Tikorgzo 0.5.0
A TikTok video downloader that downloads source quality videos utilizing TikWM API.
Requires Python: >=3.12

# Tikorgzo

**Tikorgzo** is a TikTok video downloader written in Python that downloads videos in the highest available quality (4K, 2K, or 1080p), unlike other video downloaders. To obtain high quality videos, this app uses <b>[TikWM](https://www.tikwm.com/)</b> API and Playwright to obtain downloadable links, saving them to your Downloads folder organized by username. The app supports both Windows and Linux distributions.

Some of the key features include:

- Download TikTok video from command-line just by supplying the ID or video link.
- Supports multiple links to be downloaded.
- Set max number of simultaneous downloads.
- Supports link extraction from a text file.
- Customize the filename of downloaded videos.
- Use custom proxy.
- Config file support.

## Why Tikorgzo?

There are many TikTok video downloaders out there, but most of them usually download videos in 720p or 1080p quality. This is because they usually rely on the download links that is scrapable from the site itself, which is usually not the source video but a compressed version of it. You can use them if quality is not really much your concern. A very good open source example of this is [yt-dlp](https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp).

As a fan of archiving high quality videos, I researched and found that TikWM allows you to download videos in highest quality avaiable. I've been using it to archive videos but it is a bit inconvenient to copy and paste video links one by one to the website, so I decided to make this program to automate the process and make it more convenient for everyone who also face the same issue.

## Installation

### Requirements
- Windows, or any Linux distros
- Python `v3.12` or greater
- Google Chrome
- uv

### Steps
1. Install Python v3.12 or above. For Windows users, ensure `Add Python x.x to PATH` is checked.
2. Install Google Chrome from the official website. For Linux users, you can install Google Chrome with this command:

    ```console
    curl -O https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
    sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
    ```

    Alternatively, you can also use this command:

    ```console
    uvx playwright install chrome
    ```
3. Open your command-line if you haven't already.
4. Install uv through `pip` command or via [Standalone installer](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/#standalone-installer).

    ```console
    pip install uv
    ```

5. Install the latest published stable release into your system.

    ```console
    uv tool install tikorgzo
    ```

    Or if you want to get the latest features without having to wait for official release, choose this one instead:

    ```console
    uv tool install git+https://github.com/Scoofszlo/Tikorgzo
    ```

6. For Windows users, if `warning: C:\Users\$USERNAME\.local\bin is not on your PATH...` appears, add the specified directory to your [user or system PATH](https://www.architectryan.com/2018/03/17/add-to-the-path-on-windows-10/), then reopen your command-line.


7. You can now download a TikTok video by running the following command (replace the number with your actual video ID or link):
  
    ```console
    tikorgzo -l 7123456789109876543
    ```

8. After running this command, Google Chrome will open automatically. If the Cloudflare verification does not complete on its own, manually check the box.

9. Wait for the program to do it's thing. The downloaded video should appear in your Downloads folder.

## Usage

### Downloading a video

To download a TikTok video, simply put the video ID, or the video link:

```console
tikorgzo -l 7123456789109876543
```

### Downloading multiple videos

The program supports multiple video links to download. Simply separate those links by spaces:

```console
tikorgzo -l 7123456789109876543 7023456789109876544 "https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7123456789109876540"
```
It is recommended to enclose video links with double quotation marks to handle special characters properly.

### Downloading multiple links from a `.txt` file

Alternatively, you can also use a `.txt` file containing multiple video links and use it to download those. Ensure that each link are separated by newline.

To do this, just simply put the path to the `.txt` file.

```console
tikorgzo -f "C:\path\to\txt.file"
```

### Customizing the filename of the downloaded video

By default, downloaded videos are saved with their video ID as the filename (e.g., `1234567898765432100.mp4`). If you want to change how your files are named, you can use the `--filename-template <value>` arg, where `<value>` is your desired filename template.

Filename template is built using the following placeholders:

- **`{video_id}`** (required): The unique ID of the video.
- **`{username}`**: The TikTok username who posted the video.
- **`{date}`**: The upload date in UTC, formatted as `YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS` (for example: `20241230_235901`); or
- **`{date:<date_fmt>}`**: An alternative to `{date}` where you can customized the date in your preferred format. Working formats for `<date_fmt>` are available here: https://strftime.org/.

