A comprehensive research document analyzing RedTube’s video infrastructure, embed patterns, stream formats, and optimal download strategies using modern tools
Authors: SERP Apps
Date: September 2024
Version: 1.0
This research document provides a comprehensive analysis of RedTube’s video streaming infrastructure, including embed URL patterns, content delivery networks (CDNs), stream formats, and optimal download methodologies. We examine the technical architecture behind RedTube’s video delivery system and provide practical implementation guidance using industry-standard tools like yt-dlp, ffmpeg, and alternative solutions for reliable video extraction and download.
RedTube is one of the leading adult video platforms, utilizing modern content delivery mechanisms to ensure optimal video streaming across various platforms and devices. This research examines the technical infrastructure behind RedTube’s video delivery system, with particular focus on developing robust download strategies for various use cases including archival, offline viewing, and content preservation.
This document covers:
Our research methodology includes:
Important Notice: This research is conducted for legitimate archival and educational purposes. Users must:
RedTube utilizes a distributed CDN strategy with the following characteristics:
Primary Domain Structure:
redtube.com with international variantswi-ph.rdtcdn.comembed.redtube.comit.redtube.com, redtube.com.brCDN Characteristics:
RedTube’s video processing follows this pipeline:
https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}
https://redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}
http://redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}
https://embed.redtube.com/?id={VIDEO_ID}
http://embed.redtube.com/?bgcolor=000000&id={VIDEO_ID}
https://embed.redtube.com/?bgcolor={COLOR}&id={VIDEO_ID}
http://it.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID} # Italian
https://www.redtube.com.br/{VIDEO_ID} # Brazilian Portuguese
https://{COUNTRY}.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID} # Other country variants
# RedTube uses numeric video IDs
/redtube\.com(?:\.br)?/(?P<id>[0-9]+)
/embed\.redtube\.com/\?.*?\bid=(?P<id>[0-9]+)
https?://(?:(?:\w+\.)?redtube\.com(?:\.br)?/|embed\.redtube\.com/\?.*?\bid=)(?P<id>[0-9]+)
Using grep for URL pattern extraction:
# Extract RedTube video IDs from HTML files
grep -oE "https?://(?:[^/]*\.)?redtube\.com(?:\.br)?/([0-9]+)" input.html
# Extract from embed URLs
grep -oE "embed\.redtube\.com/\?.*?id=([0-9]+)" input.html
# Extract video IDs only
grep -oE "redtube\.com(?:\.br)?/([0-9]+)" input.html | grep -oE "[0-9]+"
# Find all RedTube URLs in a directory
find . -name "*.html" -exec grep -oE "redtube\.com[^\"']*" {} +
Using yt-dlp for detection and metadata extraction:
# Test if URL contains downloadable video
yt-dlp --dump-json "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" | jq '.id'
# Extract all video information
yt-dlp --dump-json "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" > video_info.json
# Check if video is accessible
yt-dlp --list-formats "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Extract title and basic info
yt-dlp --get-title --get-duration "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
Browser inspection commands:
# Using curl to inspect video pages (with appropriate headers)
curl -s -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Research-Bot)" \
"https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" | grep -oE "videoId.*[0-9]+"
# Inspect page headers
curl -I "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Check embed page structure
curl -s "https://embed.redtube.com/?id={VIDEO_ID}" | grep -E "(video|source|mp4)"
Based on yt-dlp extractor analysis, RedTube uses dynamic URL generation:
# URLs are generated dynamically through JSON API calls
# Base pattern: https://www.redtube.com + videoUrl from API response
https://www.redtube.com/{DYNAMIC_PATH}/video.mp4
# HLS manifests are provided through API responses
# Format: {base_url}/{path}/playlist.m3u8
{CDN_BASE_URL}/{VIDEO_PATH}/playlist.m3u8
https://wi-ph.rdtcdn.com/videos/{PATH}/{THUMBNAIL}.jpg
RedTube appears to use a hybrid approach:
# Primary domain serving
https://www.redtube.com/{DYNAMIC_PATHS}
# Thumbnail CDN
https://wi-ph.rdtcdn.com/videos/{VIDEO_PATHS}
# Embed domain
https://embed.redtube.com/
Command sequence for testing CDN availability:
# Test main domain accessibility
curl -I "https://www.redtube.com/"
# Test thumbnail CDN
curl -I "https://wi-ph.rdtcdn.com/"
# Test embed domain
curl -I "https://embed.redtube.com/"
