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1. What is a youtube frame?
A youtube frame is a black rectangle presented on a webpage with "YouTube" name and > button & red timeline bar. Below is a youtube frame example. In fact, every of this thing embedded in many websites are full with JS and trackers, often with ads. I give you examples below from FossLinux latest article about Deepin V20.
Then, what is invidious frame? An invidious frame looks similar but different to youtube's as there is no red color and no YouTube name.
2. What are JS, ads, & trackers?
A JavaScript (JS) is simply a software running within your web browser. In fact, thanks to Youtube-dl and Indivious, it's proved that actually we do not need JS to watch videos from YouTube server.
Ads are advertisements that often appears on a YouTube frame before the video starts. If you disable JS you disable ads.
Trackers are system from YouTube to record everything about you, for example, your Google account, IP address, clicks, and activities. If trackers were blocked, your activities can not be recorded by YouTube. If you disable JS you disable these.
These are privacy discussion if you wonder what. If you want to know more, I recommend you to read MyShadow.org.
3. What are Invidious & Invidition?
I do not go to YouTube.com like most people, but I go to Invidio.us instead. I can watch all videos here without JS, ads, and trackers. In short, Invidious is a website that acts as an intermediate between us and YouTube. The big bonus is I also can download every video in multiple formats thanks to the download button below every video.
(This is YouTube channel of the famous OMG! Ubuntu site viewed on Invidious)
More features:
- Every URL is same except youtube.com changed into invidio.us
- Resolution switcher is available
- Subtitle feature [CC] is also available
- Share feature, including embed code, is also available
Invidition is just a browser addon, but the awesome thing is, it automatically turns every YouTube frame into Invidious frame in all websites. Invidition is not the only one as there are several alternatives you could choose instead. Here, I choose Invidition because of the name resembles Invidious.
Browsing without worry
For example, while I browse GNOME Conference videos center, there are a lot of videos there, I just click video links without worrying because all YouTube links are automatically converted to Indivious links. This automation is thanks to Invidition.
(Don't worry, clicking links above will leap your browser to Invidious instead of YouTube)
Same thing if you browse Twitter, Facebook, or other websites, every YouTube links and frames are automatically converted to Invidious.
They are free software
Invidious is a web-based software created by omarroth and licensed under free license GNU GPL.
Invidition is a free software browser add-on by Booteile in Public Domain.
This is my experience I shared with you. I hope you also have nice experience with it. What is your opinion? Let me know from comment section below.
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.