{"slug": "invidious", "name": "Invidious", "category": "selfhosted", "category_name": "Self-hosted and home server", "description": "Open-source alternative front-end for YouTube that can be self-hosted.", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 4.715, "rising": -0.31, "first": "2026-02-14", "latest": "2026-09-26", "why": "HN commenters like Invidious as an ad-free YouTube frontend and as a backend for other apps like Yattee, and for cutting out Shorts and algorithmic doom-scrolling.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": ["Escaping doom-scrolling", "YouTube frontend"], "caveat": "Slower", "short_quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "icon": true, "domain": "invidious.io", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://invidious.io/", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["Invidious"], "verdict": [{"text": "HN commenters like Invidious as an ad-free YouTube frontend and as a backend for other apps like Yattee,", "cites": [{"id": 797743377, "item_id": 49858961, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858961", "by": "nntwozz", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use invidious as backend.", "excerpt": "Get https://github.com/yattee/yattee I've been watching youtube without ads on all Apple hardware for years. I use invidious as backend. https://github.com/iv-org/invidious Absolutely fabulous.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 763294768, "item_id": 47705923, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47705923", "by": "somat", "date": "2026-04-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "An unenforceable option would be to set up an independent youtube frontend. https://invidious.io/", "excerpt": "Because of the way youtube serves shorts the exact same way it serves any other video it sounds like a man-in-the-middle proxy server would be needed. which to enforce would still require per device config(loading corp style keys). A per device config that would probably be trickier than a shorts killer browser extension. This is why DoH makes me nervous. Once the embedded ad engines(cough smart tv's) figure it out, ", "context": "", "use_case": "alternative YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "", "story": "LittleSnitch for Linux"}, {"id": 752350801, "item_id": 47021925, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021925", "by": "s_ting765", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious", "excerpt": "I revived a once popular Youtube frontend called Cloudtube. All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious and I use it more like a frontend for invidious. https://github.com/rhee876527/clean-youtube/", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}]}, {"text": " and for cutting out Shorts and algorithmic doom-scrolling.", "cites": [{"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}, {"id": 752287216, "item_id": 47017951, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47017951", "by": "b00ty4breakfast", "date": "2026-02-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've been using invidious for a while now", "excerpt": "I've been using invidious for a while now but I remember I had blocked all recommends and suggestions on YT so I never saw shorts anyways (I know the recommend block was thru ublock but I can't remember if I'd blocked suggestions through YT options or if that was also a ublock filter). Also a great way to avoid mindless feed-surfing. I only watched videos from subs or that I have specifically searched for rather than", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}, {"id": 772817138, "item_id": 48301071, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48301071", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "excerpt": "When I used to use YT, i used https://untrap.app/, it was a great improvement. If you think you can't quit youtube, I used to think that way, and then i did it by deleting my account and using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "context": "quit YouTube", "use_case": "YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "YouTube to automatically label AI-generated videos"}]}, {"text": " The main caveat raised is that it is a bit slower than YouTube.", "cites": [{"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "Escaping doom-scrolling", "summary": "Users say it lacks Shorts and helps them avoid feed-surfing and cut YouTube time.", "quotes": [{"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}, {"id": 752287216, "item_id": 47017951, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47017951", "by": "b00ty4breakfast", "date": "2026-02-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've been using invidious for a while now", "excerpt": "I've been using invidious for a while now but I remember I had blocked all recommends and suggestions on YT so I never saw shorts anyways (I know the recommend block was thru ublock but I can't remember if I'd blocked suggestions through YT options or if that was also a ublock filter). Also a great way to avoid mindless feed-surfing. I only watched videos from subs or that I have specifically searched for rather than", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}, {"id": 772817138, "item_id": 48301071, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48301071", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "excerpt": "When I used to use YT, i used https://untrap.app/, it was a great improvement. If you think you can't quit youtube, I used to think that way, and then i did it by deleting my account and using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "context": "quit YouTube", "use_case": "YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "YouTube to automatically label AI-generated videos"}]}, {"label": "YouTube frontend", "summary": "Recommended as an independent YouTube frontend that users can set up themselves.", "quotes": [{"id": 763294768, "item_id": 47705923, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47705923", "by": "somat", "date": "2026-04-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "An unenforceable option would be to set up an independent youtube frontend. https://invidious.io/", "excerpt": "Because of the way youtube serves shorts the exact same way it serves any other video it sounds like a man-in-the-middle proxy server would be needed. which to enforce would still require per device config(loading corp style keys). A per device config that would probably be trickier than a shorts killer browser extension. This is why DoH makes me nervous. Once the embedded ad engines(cough smart tv's) figure it out, ", "context": "", "use_case": "alternative YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "", "story": "LittleSnitch for Linux"}, {"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}]}, {"label": "Backend for apps", "summary": "Used as the backend for other clients such as Yattee and Cloudtube-based frontends.", "quotes": [{"id": 797743377, "item_id": 49858961, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858961", "by": "nntwozz", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use invidious as backend.", "excerpt": "Get https://github.com/yattee/yattee I've been watching youtube without ads on all Apple hardware for years. I use invidious as backend. https://github.com/iv-org/invidious Absolutely fabulous.