Cobalt: A Media Downloader That Doesn't Download Media
"Open-source media downloader with a sharp UI and a principled no-tracking stance, undermined by a centralized proxy model that YouTube has effectively neutered. The main use case is broken on the main instance. The design is honest about what it is. The architecture is honest about what it can't be."
open-sourcesveltearchitectureperformanceuxprivacy
key issues identified
- •YouTube downloading broken on the main instance since mid-2025 — the most popular use case
- •90% failure rate reported on mobile devices
- •Centralized proxy model fundamentally vulnerable to platform anti-scraping
- •Clone site proliferation with no official way to verify safe instances
- •No batch or playlist downloading — one link at a time
- •Quality degradation: sometimes downloads 720p when 4K was requested
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