#### Examples

- Save as just the video ID (you don't really need to do this as this is the default naming):
    ```console
    tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --filename-template "{video_id}"
    # Result: 1234567898765432100.mp4
    ```

- Save as username and video ID:
    ```console
    tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --filename-template "{username}-{video_id}"
    # Result: myusername-1234567898765432100.mp4
    ```

- Save as username, date, and video ID:
    ```console
    tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --filename-template "{username}-{date}-{video_id}"
    # Result: myusername-20241230_235901-1234567898765432100.mp4
    ```

- Save with a custom date format (e.g., `YYMMDD_HHMMSS`):
    ```console
    tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --filename-template "{username}-{date:%y%m%d_%H%M%S}-{video_id}"
    # Result: myusername-241230_235901-1234567898765432100.mp4
    ```

Alternatively, you can also set this via config file:

```toml
[generic]
filename_template = "{username}-{date:%y%m%d_%H%M%S}-{video_id}"
```

### Changing the download directory

By default, downloaded videos are saved in the `Tikorgzo` folder inside your system's Downloads directory.

If you want to save the downloaded videos to a different directory, you can use the `--download-dir <path>` arg, where `<path>` is the path to your desired download directory:

```console
tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --download-dir "C:\path\to\custom\downloads"
```

Alternatively, you can also set this via config file:

```toml
[generic]
download_dir = "C:\\path\\to\\custom\\downloads"
```

### Setting the maximum number of simultaneous downloads

When downloading many videos, the program limits downloads to 4 at a time by default.

To change the maximum number of simultaneous downloads, use the `--max-concurrent-downloads <value>` arg, where `<value>` must be in range of 1 to 16:

```console
tikorgzo -f "C:\path\to\100_video_files.txt" --max-concurrent-downloads 10
```

Alternatively, you can also set this via config file:

```toml
[generic]
max_concurrent_downloads = 10
```

### Using lazy duplicate checking

The program checks if the video you are attempting to download has already been downloaded. By default, duplicate checking is based on the 19-digit video ID in the filename. This means that even if the filenames are different, as long as both contain the same video ID, the program will detect them as duplicates.

For example, if you previously downloaded `250101-username-1234567898765432100.mp4` and now attempt to download `username-1234567898765432100.mp4`, the program will detect it as a duplicate since both filenames contain the same video ID.

If you want to change this behavior so that duplicate checking is based on filename similarity instead, use the `--lazy-duplicate-check` option. Alternatively, you can also set this via config file:

```toml
[generic]
lazy_duplicate_check = true
```

### Setting extraction delay

You can change the delay between each extraction of a download link to reduce the number of requests sent to the server and help avoid potential rate limiting or IP bans. Use the `--extraction-delay <seconds>` argument to specify the delay (in seconds) between each extraction:

```console
tikorgzo -f "C:\path\to\links.txt" --extraction-delay 2
```

Alternatively, you can set this in the config file:

```toml
[generic]
extraction_delay = 2
```

The value should be a non-negative integer or float (e.g., `2` or `0.5`).

### Choosing extractor to use

By default, this program uses `TikWMExtractor` as its extractor for grabbing high-quality download links for videos. However, you can choose `DirectExtractor` as an alternative if you prefer a faster method at the expense of potential lower resolution videos. This method directly scrapes download links from TikTok itself.

The source data used here is similar to what `yt-dlp` uses, so the highest quality available quality it shows there should be also the same here.

The downsides of this method include:

- You cannot download 4K videos.
- Certain videos will be downloaded at 720p even if a 1080p version is available.
- Certain videos may not be downloadable.
- Videos may sometimes fail to download for some reason (e.g., 403 error may appear occasionally).

To use the alternative extractor despite the downsides, use the `--extractor <value>` arg, where `<value>` is `direct`. Putting `tikwm` or not using this arg option at all will use the default extractor (`tikwm`):

```console
tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --extractor direct
```

Alternatively, you can also set this in config file:

```toml
[generic]
extractor = "direct"
```

### Custom proxy

If you want to use a custom proxy for the app, you can use the `--proxy <proxy_url>` arg, where `<proxy_url>` is the URL of your desired proxy server. For example:

```console
tikorgzo -l 1234567898765432100 --proxy "255.255.255.255:8080"
```

Alternatively, you can also set this in config file:

```toml
[generic]
proxy = "255.255.255.255:8080"
```

When you use a custom proxy, the app will attempt to check if the proxy is working properly by sending a request to `https://ifconfig.me/ip` before the app uses it. If the request fails, the app will display an error message and will now exit. Otherwise, it will be used during extraction and download processes.

### Using a config file

This program can be configured via a TOML-formmatted config file so that you don't have to supply the same arguments every time you run the program.

In order to use this, create first a file named `tikorgzo.conf` in either one of these locations:

- Windows:
    - `./tikorgzo.conf` (the config file in the current working directory)
    - `%LocalAppData%/Tikorgzo/tikorgzo.conf`
    - `%UserProfile%/Documents/Tikorgzo/tikorgzo.conf`
- Linux:
    - `./tikorgzo.conf` (the config file in the current working directory)
    - `~/.local/share/Tikorgzo/tikorgzo.conf`
    - `~/Documents/Tikorgzo/tikorgzo.conf`

> [!IMPORTANT]
> If you have multiple config files in the above locations, the program will use the first one it finds (in the order listed above).