# Check CDN response headers
curl -I "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" | grep -E "(Server|CDN|Cache)"
# Download best quality MP4
yt-dlp "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download specific quality
yt-dlp -f "best[height<=720]" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download with custom filename
yt-dlp -o "%(uploader)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download with ID in filename
yt-dlp -o "redtube_%(id)s_%(title)s.%(ext)s" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# List available formats
yt-dlp -F "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download specific format by ID
yt-dlp -f 22 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Best video + best audio (if separate)
yt-dlp -f "bv+ba/best" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Prefer MP4 format
yt-dlp -f "best[ext=mp4]" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download with metadata
yt-dlp --write-info-json "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download thumbnail
yt-dlp --write-thumbnail "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Rate limiting for respectful access
yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Add custom headers
yt-dlp --add-header "Referer:https://www.redtube.com/" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Use specific user agent
yt-dlp --user-agent "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Video-Archiver)" "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Download from embed URL
yt-dlp "https://embed.redtube.com/?id={VIDEO_ID}"
# Embed with custom parameters
yt-dlp "https://embed.redtube.com/?bgcolor=000000&id={VIDEO_ID}"
# Extract and download from embed
yt-dlp --no-warnings "https://embed.redtube.com/?id={VIDEO_ID}"
# Italian domain
yt-dlp "http://it.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Brazilian domain
yt-dlp "https://www.redtube.com.br/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Generic international pattern
yt-dlp "https://{COUNTRY}.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# From file list
yt-dlp -a redtube_urls.txt
# With archive tracking to avoid re-downloads
yt-dlp --download-archive downloaded.txt -a redtube_urls.txt
# Parallel downloads (use carefully)
yt-dlp --max-downloads 2 -a redtube_urls.txt
# Download all in 720p max
yt-dlp -f "best[height<=720]" -a redtube_urls.txt
# Download best available under specific file size
yt-dlp -f "best[filesize<200M]" -a redtube_urls.txt
# Skip files that are too large
yt-dlp -f "best[filesize<500M]" --ignore-errors -a redtube_urls.txt
# Retry on failure
yt-dlp --retries 3 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Ignore errors and continue
yt-dlp --ignore-errors -a redtube_urls.txt
# Skip unavailable videos
yt-dlp --no-warnings --ignore-errors -a redtube_urls.txt
# Continue partial downloads
yt-dlp --continue "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Fragment retries for HLS
yt-dlp --fragment-retries 5 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# yt-dlp typically handles age verification automatically
# If needed, explicit handling:
yt-dlp --age-limit 18 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Use proxy if geographically restricted
yt-dlp --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:9050 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Use specific proxy
yt-dlp --proxy http://proxy.example.com:8080 "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Analyze video details (after download)
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format -show_streams "redtube_video.mp4"
# Get duration
ffprobe -v quiet -show_entries format=duration -of csv="p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Check codec information
ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name,width,height -of csv="s=x:p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Audio stream analysis
ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams a:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name,sample_rate,channels -of csv="s=x:p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Analyze HLS manifest (if direct URL available)
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format "playlist.m3u8"
# Download and analyze HLS stream
ffmpeg -i "playlist.m3u8" -f null - 2>&1 | grep "Video\|Audio"
# Convert to different format
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -c:v libx264 -c:a aac "output.mp4"
# Convert to WebM
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -c:v libvpx-vp9 -c:a libopus "output.webm"
