/, /embed/, etc.
    if (["embed", "v", "e", "shorts", "live"].includes(parts[1])) {
      id = parts[2];
    }

    // Query-based IDs: ?v=
    if (!id) {
      id = url.searchParams.get("v");
    }
  }

  // Validate the ID is exactly 11 characters and uses valid characters
  return id && /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{11}$/.test(id) ? id : null;
}

Enjoy! - 22/12/2025