Use the OAuth authentication standard to connect to YouTube Analytics. You can authenticate with a user account or a service account. The driver facilitates this as described below.

User Accounts

The user account flow requires the authenticating user to interact with YouTube Analytics via the browser.

Embedded Credentials

Desktop Applications

See Embedded Credentials to connect with the driver's embedded credentials and skip creating a custom OAuth app.

Headless Machines

See Headless Machines to skip creating a custom OAuth app and authenticate an application running on a headless server or another machine where the driver is not authorized to open a browser.

Custom Credentials

Instead of connecting with the driver's embedded credentials, you can register an app to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret.

When to Create a Custom OAuth App

Web Applications

You need to create a custom OAuth app in the web flow.

Desktop Applications

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional as the driver is already registered with YouTube Analytics and you can connect with its embedded credentials. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the YouTube Analytics OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the driver.

Headless Machines

Creating a custom OAuth app is optional to authenticate a headless machine; the driver is already registered with YouTube Analytics and you can connect with its embedded credentials. In the headless OAuth flow, users need to authenticate via a browser on another machine. You might want to create a custom OAuth app to change the information displayed when users log into the YouTube Analytics OAuth endpoint to grant permissions to the driver.

Using a Service Account to Connect to YouTube Analytics

Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes to the driver.

You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. You can then connect to YouTube Analytics data that the service account has permission to access. See Custom Credentials for an authentication guide.

Creating a Custom OAuth App

See Creating a Custom OAuth App for a procedure.