youtube-dl-nas is a free, open-source Docker tool for running a queued, authenticated YouTube download server on a home NAS, built on yt-dlp.
youtube-dl-nas is a free, open-source Docker tool that runs a small, authenticated YouTube download queue server, designed specifically to be deployed on a home NAS or self-hosted server rather than a public cloud service.
It is maintained as a personal, community open-source project by developer hyeonsangjeon on GitHub, with no associated company, funding or employee headcount. It should be understood as a hobby and home-lab tool rather than a commercial SaaS product.
The tool addresses a specific risk of running a bare download script as an exposed web service: without authentication, a public download endpoint on a home network can be abused by anyone who finds it. youtube-dl-nas requires user accounts before accepting jobs.
Downloads are processed through an asynchronous queue with real-time status updates delivered over a WebSocket connection, so users can watch progress rather than repeatedly refreshing a page.
The project runs on Python 3 and Debian Linux inside a Docker container, supports resolutions up to 2160p (4K) or audio-only extraction, and supports batch job submission with resume support if a download is interrupted partway through.
It was migrated from the original youtube-dl library to yt-dlp, a more actively maintained fork, and the container automates daily updates to yt-dlp so the tool keeps working as YouTube changes its site. A REST API is also available for programmatic use alongside the web interface.
youtube-dl-nas is entirely free and open source, distributed via GitHub with no license fee, subscription or paid tier.
Because it is self-hosted, the only cost is whatever hardware and network resources the user's own NAS or server requires to run the Docker container.
There is no vendor to purchase support from; ongoing maintenance depends on the open-source project's community and its maintainer continuing to update the code.
Yes, it is a free, open-source project with no license fee or subscription.
Yes, it is distributed as a Docker container designed to be deployed on a NAS or home server running Docker.
Yes, user accounts are created at container setup time, and authentication is required before the server accepts download jobs, which prevents abuse of an exposed home-network endpoint.
It uses yt-dlp, an actively maintained fork of the original youtube-dl library, and automates daily updates to keep pace with YouTube changes.
It supports resolutions up to 2160p (4K) as well as audio-only downloads.
It is maintained by an individual developer, hyeonsangjeon, as a community open-source project on GitHub, not by a company.
Yes, it provides a REST API for programmatic interaction with the download queue in addition to its web and WebSocket interface.