# Convert to audio-only
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -vn -c:a aac "audio_only.aac"
# Re-encode for smaller file size
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -b:a 128k "compressed.mp4"
# Fast encode with hardware acceleration (if available)
ffmpeg -hwaccel auto -i "redtube_video.mp4" -c:v h264_nvenc -preset fast "output_fast.mp4"
# Optimize for web streaming
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -c:v libx264 -movflags +faststart "web_optimized.mp4"
#!/bin/bash
# Batch process RedTube videos
process_redtube_videos() {
local input_dir="$1"
local output_dir="$2"
mkdir -p "$output_dir"
for file in "$input_dir"/*.mp4; do
if [[ -f "$file" ]]; then
filename=$(basename "$file" .mp4)
echo "Processing: $filename"
# Re-encode with optimal settings
ffmpeg -i "$file" \
-c:v libx264 -crf 20 \
-c:a aac -b:a 128k \
-movflags +faststart \
"$output_dir/${filename}_optimized.mp4"
fi
done
}
# Usage: process_redtube_videos "./downloads" "./processed"
# Extract thumbnail at specific time
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -ss 00:02:00 -vframes 1 -q:v 2 "thumbnail.jpg"
# Extract multiple thumbnails
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -vf "fps=1/60" "thumbnail_%03d.jpg"
# Create video preview
ffmpeg -i "redtube_video.mp4" -vf "scale=320:240,fps=1/10" -t 30 "preview_%03d.jpg"
# Check video bitrate
ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=bit_rate -of csv="p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Check resolution
ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=width,height -of csv="s=x:p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Check frame rate
ffprobe -v quiet -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=r_frame_rate -of csv="p=0" "redtube_video.mp4"
# Basic integrity check
ffmpeg -v error -i "redtube_video.mp4" -f null - 2>&1 | head
# Detailed analysis for corruption
ffmpeg -v error -i "redtube_video.mp4" -map 0:v:0 -f null - 2>&1 | grep -E "(error|corrupt)"
# Generate checksums for verification
md5sum "redtube_video.mp4" > "redtube_video.mp4.md5"
sha256sum "redtube_video.mp4" > "redtube_video.mp4.sha256"
Gallery-dl can serve as an alternative for batch processing and archival purposes.
# Install gallery-dl
pip install gallery-dl
# Download RedTube video (if supported)
gallery-dl "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Custom configuration for RedTube
gallery-dl --config gallery-dl.conf "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}"
{
"extractor": {
"redtube": {
"filename": "{category} - {title}.{extension}",
"directory": ["redtube", "{uploader}"],
"quality": "best",
"age-limit": 18
}
}
}
Streamlink can handle streaming content and some on-demand videos.
# Install streamlink
pip install streamlink
# Attempt to download (may require specific support)
streamlink "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" best -o output.mp4
# Specify quality
streamlink "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" 720p -o output_720p.mp4
# List available qualities
streamlink "https://www.redtube.com/{VIDEO_ID}" --json
# Monitor network traffic during video playback
# 1. Open browser developer tools (F12)
# 2. Go to Network tab
# 3. Filter by "mp4" or "m3u8"
# 4. Play the RedTube video
# 5. Copy URLs from network requests
# Extract video URLs from HAR exports
grep -oE "https://[^\"]*\.(mp4|m3u8)" network_export.har
# Using curl to download extracted URLs
curl -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0" -H "Referer: https://www.redtube.com/" -o video.mp4 "{EXTRACTED_URL}"
// Example Puppeteer script for URL extraction
const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');
async function extractRedTubeVideo(videoUrl) {
const browser = await puppeteer.launch();
const page = await browser.newPage();
// Monitor network requests
const videoUrls = [];
page.on('response', response => {
const url = response.url();
if (url.includes('.mp4') || url.includes('.m3u8')) {
videoUrls.push(url);
}
});
await page.goto(videoUrl);
await page.waitForSelector('video');
await browser.close();
return videoUrls;
}
# Download with appropriate headers to mimic browser
wget --header="User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Video-Archiver)" \
--header="Referer: https://www.redtube.com/" \
-O "redtube_video.mp4" \
"{DIRECT_VIDEO_URL}"
# Using cURL with full headers
curl -H "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36" \
-H "Referer: https://www.redtube.com/" \
-H "Accept: video/mp4,video/*;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8" \
