What is YouTube?
YouTube was founded in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees and acquired by Google in November 2006 for $1.65 billion. It is now the second-most-visited website in the world with over 2.5 billion monthly active users.
Unlike most platforms, a YouTube channel ID is not a number — it's a 24-character string that always starts with UC. This format dates back to 2014 when YouTube replaced its old username system. The UC… ID is what every API, RSS feed, and analytics tool keys off.
How YouTube user IDs evolved
From the very first IDs to today's modern numeric format — here's how the system grew alongside the platform itself.
-
2005–2014
Username-only channels
In its first decade, YouTube identified channels by their username — URLs looked like
youtube.com/user/PewDiePie. There was no separate stable ID. -
2014
UC… channel IDs introduced
YouTube rolled out a new identity system: every channel received a permanent 24-character UC-prefixed ID (e.g.
UCXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw). The "UC" stands for "User Channel" and the remaining 22 characters are a base64-style identifier. -
2017
Custom URLs (legacy /c/ form)
YouTube introduced custom URLs (
youtube.com/c/LinusTechTips) as a friendlier alias for the UC… ID. Channels needed to meet eligibility criteria to claim one. -
2022
Custom @handles for everyone
YouTube launched mandatory
@handlesin late 2022 — every channel now has a unique@usernamethat doubles as a URL slug. The UC… ID still lives underneath; @handles are just a friendlier alias.
What you get from a YouTube lookup
Every YouTube profile resolved through IDInfo returns these fields, all from public sources.
Permanent UC… channel ID
The primary key for the YouTube Data API, RSS, and analytics.
Channel avatar URL
High-resolution profile image.
Subscriber count
Public subscriber number (rounded as YouTube displays it).
Video count & total views
Lifetime upload count and channel view total.
Why your YouTube channel ID matters
- YouTube Data API v3 requires the UC… ID for almost every endpoint — channel info, uploads, playlists, analytics, comments.
- RSS feeds live at
youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=UC…— IDInfo gives you the exact ID you need. - YouTube Studio analytics & monetization partners (TubeBuddy, VidIQ, Social Blade) all index channels by UC… ID.
- Embed players & subscribe widgets reference the channel ID, so they survive @handle changes.
Live, verifiable results.
The most recent YouTube profiles IDInfo resolved successfully. Click any card to view the full profile page.
YouTube user ID — common questions
What does the "UC" prefix in YouTube channel IDs mean?
Why do I see /c/, /user/, and /@ URLs on YouTube?
/user/ is the legacy 2005-era format, /c/ is the 2017 custom URL, and /@handle is the modern (2022+) format. IDInfo accepts all three.Can a YouTube channel have multiple UC… IDs?
Why is my channel ID a string instead of a number like other platforms?
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