After that, create a table named `[generic]` and add your desired configurations in it by supplying key-value pairs, where key is the name of the config option while value is the desired value.

For example, if you want to set `max_concurrent_downloads` to `8`, enable `lazy_duplicate_check`, and set a custom `filename_template`, your config file should look like this:

```toml
[generic]
max_concurrent_downloads = 8
lazy_duplicate_check = true
filename_template = "{username}-{date:%y%m%d_%H%M%S}-{video_id}"
```

Here's an improved version with better grammar and clarity:

The key name (i.e., `max_concurrent_downloads`, `lazy_duplicate_check`, `filename_template`) that you will put here must match the command-line argument name shown when you run `tikorgzo` in the CLI, but with underscores (`_`) instead of hyphens (`-`) and without the leading double dash. For example, `--download-dir` becomes `download_dir`, `--extraction-delay` becomes `extraction_delay`, and so on.

Take note that string values must be enclosed in double quotes (`"`), while boolean and integer values must not. Moreover, boolean values must be either `true` or `false` (all lowercase).

If you wish to temporarily disable a configuration option without deleting it, you can comment out lines in the config file by adding a hash (`#`) at the beginning of the line:

```toml
[generic]
# max_concurrent_downloads = 4
# lazy_duplicate_check = true
# filename_template = "{username}-{date:%y%m%d_%H%M%S}-{video_id}"
```

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Command-line arguments will always take precedence over config file settings.
> For example, if you set `max_concurrent_downloads` to `4` in the config file but specify `--max-concurrent-downloads 2` in the command line, the program will use `2` as the value for this config option.

> [!WARNING]
> Special characters in string values (e.g., backslashes in Windows file paths) must be properly escaped using single backslash (`\`) to avoid parsing errors. Otherwise, the program will not start and will display an error message. For example, if you are using the `--download-dir` option and you have a custom Windows path `C:\Users\%UserProfile%\A_Different_Location\Tikorgzo`, the value for this option must be written as `C:\\Users\\%UserProfile%\\A_Different_Location\\Tikorgzo`.

### Upgrading and uninstalling the app

To upgrade the app, just run `uv tool upgrade tikorgzo` and wait for uv to fetch updates from the source.

To uninstall the app, just run `uv tool uninstall tikorgzo` to remove the app. Take note that this doesn't remove the Tikorgzo folder generated in your Downloads directory, as well as your config file/s that you have created.

## Reminders
- Source/high-quality videos may not always be available, depending on the source. If not available, the downloaded videos are usually 1080p or 720p.
- The program may be a bit slow during download link extraction (Stage 2) when using the default extractor, as it runs a browser in the background to extract the actual download link.
    - For this reason, the program is much more aligned to those who want to download multiple videos at once. However, you can still use it to download any number of videos you want.
- Alternative extractor can be used to speed up the extraction process, but it may not always be able to get the highest quality video. Also take note that some videos may fail to download so you have to rerun the app again.
- The program has been thoroughly tested on Windows 11 and is expected to work reliably on Windows systems. For Linux, testing was performed on a virtual machine running Linux Mint, as well as on Ubuntu through WSL so it should generally work fine on most Linux distributions, but compatibility is not guaranteed.
- Recently, TikWM has implemented strict checks on their website visitors, which has affected the way the program works. Starting `v0.3.0`, the program now requires Google Chrome to be installed on your system (not required if you are using the alternative extractor). Additionally, every time you download, a browser will open in the background, which might be a bit annoying for some, but this is the best workaround (yet) I have found so far.

## Project versioning policy

Tikorgzo uses a custom project versioning policy. Minor version is bumped for every new feature added, while patch version is bumped for bug fixes and minor changes.

Please take note that every new minor version may or may not introduce breaking changes, so be sure to check the changelog for details. This is the reason why major version is fixed to `0` for now.

## License

Tikorgzo is an open-source program licensed under the [MIT](LICENSE) license.

If you can, please contribute to this project by suggesting a feature, reporting issues, or make code contributions!

## Legal Disclaimer

The use of this software to download content without the permission may violate copyright laws or TikTok's terms of service. The author of this project is not responsible for any misuse or legal consequences arising from the use of this software. Use it at your own risk and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

This project is not affiliated, endorsed, or sponsored by TikTok or its affiliates. Use this software at your own risk.

## Acknowledgements

Special thanks to <b>[TikWM](https://www.tikwm.com/)</b> for providing free API service, which serves as a way for this program to extract high quality TikTok videos.

## Contact

For questions or concerns, feel free to contact me via the following!:
- [Gmail](mailto:scoofszlo@gmail.com) - scoofszlo@gmail.com
- Discord - @scoofszlo
- [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/user/Scoofszlo/) - u/Scoofszlo
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Scoofszlo) - @Scoofszlo