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What? Netflix doesn't have an API!

Netflix API Details
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  • A
    admin
    last edited by admin 26 Feb 2017, 12:20 8 Feb 2017, 18:28

    A few years ago Netflix had a public API which would allow folks to easily pull details of their catalog to help advertise the Netflix Service. Eventually they got so popular that they didn't need the extra advertisement and maintaining the API became more of a hassle than it was worth so they discontinued it.

    Or did they...

    Actually they did abandon the official API, but they still have an API which anyone can access assuming you have a login to Netflix.

    Basically they have a public API which they use internally to run their websites and various other appliances. The cool thing is, by simply inspecting your web traffic with chrome or firefox you can watch this API in action and figure out how to interact with it.

    Over the next few months we will be writing forum posts about how we at uNoGS used this same API to pull data in all 240 countries which Netflix operates in.

    We will also provide working examples of the code we use so that you will be able to pull the same information we provide.

    Stay Tuned!

    -admin

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • ?
      Guest
      last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 11:47

      anyone can access assuming you have a login to Netflix.

      If I understand right, you have only 1 login and use it with a VPN to pretend that you're in another country. Maybe that's why Netflix is targetting you. Because it's impossible you can travel this fast around the world...

      P.S: how did you manage to have an Antartica IP?

      A 1 Reply Last reply 20 Feb 2017, 13:22 Reply Quote 0
      • ?
        Guest
        last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 11:51

        Maybe if several users from around the world allowed you to use their login, you could solve your issues.

        A 1 Reply Last reply 20 Feb 2017, 13:22 Reply Quote 0
        • A
          admin @Guest
          last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 13:22

          Thats not actually how I do it.. There are ways to manipulate the API into thinking you are coming from a different place, but my source address always looks the same.

          As I have said before in other places, Netflix could easily just shut me down by blocking my source IP. For some reason I only trigger their blocks when I achieve a particular volume.

          In order to scrape all 240 countries, I needed to parse about 7 countries at once, which was tripping their systems. Once I dropped my concurrent scrapes down, they have now went back to ignoring me.

          Now I'm just working out how much I can get away with.

          ? 2 Replies Last reply 20 Feb 2017, 17:21 Reply Quote 0
          • A
            admin @Guest
            last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 13:22

            If several users, were using my scrapers from their IP addresses then yes this would work.

            I am currently looking into what it would take to have a distributed system but I haven't decided on anything yet.

            ? 2 Replies Last reply 20 Feb 2017, 17:29 Reply Quote 0
            • ?
              Guest @admin
              last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 17:21

              @admin said in What? Netflix doesn't have an API!:

              There are ways to manipulate the API into thinking you are coming from a different place, but my source address always looks the same.

              Now I understand, thank you.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • ?
                Guest @admin
                last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 17:29

                Instead of asking users to do it, you could just rent a server. There are very cheap web hosting solutions. Personally I got a server for 10 euros with Ubuntu Desktop (I connect with X2Go and use Wine to run Windows programs). The bandwidth is certainly better than what you currently have, so you would have to slow down the scrapping requests.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • ?
                  Guest @admin
                  last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 17:35

                  @admin said in What? Netflix doesn't have an API!:

                  In order to scrape all 240 countries, I needed to parse about 7 countries at once, which was tripping their systems.

                  With a server (or two) you could scrap the remaining countries, even if it's only every 2 days.

                  ? 1 Reply Last reply 20 Feb 2017, 17:39 Reply Quote 0
                  • ?
                    Guest @Guest
                    last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 17:39

                    If you're worried your server will be under-used (of course it'll be), you could scrap Amazon Prime Video too ;-)

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • ?
                      Guest @admin
                      last edited by 20 Feb 2017, 17:46

                      Do you scrap daily all the informations about a movie? There are many parts like the plot or the cast that you could easily scrap only once in a while.

                      A 1 Reply Last reply 23 Feb 2017, 11:48 Reply Quote 0
                      • A
                        admin @Guest
                        last edited by 23 Feb 2017, 11:48

                        I pull only regional information daily about every title so I can validate whether it still exists in a particular country.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • J
                          jetap
                          last edited by 25 Feb 2017, 17:17

                          Just out of curiosity from which API/device are you looking at the payload? Are you using just the web browser (Chrome)? Have you look to see if the NF API from an iOS/Apple TV/Android devices is better?
                          Just curious?

                          A F 2 Replies Last reply 25 Feb 2017, 20:02 Reply Quote 0
                          • A
                            admin @jetap
                            last edited by 25 Feb 2017, 20:02

                            @jetap I'm not sure what you mean by better... but I am looking at it from Chrome.

                            I have used looked at the IOS stream but its much more difficult as I have to actually have to fake the certificate which is a PITA.

                            Chrome is easy b/c I can just inspect it.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • F
                              FrankieD @jetap
                              last edited by FrankieD 26 Feb 2017, 07:55 26 Feb 2017, 07:54

                              @jetap Windows Netflix apps use the old-style, formerly-public API using the GET method. Windows 8.1, for example:
                              hxxps://api-global.netflix.com/win/2.20/get?method=get&PATH=&format=json&progressive=true&languages=en-EN

                              Windows 10 uses a different API version
                              hxxps://api-global.netflix.com/win/uwa/6.10?falcor_server=0.1.0&materialize=true&winx_lang=en-GB&method=get&path=PATH
                              As far as I can gather, any valid authentication cookie is accepted (doesn't have to be from the Windows app).

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • ?
                                Guest
                                last edited by 1 Mar 2017, 12:37

                                @admin said in What? Netflix doesn't have an API!:

                                There are ways to manipulate the API into thinking you are coming from a different place,

                                What's the parameter to add to the API to set the country?
                                For the traffic ban I can suggest to use some proxies: if the main IP fails, you can switch to the proxy for the next hours/days until the ban is off.

                                A 1 Reply Last reply 1 Mar 2017, 15:45 Reply Quote 0
                                • A
                                  admin @Guest
                                  last edited by 1 Mar 2017, 15:45

                                  Stay tuned... all in good time

                                  ? 1 Reply Last reply 14 Jul 2017, 09:40 Reply Quote 0
                                  • ?
                                    Guest @admin
                                    last edited by 14 Jul 2017, 09:40

                                    @admin Any news on this topic?

                                    A 1 Reply Last reply 14 Jul 2017, 09:51 Reply Quote 0
                                    • A
                                      admin @Guest
                                      last edited by 14 Jul 2017, 09:51

                                      We have had some push back from the community regarding how much we are sharing regarding the API. At this time we are not planning on publishing any additional information, but his may change in the future.

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • S
                                        support111
                                        last edited by 29 Mar 2018, 09:25

                                        This post is deleted!
                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • J
                                          jhonsmith1
                                          last edited by 3 May 2018, 10:58

                                          This post is deleted!
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