HackerTube
YouTube, minus the algorithm
Every video here was recommended by a Hacker News commenter — no thumbnails screaming at you, no engagement loop. Search 6,454 talks, lectures, explainers and documentaries, then watch on YouTube.
- Videos
- 6,454
- HN recommendations
- 39,834
- Topics
- 150
- Years covered
- 2007–2026
Videos Hacker News recommends the most
Ranked by how often commenters pushed them across different threads and years — not by views, likes, or watch time.
16 areas, 150 topics
The catalog spans software, hardware, mathematics, science, history and culture. Pick an area to see its topics.
Arts, Comedy, Music & Film
1,731 videos · 12 topics
Software Engineering & Languages
1,604 videos · 11 topics
Politics, History & Society
1,425 videos · 9 topics
Computing History & Culture
1,295 videos · 8 topics
Engineering, Transport & Making
994 videos · 12 topics
Systems, Networks & Security
956 videos · 10 topics
Life Sciences, Mind & Health
827 videos · 11 topics
Business, Startups & Economics
787 videos · 9 topics
Ideas, Learning & Language
782 videos · 9 topics
Hardware & Electronics
769 videos · 8 topics
Physics, Space & Chemistry
768 videos · 8 topics
AI, Machine Learning & Data
718 videos · 9 topics
Games & Game Development
503 videos · 8 topics
Design, Graphics & Visual Media
501 videos · 9 topics
Mathematics & Theoretical CS
479 videos · 9 topics
Earth, Energy & Environment
448 videos · 8 topics
Four steps from “nothing to watch” to playing
1. Search the catalog
Search by title, channel, topic, or tag. Results are matched across the whole 6,454-video catalog, not just the first page.
2. Filter by area
Narrow down to software, hardware, AI, math, science, history, or any of the 150 fine-grained topics.
3. Sort by signal
“Most recommended” ranks videos by how often Hacker News commenters pushed them; “Newest” and “Oldest” sort by upload year.
4. Watch the source
Playback uses the official YouTube player. Every video links back to its channel and the Hacker News conversation.
HackerTube questions
What is HackerTube?
HackerTube is a YouTube alternative that Andrej Karpathy built in a weekend. Instead of an engagement algorithm, it collects the videos Hacker News commenters recommend to each other: 6,454 videos pulled from roughly 40,000 comments, covering 150 topics between 2007 and 2026.
Is this the official HackerTube site?
No. This is an independent navigator built on top of the public HackerTube catalog. The original project lives at hackertube.org, and every video still plays through YouTube.
How do I find something worth watching?
Start with the search box, or open an area such as Software, Hardware, or Mathematics. If you just want the safest picks, sort by “Most recommended” — those are the videos HN keeps returning to year after year.
What does “most recommended” actually measure?
Each video carries a Hacker News mention count and recommendation score. A higher score means more commenters linked it in a positive context, often across several different threads and years.
Does this site host the videos?
No. Playback is embedded from YouTube and every video links back to its original channel. Copyright stays with the creators.
How often is the catalog updated?
The catalog is generated from the public HackerTube source and can be refreshed with a single command. New videos appear once the upstream catalog includes them.
Unofficial fan project. Catalog and Hacker News mention data come from hackertube.org, built by Andrej Karpathy. Videos are embedded from YouTube.