Why is Python used on YouTube?

Introduction

Before Google acquired Youtube, most of it was built using PHP. However, PHP at that time had a lot of restrictions for cross-platform applications, and generated a lot of clutter.

 After Google’s intervention, Youtube underwent an overhaul, with a major change in interface and security. In this article, we will go through the portions of Youtube where Python is used as the primary language.

Reasons why Python is Used

• Reducing clutter

• Implementing newer features

• Frontend and API deployment

• Increased security

• Data visualization and analysis

• Easier maintenance

Reason 1: Reducing Clutter

As Youtube was first established as a video sharing service, initially PHP could handle the user traffic and backend components. However with time, many new features have been added to the platform,like live streaming, Youtube gaming and others, which PHP cannot handle. 

While rewriting the code, Python was chosen as the preferred language in major areas (although currently they are underway on migrating the entire platform to Go, Google’s very own programming language). One of the major reasons was that Python reduced the on-screen clutter in the UI, and streamlined the representation of videos on the homepage. This was essential in handling user traffic and providing a smoother user experience to viewers and creators alike.

Reason 2: Implementing Newer Features

With the passage of time, Youtube as a website and a platform has grown tremendously in terms of popularity and users. According to statistics, as of 2023, Youtube has over 2.6 billion active users worldwide, with Youtube premium having roughly around 80 million users. To hold on to existing customer base and increase viewer and creator count, implementing and scaling newer features is a must, and Python is one of the best ways to do so. Python being an universal language with a very clean and concise syntax, many scripts can be written very efficiently, which can also work alongside other functions written in different languages like Java and C++. Also, Python has libraries for different use cases and applications, which can help to write short and efficient code for implementing newer features.

Reason 3: Frontend and API Deployment

Youtube uses Python for one of the most important applications, which is “serving the front-end”, which refers to the servers which serve the frontend and API’s. This is one of the most important tasks for frontend and backend integration, as API’s help to feed the data received from the backend server to the frontend UI and ultimately the user. Although Python is not the most efficient language for this as it is unable to run multiple threads. 

Thus it required more processes to efficiently use the server’s resources. However, Google has decided to perform a tradeoff with slower response time with paying for putting up more servers which ultimately make the platform responsive enough. Also, most of the frontend files are static, and most of the use cases of the API involves talking to other services, thus it is easier to maintain this than rewriting code for the entire platform.

Reason 4: Increased Security

With an increasing number of security attacks on the internet everyday costing companies millions of dollars worth of finances and reputation, ensuring web security is essential for each and every web app that is built and available today. Youtube being a user-focussed platform on such a large scale, it is very necessary to ensure secure data handling, and it was one of the largest motivations for switching from PHP to Python. Python has several libraries and security features which make creating complex applications with high-end functionality much easier for developers. For example, Python supports Django which comes with security features to protect user datagrams and sensitive information, which can be used to make Youtube’s security more robust.

Reason 5: Data Visualization and Analysis

Representing data and analyzing it is very important for user-centric platforms like Youtube, where actions can be taken on the basis of user statistics. Python is undoubtedly one of the best languages for data visualization and analysis, with libraries like Matplotlib, Pandas and Numpy. 

These libraries play a huge role behind Youtube continuing to choose Python as one of their core languages for the platform, as data received through Python can be very easily integrated to scripts written in Matplotlib or Numpy for visual representation and analysis. This helps the users as well as the developers to understand the platform better, and helps in overall growth of Youtube.

Reason 6: Easier Maintenance

Maintenance of product code is an important aspect for global platforms like Google, Youtube etc. Removal of bugs, carrying out scheduled tasks like garbage cleaning etc, and regular maintenance of code is very important for a smooth and hassle-free experience. 

Python can carry out scheduled garbage cleaning of the huge caches placed in front of the servers for the front end and APIs, although it results in a temporary outage of the server and hence cannot be performed for all servers at once. Also, Python features very smooth debuggers such as Python Debugger(PDB) and Pycharm which can be extremely useful for spotting and correcting new bugs and errors before deploying code.

Conclusion

Python being one of the most popular programming languages of the world, is used extensively in Youtube for different benefits and purposes which have been outlined above. Apart from these, Youtube also uses Python for viewing and administering videos, although detailed explanation of such methods is beyond the scope of this article. Hope you learnt a lot about how Python shapes one of the most popular platforms of modern internet out there.