Authentication

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In order to use authentication-based features, like viewing and managing user feed, playlists and subscriptions, an account needs to be registered with a specific Invidious instance.

The following steps should be followed to obtain authentication for an instance:

  • Obtain a user token
  • Use invidtui to authenticate

These steps can be performed for multiple invidious instances.

User Token

For the user token, either a SID or a generated Session Token can be used.

SID

This is a base64 encoded text, that is automatically generated when you register an account with an Invidious instance.

To get your SID:

  • Login into your Invidious instance using a web browser
    auth_login

  • Once you are redirected to the homepage, click on the ‘settings’ icon
    auth_settings

  • Click on ‘Manage tokens’
    auth_tokens

  • Copy the Base64 encoded text on top of a red background auth_sid

Session Token

This is is a JSON text, that has to be explicitly generated after verification from the instance.

To get the link to your instance’s token manager, either:

  • Copy and navigate to the link shown in the dashboard if you are authenticating within invidtui, or ,
    auth_tokenuri

  • If authenticating via the command-line, type invidtui --force-instance <instance name> --token-link, copy and navigate to the displayed link. auth_tokencmd

Once the link has been opened in a web browser:

  • After the page loads, press ‘Yes’ and wait for the page to stop loading.
    auth_tokenconfirm

  • Copy the session token displayed on the webpage.
    auth_sessiontoken

Authentication

Once the user token has been obtained, you can finish authentication either within invidtui or via the command line.

Within InvidTUI

To authenticate within InvidTUI:

  • First, launch invidtui with the instance
invidtui --force-instance <instance name>
  • Once invidtui has initialized, open the dashboard, paste the user token in the inputbox and press Enter auth_dashboard

The dashboard should then load the feeds from the authenticated user account.

Via the Command Line

To authenticate via the command line, type:

invidtui --force-instance <instance name> --token <user token>

And invidtui should initialize and authenticate the user with the instance.