Bilibili API for Public Video URLs: Parse Metadata and Media in Python

#python #webdev #tutorial #api

Disclosure: I am involved with EasyDown, the API used in the examples below. This is a practical integration note for developers who need a backend-friendly Bilibili API for supported public URLs.

When someone searches for bilibili api, the intent is often different from a one-off "download Bilibili video" search. They are usually building something: a media ingestion workflow, an internal content tool, a clipping queue, a moderation queue, or a downloader backend that has to turn public URLs into predictable JSON.

This post shows a small Python pattern for parsing public Bilibili URLs with EasyDown and then reading the normalized metadata and media fields your app can use.

The endpoint used below is documented here: EasyDown Bilibili API documentation.

Supported public URL shapes

The Bilibili endpoint supports mainland China Bilibili links such as:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sW4y197cE/
https://www.bilibili.com/video/av45306969/
https://b23.tv/INJgdai
bilibili.com/bangumi/play/{id}
bilibili.com/cheese/play/{id}

It does not cover bilibili.tv or bili.im international links.

Request shape

The request is a server-side POST with a bearer token:

POST https://api.easydown.org/api/v1/platforms/bilibili/parse
Authorization: Bearer <token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sW4y197cE/"
}

Python example

import os
import requests


API_URL = "https://api.easydown.org/api/v1/platforms/bilibili/parse"


def parse_bilibili(public_url: str) -> dict:
    token = os.environ["EASYDOWN_API_TOKEN"]

    response = requests.post(
        API_URL,
        headers={
            "Authorization": f"Bearer {token}",
            "Content-Type": "application/json",
        },
        json={"url": public_url},
        timeout=60,
    )

    payload = response.json()

    if response.status_code != 200 or payload.get("status") != 200:
        raise RuntimeError(payload.get("msg") or "Bilibili parse failed")

    return payload["data"]


result = parse_bilibili("https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sW4y197cE/")

media = result.get("media", {})
platform_data = result.get("platformData", {})

print({
    "title": media.get("title") or platform_data.get("title"),
    "thumbnail": media.get("thumbnail") or platform_data.get("pic"),
    "duration": media.get("duration"),
    "video_count": len(media.get("videos", [])),
    "audio_count": len(media.get("audios", [])),
})

In a real app, keep EASYDOWN_API_TOKEN in your backend environment, not in client-side JavaScript.

Fields to store

For most product workflows, I would store a small normalized subset instead of the whole upstream object:

original public Bilibili URL
normalized title
thumbnail URL
duration
selected video rendition
selected audio rendition when the stream is separate
parse timestamp
platform response version

That keeps your database stable even if Bilibili exposes extra public fields later.

Error handling

Your app should explain failures in product terms:

unsupported URL family
private, deleted, paid, DRM, live, or region-restricted content
upstream timeout or temporary upstream failure
expired signed media URL
authentication or validation error

EasyDown documents that failed requests do not consume credits. A successful parse consumes one credit only after downloadable media is returned.

Pricing check

If you are comparing a hosted Bilibili API with maintaining your own parser, the useful comparison is cost per successful parse plus the engineering time saved on URL normalization, stream refresh, and failure handling.

EasyDown publishes current credit packs and monthly plans on the API pricing page.

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