spotdl/spotify-downloader

📈 Trending★ 24,802PythonAudience · vibe coderComplexity · 2/5ActiveLicenseSetup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Download Spotify songs
      Match with YouTube audio
      Embed metadata and art
      Sync playlists locally
    How to use
      Command-line interface
      Python package
      Docker container
      Web interface
    Use cases
      Offline music listening
      DJ set preparation
      Local music library
      Playlist backup
    Tech stack
      Python
      FFmpeg
      Spotify API
      YouTube search

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Download Spotify songs Match with YouTube audio Embed metadata and art Sync playlists locally How to use Command-line interface Python package Docker container Web interface Use cases Offline music listening DJ set preparation Local music library Playlist backup Tech stack Python FFmpeg Spotify API YouTube search

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Download your Spotify playlists as local audio files with full metadata for offline listening on any device.

USE CASE 2

Keep a local music folder automatically synced with a Spotify playlist, new songs download, removed songs delete.

USE CASE 3

Prepare DJ sets by downloading tracks with proper metadata and high audio quality for mixing software.

USE CASE 4

Back up your favorite playlists as audio files independent of Spotify's service.

Tech stack

PythonFFmpegSpotify APIYouTube

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Spotify API credentials and FFmpeg installation; Python dependencies are straightforward.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

spotDL is a command-line tool that finds songs from your Spotify playlists on YouTube and downloads them to your computer as audio files, complete with album art, song lyrics, and metadata (artist name, album, track number, etc.) automatically embedded. The idea is that Spotify itself doesn't let you download music for offline listening outside of its app, so spotDL bridges that gap by matching Spotify's metadata with the corresponding YouTube audio. It works by looking up songs from a Spotify URL, finding the best-matching audio on YouTube, downloading the highest available quality (up to 128 kbps normally, or 256 kbps for YouTube Music Premium users), and then tagging the file with all the metadata from Spotify. FFmpeg, a free video and audio processing tool, is required for the audio conversion step. The tool supports several operations: downloading individual songs or whole playlists, syncing a local folder so it stays up-to-date with a playlist (new songs are downloaded, removed songs are deleted), saving metadata without downloading, and more. It can be run as a simple command, as a Python package, via Docker, or through a basic web interface. You would use spotDL if you want local copies of your Spotify music with proper metadata for use in media players, DJs sets, or offline listening. It is a Python tool installable via pip and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Note: the project itself states that users are responsible for the legal implications of their downloads.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

How do I use spotDL to download a Spotify playlist to my computer with all the metadata and album art?

Prompt 2

Show me how to set up spotDL with my Spotify credentials and start downloading songs from a playlist URL.

Prompt 3

Can I use spotDL to automatically sync a local folder whenever my Spotify playlist changes?

Prompt 4

What are the audio quality options in spotDL and how do I configure FFmpeg for the best results?

Prompt 5

How do I run spotDL as a Docker container instead of installing it locally?

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