explaingit

imputnet/cobalt

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

★ 40,081SvelteAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

A clean, ad-free media downloader where you paste a social media link and get the video or audio file instantly, with no sign-up, tracking, or pop-ups.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Cobalt))
    What it does
      Download social media video
      No ads or tracking
      Paste link get file
    Tech stack
      Svelte frontend
      JavaScript API
      Self-hostable
    Use cases
      Save public videos
      Download audio clips
      Private self-hosted tool
    Audience
      Casual users
      Privacy-minded users
      Developers
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Download a public video from Instagram or Reddit to your device without using ad-filled third-party sites.

USE CASE 2

Save audio from SoundCloud or other platforms directly to your files.

USE CASE 3

Self-host your own private media downloader instance so you control the data flow.

USE CASE 4

Use the API backend to programmatically fetch public social media content in your own app.

What is it built with?

SvelteJavaScript

How does it compare?

imputnet/cobaltsaadeghi/daisyuivert-sh/vert
Stars40,08140,88114,785
LanguageSvelteSvelteSvelte
Setup difficultymoderateeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencegeneraldevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 5min

Use the hosted version at cobalt.tools instantly, self-hosting requires reading the provided documentation.

Free to use and modify, but any software you distribute that includes this code must also be released under the same open-source license.

In plain English

Cobalt is a media downloader that lets you save videos, audio, and other content from social media platforms directly to your device. The problem it addresses is that most online media downloaders are cluttered with advertisements, trackers, pop-ups, paywalls, and dark patterns that make a simple download feel like an obstacle course. Cobalt aims to be the clean, no-nonsense alternative: paste a link, get the file, done. The way it works is by accepting a URL from a supported platform, processing the request through its API, and returning the media file directly to you. The project describes itself as working like a fancy proxy, it never caches any content, it just fetches and passes through what is publicly available. The platforms mentioned in the project topics include Instagram, Reddit, and SoundCloud, among others. There is no sign-in required, no account, and no tracking. The README notes that cobalt can only download free and publicly accessible content, and that the same content could be retrieved manually through a browser's developer tools. You would use cobalt if you want to save a video or audio clip from a social media platform without dealing with intrusive third-party downloader sites. You can use the hosted version at cobalt.tools, or you can run your own instance using the provided self-hosting documentation. The monorepo includes the API, the frontend web interface, and related packages. The tech stack is Svelte for the frontend web interface, with a JavaScript API backend, all licensed under AGPL-3.0.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to self-host Cobalt on my own server so I can download social media videos privately. Walk me through the setup steps.
Prompt 2
How does Cobalt's API work? Show me how to send a request with a video URL and handle the file response.
Prompt 3
I want to build a simple web page that uses the Cobalt API to let users paste a link and download videos. Give me the HTML and JavaScript to do this.
Prompt 4
How do I run a local Cobalt instance using Docker so I can test it on my machine?
Prompt 5
What platforms does Cobalt support for downloading content, and how do I check if a URL will work before sending it to the API?

Frequently asked questions

What is cobalt?

A clean, ad-free media downloader where you paste a social media link and get the video or audio file instantly, with no sign-up, tracking, or pop-ups.

What language is cobalt written in?

Mainly Svelte. The stack also includes Svelte, JavaScript.

What license does cobalt use?

Free to use and modify, but any software you distribute that includes this code must also be released under the same open-source license.

How hard is cobalt to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is cobalt for?

Mainly general.

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