-o "redtube_video.mp4" \
"{DIRECT_VIDEO_URL}"
#!/bin/bash
# Batch download with multiple method fallback
download_redtube_video() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local video_id=$(echo "$video_url" | grep -oE "[0-9]+")
echo "Attempting download of: $video_url"
# Method 1: yt-dlp (primary)
if yt-dlp --ignore-errors -o "$output_dir/redtube_%(id)s_%(title)s.%(ext)s" "$video_url"; then
echo "✓ Success with yt-dlp"
return 0
fi
# Method 2: gallery-dl (if supported)
if gallery-dl -d "$output_dir" "$video_url" 2>/dev/null; then
echo "✓ Success with gallery-dl"
return 0
fi
# Method 3: streamlink (if supported)
if streamlink "$video_url" best -o "$output_dir/redtube_$video_id.mp4" 2>/dev/null; then
echo "✓ Success with streamlink"
return 0
fi
echo "✗ All methods failed for: $video_url"
return 1
}
# Android ADB method (requires rooted device or debugging)
# Monitor network traffic from RedTube mobile app
adb shell "cat /proc/net/tcp | grep :443"
# Capture network packets (requires tcpdump on device)
adb shell "tcpdump -i any -w /sdcard/redtube_traffic.pcap"
# Some platforms offer API access
# Check for public APIs or developer tools
curl -H "Accept: application/json" "https://api.example.com/videos/{VIDEO_ID}"
# Note: RedTube may not have public APIs, this is for reference
#!/bin/bash
# Primary download strategy for RedTube
download_redtube_video() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local max_retries=3
echo "Downloading RedTube video: $video_url"
# Method 1: yt-dlp with rate limiting (primary)
if yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M \
--retries $max_retries \
--ignore-errors \
-o "$output_dir/%(uploader)s - %(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"; then
echo "✓ Success with yt-dlp"
return 0
fi
# Method 2: yt-dlp with embed URL fallback
local video_id=$(echo "$video_url" | grep -oE "[0-9]+" | head -1)
if [ -n "$video_id" ]; then
local embed_url="https://embed.redtube.com/?id=$video_id"
if yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M \
--retries $max_retries \
-o "$output_dir/redtube_${video_id}.%(ext)s" \
"$embed_url"; then
echo "✓ Success with embed URL"
return 0
fi
fi
# Method 3: Alternative tools
if command -v gallery-dl &> /dev/null; then
if gallery-dl -d "$output_dir" "$video_url" 2>/dev/null; then
echo "✓ Success with gallery-dl"
return 0
fi
fi
echo "✗ All methods failed for: $video_url"
return 1
}
# Quality selection with fallback options
select_quality_redtube() {
local video_url="$1"
local preferred_quality="${2:-720}"
local max_size_mb="${3:-500}"
echo "Checking available formats for: $video_url"
yt-dlp -F "$video_url"
echo "Downloading with quality preference: ${preferred_quality}p, max size: ${max_size_mb}MB"
# Try preferred quality first, then fallbacks
yt-dlp -f "best[height<=$preferred_quality][filesize<${max_size_mb}M]/best[height<=$preferred_quality]/best[filesize<${max_size_mb}M]/best" \
--limit-rate 1M \
"$video_url"
}
# Respectful download with delays
respectful_download() {
local url_file="$1"
local delay_seconds="${2:-5}"
local rate_limit="${3:-500K}"
echo "Starting respectful batch download..."
echo "Rate limit: $rate_limit, Delay: ${delay_seconds}s between downloads"
while IFS= read -r url; do
echo "Downloading: $url"
yt-dlp --limit-rate "$rate_limit" "$url"
echo "Waiting ${delay_seconds} seconds..."
sleep "$delay_seconds"
done < "$url_file"
}
# Monitor and adjust download behavior
adaptive_rate_limiting() {
local url="$1"
local base_rate="1M"
echo "Starting adaptive download for: $url"
# Try normal rate first
if yt-dlp --limit-rate "$base_rate" "$url"; then
echo "✓ Download successful at normal rate"
return 0
else
echo "Rate limited or failed, retrying with reduced speed..."
sleep 30
# Retry with reduced rate
if yt-dlp --limit-rate "500K" --retries 3 "$url"; then
echo "✓ Download successful at reduced rate"
return 0
else
echo "✗ Download failed even with rate limiting"
return 1
fi
fi
}
# Robust error handling
robust_download() {
local url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local max_attempts=3
local backoff_base=2
for attempt in $(seq 1 $max_attempts); do
echo "Attempt $attempt of $max_attempts for: $url"
if yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M \
--retries 2 \
--fragment-retries 3 \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$url"; then
echo "✓ Download successful on attempt $attempt"
return 0
fi
if [ $attempt -lt $max_attempts ]; then
local delay=$((backoff_base ** attempt))
echo "Attempt $attempt failed, waiting ${delay}s before retry..."
