Search and play YouTube videos on Linux using youtube-viewer, according to its project description.
Open source
24 alternativesPipe Viewer
pipe-viewer searches and plays YouTube videos from Linux, according to its project description.
About Pipe Viewer
Pipe Viewer is a lightweight YouTube client for Linux for searching and playing videos without requiring an API key. It provides a command-line program (pipe-viewer) and a GTK+ program (gtk-pipe-viewer).
It parses the YouTube website directly and uses Invidious instances only as a fallback, or when enabled with an option or configuration setting. Running it on Linux requires installing Perl libraries and yt-dlp or youtube-dl, via distribution packages or a Perl build process.
Key features
- Search and play YouTube videos on Linux
- Command-line interface through pipe-viewer
- Graphical interface through gtk-pipe-viewer
- Works without requiring a YouTube API key
- Parses YouTube directly with Invidious as fallback
- Supports specific Invidious instance via --api option
Best for: Linux users who want to search and play YouTube videos from a command-line or GTK+ app without an API key.
Good for
- Works without requiring a YouTube API key
- Offers both command-line and GTK+ interfaces
- Parses YouTube directly with Invidious only as fallback
Watch out for
- Designed for Linux systems
- Requires Perl libraries and yt-dlp or youtube-dl
- Invidious use requires an option or configuration change
Pipe Viewer at a glance
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Linux Apps
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 5, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Pipe Viewer FAQ
Does Pipe Viewer require a YouTube API key?
No. The project describes itself as working without requiring an API key.
How do I use Invidious instances?
Run with pipe-viewer --invidious, or set prefer_invidious => 1 in ~/.config/pipe-viewer/pipe-viewer.conf. A specific instance can be set with --api=HOST.
What dependencies are required?
libwww-perl, LWP::Protocol::https, Data::Dump, JSON, and yt-dlp or youtube-dl. The GTK version also requires Gtk3 and File::ShareDir.
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