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Configuration Guide

Downie can be configured using a YAML configuration file and command-line options. It provides both video downloading and subtitle management capabilities.

Configuration File

The default configuration file is located at: - Linux/macOS: ~/.config/downie/config.yaml - Windows: %APPDATA%\downie\config.yaml

Example Configuration

video:
  output_dir: ~/Downloads/videos
  quality: best
  format_id: null
  proxy: null
  limit_speed: null
  username: null
  password: null
  cookies_file: null

processing:
  crop: null
  resize: null
  rotate: null
  fps: null
  remove_audio: false
  extract_audio: false
  audio_format: mp3
  video_codec: libx264
  audio_codec: aac
  video_bitrate: null
  audio_bitrate: null

subtitles:
  output_dir: ~/Downloads/subtitles
  languages: [en]
  formats: [srt]
  auto_generated: false
  convert_to_srt: true
  fix_encoding: true
  merge_subtitles: false

Configuration Options

Video Download Settings

Option Description Default
output_dir Download directory for videos ~/Downloads/videos
quality Video quality (e.g., 720p, 1080p, best) best
format_id Specific format ID to download None
proxy Proxy URL None
limit_speed Download speed limit (e.g., 1M, 500K) None
username Account username None
password Account password None
cookies_file Path to cookies file None

Video Processing Settings

Option Description Default
crop Crop video (width:height:x:y) None
resize Resize video (widthxheight) None
rotate Rotate video (degrees) None
fps Target FPS None
remove_audio Remove audio track False
extract_audio Extract audio only False
audio_format Audio format for extraction mp3
video_codec Video codec (e.g., libx264, libx265) libx264
audio_codec Audio codec (e.g., aac, mp3) aac
video_bitrate Video bitrate (e.g., 5M) None
audio_bitrate Audio bitrate (e.g., 192k) None

Subtitle Settings

Option Description Default
output_dir Download directory for subtitles ~/Downloads/subtitles
languages Subtitle languages to download [en]
formats Subtitle formats to download [srt]
auto_generated Include auto-generated subtitles False
convert_to_srt Convert subtitles to SRT True
fix_encoding Fix subtitle encoding issues True
merge_subtitles Merge all subtitle files into one False

Environment Variables

You can also configure Downie using environment variables:

# Video download settings
export downie_OUTPUT_DIR=~/Videos
export downie_QUALITY=720p
export downie_PROXY=http://proxy:8080
export downie_LIMIT_SPEED=1M

# Processing settings
export downie_VIDEO_CODEC=libx264
export downie_AUDIO_CODEC=aac
export downie_AUDIO_FORMAT=mp3

# Subtitle settings
export downie_SUBTITLE_DIR=~/Subtitles
export downie_SUBTITLE_LANGS=en,es
export downie_SUBTITLE_FORMATS=srt,vtt
export downie_MERGE_SUBTITLES=true

Configuration Priority

Configuration priority (highest to lowest): 1. Command-line arguments 2. Environment variables 3. Configuration file 4. Default values

Creating a Configuration File

# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/downie

# Create default config
downie config init

Best Practices

  1. Start with Defaults: Begin with the default configuration and modify as needed
  2. Version Control: Keep your configuration in version control for backup
  3. Environment-Specific: Use different configurations for different environments
  4. Security: Never commit sensitive information (like passwords) to version control

Troubleshooting

Common Configuration Issues

  1. Invalid URL 

    Error: Invalid URL: [url]
    Solution: Check if the URL is properly formatted and supported

  2. Permission Issues 

    Error: Cannot write to output directory
    Solution: Check directory permissions

  3. Download Failures 

    Error: Download failed
    Solution: Check network connection and try with --proxy if behind firewall

  4. Processing Errors 

    Error: Processing failed
    Solution: Verify ffmpeg installation and processing options

Next Steps