--- title: "Similar Channels API" description: "Discover YouTube channels similar to any target channel — competitors, collaboration opportunities, and niche adjacents." source: "https://dashboard.nexlev.io/docs/api/search-similar-channel" --- # Similar Channels API Discover YouTube channels similar to any target channel — competitors, collaboration opportunities, and niche adjacents. **Base URL**: `https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io` — see [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication). ## Search Similar Channels ```http POST /api/external/similar-channels/search ``` **Description**: Discover YouTube channels that are similar to a given channel using advanced similarity algorithms. Returns a ranked list of channels based on content, audience, and channel characteristics. **cURL Example**: ```bash curl -X POST https://prod.dashboard.nexlev.io/api/external/similar-channels/search \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"channelId": "UCc9CjaAjsMMvaSghZB7-Kog", "channelType": "all", "level": 1}' ``` **Request Body**: ```json { "channelId": "UCc9CjaAjsMMvaSghZB7-Kog", "channelType": "all", "level": 1 } ``` **Body Parameters**: `channelId` (required), `channelType` (optional - "all" or "short"), `level` (optional - depth level, default: 1) > **Warning** > > 🥞 **Quota Cost: 20 quota per request** — see [Rate Limits & > Quota](/docs/api/rate-limits). **Status Code**: `200 OK` **Description**: Returns a list of channels similar to the target channel, ranked by similarity score. Each result includes channel information, subscriber count, and a similarity score indicating how closely the channel matches the target channel. **Response Body**: ```json { "data": [ { "tags": [ "tech tutorials", "software development", "coding", "programming", "web development", "javascript", "python", "developer tools", "tech reviews", "software engineering" ], "keywords": [], "about": { "links": [ { "url": "https://twitter.com/techinnovators", "title": "Twitter" }, { "url": "https://techinnovators.com", "title": "Website" } ], "country": "United States", "viewCount": 15230450, "channelId": "UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA", "hasShorts": true, "joinedDate": "2018-03-15T10:30:00.000Z", "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHbx9IUW7eCeJsC4sBCTNBA", "videoCount": 287, "channelName": "Tech Innovators", "description": "Innovative tech content and tutorials for creators and developers", "daysSinceStart": 2819, "avgVideoLength": "00:12:45", "subscriberCount": 142500, "lastVideoUploadDate": "2 days ago", "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 765, "thumbnail": [ { "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-1/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj", "width": 200, "height": 200 } ], "updatedAt": "2025-12-02T10:15:30.123Z" }, "similarityScore": 72 }, { "tags": [ "content creation", "youtube tips", "digital marketing", "social media", "video production", "branding", "monetization", "creator economy", "influencer marketing" ], "keywords": [], "about": { "links": [ { "url": "https://instagram.com/digitalcreatorspo", "title": "Instagram" } ], "country": "United Kingdom", "viewCount": 8742190, "channelId": "UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ", "hasShorts": false, "joinedDate": "2019-06-20T14:00:00.000Z", "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBJycsmduvYEL83R_U4JriQ", "videoCount": 195, "channelName": "Digital Creators Pro", "description": "Professional tips and strategies for digital content creators", "daysSinceStart": 2356, "avgVideoLength": "00:10:32", "subscriberCount": 98300, "lastVideoUploadDate": "5 days ago", "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 632, "thumbnail": [ { "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-2/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj", "width": 200, "height": 200 } ], "updatedAt": "2025-12-01T18:22:45.678Z" }, "similarityScore": 68 }, { "tags": [ "content strategy", "audience growth", "youtube algorithm", "engagement tips", "analytics", "seo", "thumbnails", "video optimization" ], "keywords": [], "about": { "links": [ { "url": "https://contentstrategyhub.com", "title": "Website" }, { "url": "https://facebook.com/contentstrategyhub", "title": "Facebook" } ], "country": "Canada", "viewCount": 5234567, "channelId": "UCMiJRAwDNSNzuYeN2uWa0pA", "hasShorts": true, "joinedDate": "2020-01-10T08:45:00.000Z", "channelUrl": "http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMiJRAwDNSNzuYeN2uWa0pA", "videoCount": 156, "channelName": "Content Strategy Hub", "description": "Master content strategy and grow your audience with proven techniques", "daysSinceStart": 2153, "avgVideoLength": "00:15:20", "subscriberCount": 67800, "lastVideoUploadDate": "1 week ago", "avgVideoLengthSeconds": 920, "thumbnail": [ { "url": "https://yt3.googleusercontent.com/example-thumbnail-url-3/s160-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj", "width": 200, "height": 200 } ], "updatedAt": "2025-11-30T12:05:18.234Z" }, "similarityScore": 62 } ] } ``` **Response Fields**: - `data` - Array of similar channel objects with detailed information - `tags` - List of tags/topics associated with the channel - `keywords` - List of keywords related to the channel - `about` - Comprehensive channel information object - `channelId` - Unique identifier for the similar channel - `channelName` - Display name of the similar channel - `channelUrl` - Full YouTube URL of the channel - `description` - Channel description/bio - `subscriberCount` - Number of subscribers (numeric value) - `videoCount` - Total number of videos on the channel - `viewCount` - Total view count across all videos - `thumbnail` - Array of thumbnail objects with different sizes - `url` - URL to the channel's profile image - `width` - Width of the thumbnail image - `height` - Height of the thumbnail image - `country` - Country where the channel is based - `joinedDate` - ISO 8601 date when the channel was created - `daysSinceStart` - Number of days since the channel was created - `lastVideoUploadDate` - Human-readable text of last video upload time - `avgVideoLength` - Average video length in HH:MM:SS format - `avgVideoLengthSeconds` - Average video length in seconds - `hasShorts` - Whether the channel has YouTube Shorts - `links` - Array of external links (social media, websites) - `url` - URL of the external link - `title` - Title/label of the external link - `updatedAt` - ISO 8601 timestamp of when the data was last updated - `similarityScore` - Similarity score (0-100), higher indicates greater similarity ## Error Responses ### Bad Request **Status Code**: `400 Bad Request` **Description**: The request was invalid or malformed. ```json { "error": { "code": 400, "message": "Invalid channel ID format", "details": "Channel ID must be a valid YouTube channel identifier" } } ``` ### Unauthorized **Status Code**: `401 Unauthorized` **Description**: Authentication credentials are missing or invalid. ```json { "error": { "code": 401, "message": "Unauthorized", "details": "Invalid API key or credentials not provided. Create your API key at https://dashboard.nexlev.io/nexlev-api/create-api-key" } } ``` ### Not Found **Status Code**: `404 Not Found` **Description**: The specified channel could not be found. ```json { "error": { "code": 404, "message": "Channel not found", "details": "No channel exists with the provided channel ID" } } ``` ### Rate Limit **Status Code**: `429 Too Many Requests` **Description**: You have exceeded your API rate limit. ```json { "error": { "code": 429, "message": "Rate limit exceeded", "details": "You have exceeded your API quota. Please try again later.", "retryAfter": 3600 } } ``` ### Service Unavailable **Status Code**: `503 Service Unavailable` **Description**: The similarity search service is temporarily unavailable. ```json { "error": { "code": 503, "message": "Similarity search service unavailable", "details": "The channel similarity service is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in a few minutes.", "retryAfter": 300 } } ```