sleep $delay
fi
done
echo "✗ All attempts failed for: $url"
return 1
}
# Controlled parallel downloads
parallel_download_controlled() {
local url_file="$1"
local max_jobs="${2:-2}" # Conservative for adult content sites
local output_dir="${3:-./downloads}"
echo "Starting controlled parallel download (max $max_jobs concurrent)"
# Using GNU parallel with rate limiting
parallel -j $max_jobs --delay 3 \
yt-dlp --limit-rate 500K -o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" {} \
:::: "$url_file"
}
# Alternative using xargs with job control
parallel_download_xargs() {
local url_file="$1"
local max_jobs="${2:-2}"
local output_dir="${3:-./downloads}"
cat "$url_file" | xargs -P $max_jobs -I {} \
bash -c 'yt-dlp --limit-rate 500K -o "'$output_dir'/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "$1" && sleep 2' _ {}
}
# Comprehensive logging system
setup_logging() {
local log_dir="./logs"
mkdir -p "$log_dir"
local date_stamp=$(date +"%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
export DOWNLOAD_LOG="$log_dir/redtube_downloads_$date_stamp.log"
export ERROR_LOG="$log_dir/redtube_errors_$date_stamp.log"
export SUCCESS_LOG="$log_dir/redtube_success_$date_stamp.log"
}
# Enhanced download with logging
download_with_logging() {
local url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local timestamp=$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
local video_id=$(echo "$url" | grep -oE "[0-9]+" | head -1)
echo "[$timestamp] START: Video ID $video_id | URL: $url" >> "$DOWNLOAD_LOG"
if yt-dlp --limit-rate 1M -o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "$url" 2>>"$ERROR_LOG"; then
echo "[$timestamp] SUCCESS: Video ID $video_id" >> "$SUCCESS_LOG"
echo "✓ Downloaded: $video_id"
return 0
else
echo "[$timestamp] FAILED: Video ID $video_id | URL: $url" >> "$ERROR_LOG"
echo "✗ Failed: $video_id"
return 1
fi
}
# Verify downloaded files
verify_downloads() {
local download_dir="$1"
local report_file="${2:-verification_report.txt}"
echo "Verifying downloads in: $download_dir" | tee "$report_file"
echo "============================================" | tee -a "$report_file"
local total_files=0
local valid_files=0
local corrupted_files=0
for file in "$download_dir"/*.mp4; do
if [[ -f "$file" ]]; then
((total_files++))
echo "Checking: $(basename "$file")"
# Basic integrity check with ffprobe
if ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name -of csv=p=0 "$file" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
((valid_files++))
echo "✓ Valid: $(basename "$file")" | tee -a "$report_file"
else
((corrupted_files++))
echo "✗ Corrupted: $(basename "$file")" | tee -a "$report_file"
fi
fi
done
echo "" | tee -a "$report_file"
echo "Summary:" | tee -a "$report_file"
echo "Total files: $total_files" | tee -a "$report_file"
echo "Valid files: $valid_files" | tee -a "$report_file"
echo "Corrupted files: $corrupted_files" | tee -a "$report_file"
echo "Success rate: $(( valid_files * 100 / total_files ))%" | tee -a "$report_file"
}
# Collect comprehensive metadata
collect_metadata() {
local video_url="$1"
local metadata_dir="${2:-./metadata}"
mkdir -p "$metadata_dir"
local video_id=$(echo "$video_url" | grep -oE "[0-9]+" | head -1)
local metadata_file="$metadata_dir/redtube_${video_id}_metadata.json"
echo "Collecting metadata for video: $video_id"
# Download comprehensive metadata
yt-dlp --dump-json "$video_url" > "$metadata_file"
# Extract key information
if [[ -f "$metadata_file" ]]; then
echo "Metadata collected for video $video_id:"
jq -r '.title, .duration, .view_count, .upload_date' "$metadata_file" 2>/dev/null || echo "Basic JSON parsing failed"
fi
}
# Test geographic accessibility
test_geographic_access() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Testing geographic access for: $video_url"
# Test direct access
if curl -I --max-time 10 "$video_url" 2>/dev/null | grep -q "200\|302"; then
echo "✓ Direct access available"
return 0
fi
# Test with different user agents
local user_agents=(
"Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36"
"Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36"
"Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36"
)
for ua in "${user_agents[@]}"; do
if curl -I --max-time 10 -H "User-Agent: $ua" "$video_url" 2>/dev/null | grep -q "200\|302"; then
echo "✓ Access available with User-Agent: $ua"
return 0
fi
done
echo "✗ Access restricted or video unavailable"
return 1
}
# Download with proxy support
download_with_proxy() {
local video_url="$1"
local proxy_url="${2:-socks5://127.0.0.1:9050}" # Default Tor proxy
local output_dir="${3:-./downloads}"
echo "Attempting download via proxy: $proxy_url"
yt-dlp --proxy "$proxy_url" \
--limit-rate 500K \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"
}
# Handle age-restricted content
handle_age_verification() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Attempting download of age-restricted content..."
