YouTube / Public web reference / 2026.09
Routes, shells and page families
Read navigation as a change of task. A watch page prioritizes playback; a channel page organizes an identity and its collections.
All entries shown
| Family and route | Task and composition | Local recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Home · / | Fresh signed-out home retains global chrome and a search-first empty state. | Home empty state |
| Search · /results?search_query=… | Query, selected chips, Filters panel and stacked media rows. Preserve the query on return. | Search results |
| Watch · /watch?v=… | Player, video identity, channel/action row, description, comments and related videos. | Watch unavailable · Playable local media fixture |
| Channel · /@handle | Identity header, local tabs and media shelves. | Channel home |
| Channel videos · /@handle/videos | Same identity plus sort controls and a grid of videos. | Channel videos |
| Channel Shorts · /@handle/shorts | Portrait-card collection, distinct media geometry. | Channel Shorts |
| Playlist · /playlist?list=… | Collection identity, ordered video rows and playback entry. | Playlist |
| Shorts · /shorts/… | Portrait viewer with adjacent interaction stack and next/previous movement. | Shorts viewer |
| History · /feed/history | Signed-out history boundary with a sign-in entry. | History gate |
| Subscriptions · /feed/subscriptions | Signed-out gate before personalized subscription content. | Subscriptions gate |
| Premium · /premium | Public benefit communication and purchase entry. Transaction completion excluded. | Premium landing · Alternate Lite explainer |
Region ownership
| Region | Geometry and responsibility | Input and scroll |
|---|---|---|
| Masthead | 56 px high; top anchored; 16–24 px horizontal insets. Search owns its input, clear action and submit action. | First persistent navigation landmark. Search text does not disappear when the guide changes. |
| Expanded guide | 240 px desktop width. Groups use separators and 40 px rows. Page content starts after the guide. | Independent vertical overflow. Active destination is a navigation state, not a toggle. |
| Task canvas | Search uses stacked rows; channels use shelves/grids; watch uses a player and secondary rail. | Document scrolling unless a specimen explicitly names a scroll container. |
| Transient layer | Menus anchor to their trigger; modal dialogs own focus and a scrim. | Escape dismisses the top layer and restores focus. A menu never changes the route before item activation. |
Independent route inventory
| ID | Route/family | Evidence/status |
|---|---|---|
| home | / | |
| search | /results?search_query=music | |
| watch | /watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ | |
| channel | /@YouTube | |
| playlist | /playlist?list=PLFgquLnL59alCl_2TQvOiD5Vgm1hCaGSI | |
| shorts | /shorts | |
| trending | /feed/trending | |
| subscriptions | /feed/subscriptions | |
| history | /feed/history | |
| premium | /premium |
Reconstructed reference contract. Measured masthead and guide dimensions come from evidence/captures/home--desktop.json. Responsive rules in the local code are reconstructed unless an explicit source comparison is linked.