Podsync: Convert YouTube and Vimeo Content into Podcast Feeds

Introduction

Podsync is an open-source project that provides a simple, free service to convert content from YouTube and Vimeo channels, users, or playlists into podcast feeds. It addresses the limitations of native video platforms by enabling users to consume their favorite video content through feature-rich podcast applications. This allows for functionalities like automatic episode downloads, remembering playback positions, device synchronization, and offline listening, enhancing the overall media consumption experience.

Installation

Podsync offers flexible deployment options, including running as a standalone binary or via Docker. Before running, ensure you have a config.toml file set up, specifying your feeds and API keys.

Run via Docker:

docker pull ghcr.io/mxpv/podsync:latest
docker run \
    -p 8080:8080 \
    -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data/ \
    -v $(pwd)/db:/app/db/ \
    -v $(pwd)/config.toml:/app/config.toml \
    ghcr.io/mxpv/podsync:latest

Build and Run as Binary:
If running as a binary, you'll need yt-dlp, ffmpeg, and go installed on your system. On macOS, you can install these with Homebrew:

brew install yt-dlp ffmpeg go

Then, build and run Podsync:

git clone https://github.com/mxpv/podsync
cd podsync
make
./bin/podsync --config config.toml

Examples

To get started with Podsync, you need to create a config.toml file. This file defines your server settings, storage paths, API tokens, and the specific YouTube or Vimeo feeds you wish to convert. Remember to obtain your YouTube and Vimeo API keys as detailed in the official documentation.

Here's a minimal config.toml example:

[server]
port = 8080

[storage]
  [storage.local]
  data_dir = "/app/data/"

[tokens]
youtube = "PASTE YOUR API KEY HERE"

[feeds]
    [feeds.ID1]
    url = "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxC5Ls6DwqV0e-CYcAKkExQ"

For more advanced configurations, including environment variables and reverse proxy settings, refer to the official documentation.

Why Use Podsync

Podsync stands out with a comprehensive set of features designed to offer a superior podcasting experience for video content:

• Works with YouTube and Vimeo.
• Supports feeds configuration: video/audio, high/low quality, max video height, etc.
• MP3 encoding for audio feeds.
• Update scheduler supports cron expressions.
• Episodes filtering (match by title, duration).
• Feeds customizations (custom artwork, category, language, etc).
• Runs on Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Docker, with ARM support.
• Automatic yt-dlp self-update.
• Supports API keys rotation.

Links

Explore Podsync further with these official resources:

• GitHub Repository
• Official Documentation
• How to get YouTube API Key
• How to get Vimeo API Token