# yt-dlp typically handles this automatically, but explicit handling:
yt-dlp --age-limit 18 \
--cookies-from-browser firefox \
"$video_url"
}
# Check content warnings and restrictions
check_content_restrictions() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Checking content restrictions for: $video_url"
# Get page headers to check for restrictions
local headers=$(curl -I --max-time 10 "$video_url" 2>/dev/null)
if echo "$headers" | grep -qi "age"; then
echo "⚠ Age verification may be required"
fi
if echo "$headers" | grep -qi "geo"; then
echo "⚠ Geographic restrictions may apply"
fi
if echo "$headers" | grep -qi "403\|blocked"; then
echo "⚠ Access blocked"
return 1
fi
echo "✓ No obvious restrictions detected"
return 0
}
# Detect and handle rate limiting
detect_rate_limiting() {
local video_url="$1"
local test_duration=10
echo "Testing for rate limiting on: $video_url"
# Quick test download
local start_time=$(date +%s)
timeout $test_duration yt-dlp --limit-rate 100K "$video_url" >/dev/null 2>&1
local exit_code=$?
local end_time=$(date +%s)
local duration=$((end_time - start_time))
if [ $exit_code -eq 124 ]; then # timeout exit code
echo "✓ Download proceeding normally"
return 0
elif [ $duration -lt 5 ]; then
echo "⚠ Download failed quickly, possible rate limiting"
return 1
else
echo "✓ No obvious rate limiting detected"
return 0
fi
}
# Adaptive download strategy for rate limiting
adaptive_download_strategy() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
# Start with conservative settings
local rates=("200K" "500K" "1M")
local delays=(10 5 2)
for i in "${!rates[@]}"; do
local rate="${rates[$i]}"
local delay="${delays[$i]}"
echo "Trying download with rate: $rate, delay: ${delay}s"
if yt-dlp --limit-rate "$rate" \
--sleep-interval $delay \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"; then
echo "✓ Success with rate: $rate"
return 0
fi
echo "Failed with rate: $rate, trying next..."
sleep $((delay * 2))
done
echo "✗ All rate limiting strategies failed"
return 1
}
# Diagnose HLS streaming issues
diagnose_hls_issues() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Diagnosing HLS issues for: $video_url"
# Get video information
local video_info=$(yt-dlp --dump-json "$video_url" 2>/dev/null)
if echo "$video_info" | jq -e '.formats[] | select(.protocol=="m3u8")' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
echo "✓ HLS streams detected"
# Try to download HLS specifically
if yt-dlp -f "best[protocol=m3u8]/best" \
--hls-prefer-native \
"$video_url"; then
echo "✓ HLS download successful"
else
echo "✗ HLS download failed, trying alternative"
yt-dlp -f "best[protocol!=m3u8]" "$video_url"
fi
else
echo "ℹ No HLS streams found, using available formats"
yt-dlp "$video_url"
fi
}
# Handle fragmented downloads
handle_fragmented_downloads() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Downloading with fragment retry handling..."
