YouTube channel and playlist ID prefixes

Question

I've noticed normal channel IDs have "UC" at the start while automatically generated ones have "HC". Normal playlists have "PL" but special ones, like uploaded or favourite videos, have "UU" and "FL", which however doesn't apply to autogenerated channels, they have "LP". That's what I've found so far. Is there any list of all these prefixes with their meaning?

Edit: Playlists based on a specific video begin with "RD"+the video ID.

Decurion

Answer 1

If anyone is interested in this in 2024, the prefixes for automatic playlists of uploads are:

• UU - all public uploads (videos + shorts + live streams)
• UULF - all public videos
• UUMO - all member videos (alternative UUMF)
• UULV - all live streams
• UUSH - all shorts
• UULP - popular videos
• UUPV - popular live streams
• UUPS - popular shorts
• UUMV - member live streams
• UUMS - member shorts

Hint

Answer 2

There is not a guideline and they may always change. I strongly suggest not to depend on them but the pure API methods.

Dagmar

I don't depend on them. I am just curious. – Decurion

I noticed that the report CSV that one can download in a YouTube-CMS account lists the channelIds without the UC prefix. How do I work with that CSV Report without depending on the UC prefix? – Irons

@Irons Just add it? – Decurion

@IllidanS4: If I add it, then I clearly depend on UC being correct. – Irons

@Irons YouTube would break quite a lot if they changed it. I think you are safe to depend on it, as it has been the same for quite a lot of time. – Decurion