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 752350801, "item_id": 47021925, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021925", "by": "s_ting765", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious", "excerpt": "I revived a once popular Youtube frontend called Cloudtube. All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious and I use it more like a frontend for invidious. https://github.com/rhee876527/clean-youtube/", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}]}, {"label": "Ad-free viewing", "summary": "One user has watched YouTube without ads on Apple hardware for years via Yattee with Invidious.", "quotes": [{"id": 797743377, "item_id": 49858961, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858961", "by": "nntwozz", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use invidious as backend.", "excerpt": "Get https://github.com/yattee/yattee I've been watching youtube without ads on all Apple hardware for years. I use invidious as backend. https://github.com/iv-org/invidious Absolutely fabulous.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Slower", "summary": "One user notes it is a bit slower than using YouTube directly.", "quotes": [{"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}]}], "who": [{"by": "Cider9986", "context": "quit YouTube", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48301071", "date": "2026-05-27"}], "tags": ["for cutting YouTube use", "for Apple devices via Yattee", "as a backend for frontends", "self-hostable"], "use_cases": ["youtube backend", "youtube frontend", "alternative youtube frontend", "watching youtube without shorts", "watching youtube"], "compared": [{"slug": "youtube", "name": "YouTube", "co": 2, "switched_from": 3, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47016443", "title": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49842764", "title": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48299753", "title": "YouTube to automatically label AI-generated videos", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47697870", "title": "LittleSnitch for Linux", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47020218", "title": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 797743377, "item_id": 49858961, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49858961", "by": "nntwozz", "date": "2026-09-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use invidious as backend.", "excerpt": "Get https://github.com/yattee/yattee I've been watching youtube without ads on all Apple hardware for years. I use invidious as backend. https://github.com/iv-org/invidious Absolutely fabulous.", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "PipePipe: NewPipe hard fork implementing SponsorBlock"}, {"id": 772817138, "item_id": 48301071, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48301071", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-05-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "excerpt": "When I used to use YT, i used https://untrap.app/, it was a great improvement. If you think you can't quit youtube, I used to think that way, and then i did it by deleting my account and using libredirect for invidious. my usage went to just a few minutes or 0 per day.", "context": "quit YouTube", "use_case": "YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "YouTube to automatically label AI-generated videos"}, {"id": 763294768, "item_id": 47705923, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47705923", "by": "somat", "date": "2026-04-09", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "An unenforceable option would be to set up an independent youtube frontend. https://invidious.io/", "excerpt": "Because of the way youtube serves shorts the exact same way it serves any other video it sounds like a man-in-the-middle proxy server would be needed. which to enforce would still require per device config(loading corp style keys). A per device config that would probably be trickier than a shorts killer browser extension. This is why DoH makes me nervous. Once the embedded ad engines(cough smart tv's) figure it out, ", "context": "", "use_case": "alternative YouTube frontend", "switched_from": "", "story": "LittleSnitch for Linux"}, {"id": 752413008, "item_id": 47025813, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47025813", "by": "SamDc73", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts", "excerpt": "I switched from using YouTube to invidious mainly because they don't support shorts and blocked YouTube on the DNS level, it's a bit slower, but I know I won't be sucked into doom-scrolling", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube without shorts", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}, {"id": 752350801, "item_id": 47021925, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47021925", "by": "s_ting765", "date": "2026-02-15", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious", "excerpt": "I revived a once popular Youtube frontend called Cloudtube. All the Youtube media url deciphering is still done by Invidious and I use it more like a frontend for invidious. https://github.com/rhee876527/clean-youtube/", "context": "", "use_case": "YouTube backend", "switched_from": "", "story": "NewPipe: YouTube client without vertical videos and algorithmic feed"}, {"id": 752287216, "item_id": 47017951, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47017951", "by": "b00ty4breakfast", "date": "2026-02-14", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've been using invidious for a while now", "excerpt": "I've been using invidious for a while now but I remember I had blocked all recommends and suggestions on YT so I never saw shorts anyways (I know the recommend block was thru ublock but I can't remember if I'd blocked suggestions through YT options or if that was also a ublock filter). Also a great way to avoid mindless feed-surfing. I only watched videos from subs or that I have specifically searched for rather than", "context": "", "use_case": "watching YouTube", "switched_from": "YouTube", "story": "uBlock filter list to hide all YouTube Shorts"}]}