yt-dlp --fragment-retries 10 \
--retry-sleep 5 \
--keep-fragments \
"$video_url"
}
# Diagnose quality issues
diagnose_quality_issues() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Analyzing available qualities for: $video_url"
# List all formats with details
yt-dlp -F "$video_url" | tee quality_analysis.txt
# Check for common quality issues
if ! grep -q "mp4" quality_analysis.txt; then
echo "⚠ No MP4 formats available"
fi
if ! grep -q "720" quality_analysis.txt; then
echo "⚠ No 720p quality available"
fi
# Suggest best format
local best_format=$(yt-dlp --get-format "$video_url" 2>/dev/null)
echo "Recommended format: $best_format"
rm -f quality_analysis.txt
}
# Download with quality fallback
download_with_quality_fallback() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local quality_preferences=(
"best[height<=1080][ext=mp4]"
"best[height<=720][ext=mp4]"
"best[height<=480][ext=mp4]"
"best[ext=mp4]"
"best"
)
for format in "${quality_preferences[@]}"; do
echo "Trying format: $format"
if yt-dlp -f "$format" \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"; then
echo "✓ Success with format: $format"
return 0
fi
done
echo "✗ All quality preferences failed"
return 1
}
# Diagnose slow download performance
diagnose_slow_downloads() {
local video_url="$1"
echo "Diagnosing download performance for: $video_url"
# Test connection speed to domain
local domain=$(echo "$video_url" | sed -E 's|https?://([^/]+).*|\1|')
echo "Testing connection to: $domain"
# Simple speed test using curl
local speed_test_url="https://$domain/"
local download_speed=$(curl -w "%{speed_download}" -o /dev/null -s "$speed_test_url" 2>/dev/null)
echo "Estimated download speed: $download_speed bytes/sec"
# Convert to human readable
local speed_mbps=$(echo "scale=2; $download_speed / 1024 / 1024" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
echo "Speed: ${speed_mbps} MB/s"
if (( $(echo "$download_speed < 100000" | bc -l 2>/dev/null || echo 0) )); then
echo "⚠ Slow connection detected, recommend using rate limiting"
return 1
else
echo "✓ Connection speed appears adequate"
return 0
fi
}
# Optimize for slow connections
optimize_for_slow_connection() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
echo "Optimizing download for slow connection..."
# Use conservative settings
yt-dlp --limit-rate 200K \
--retries 5 \
--fragment-retries 10 \
--retry-sleep linear=1:5:1 \
--keep-fragments \
-f "best[filesize<100M]/best[height<=480]/worst" \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"
}
# Handle unstable connections
handle_unstable_connection() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_dir="${2:-./downloads}"
local max_attempts=5
for attempt in $(seq 1 $max_attempts); do
echo "Attempt $attempt/$max_attempts with connection stability handling"
if yt-dlp --continue \
--retries 10 \
--fragment-retries 20 \
--retry-sleep exp=1:60:2 \
--limit-rate 500K \
-o "$output_dir/%(title)s.%(ext)s" \
"$video_url"; then
echo "✓ Download completed successfully"
return 0
fi
echo "Attempt $attempt failed, waiting before retry..."
sleep $((attempt * 10))
done
echo "✗ All attempts failed due to connection issues"
return 1
}
# Monitor download progress
monitor_download_progress() {
local video_url="$1"
local output_file="$2"
# Start download in background with progress output
yt-dlp --newline \
--progress-template "%(progress._percent_str)s %(progress._speed_str)s ETA %(progress._eta_str)s" \
-o "$output_file" \
"$video_url" &
local download_pid=$!
# Monitor file size growth
while kill -0 $download_pid 2>/dev/null; do
if [ -f "$output_file" ]; then
local size=$(du -h "$output_file" 2>/dev/null | cut -f1 || echo "0")
echo -ne "\rCurrent file size: $size"
fi
sleep 5
done
echo ""
wait $download_pid
return $?
}
This research has provided a comprehensive analysis of RedTube’s video delivery infrastructure, revealing a platform that utilizes modern streaming technologies with appropriate security measures for adult content. Our analysis identified consistent URL patterns based on numeric video IDs and support for both direct MP4 downloads and HLS adaptive streaming.
Key Technical Findings:
Based on our research, we recommend a respectful and responsible download strategy that prioritizes ethical use and platform sustainability:
Essential Tools:
Recommended Backup Tools:
Infrastructure Considerations:
Our testing indicates optimal performance with:
Critical Compliance Requirements:
Security Best Practices:
Scalability Recommendations:
Areas for Continued Research:
Given the dynamic nature of online platforms, this research should be updated regularly:
Resources for Implementation:
For developers implementing RedTube video downloading capabilities:
The methodologies and tools documented in this research provide a solid foundation for reliable RedTube video downloading while maintaining respect for platform resources and applicable legal requirements.
Disclaimer: This research is provided for educational and legitimate archival purposes only. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, terms of service, and ethical standards when implementing these techniques. The authors assume no responsibility for misuse of this information.
Research Ethics Statement: This research was conducted using publicly available information and documented APIs. No unauthorized access methods or platform exploitation techniques were used or documented.
Last Updated: September 2024
Research Version: 1.0
Next Review: December 2024