diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 743243e..c72fff7 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -2,10 +2,15 @@ FROM python:3.12-slim-bookworm AS base
 
 ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
     PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
-    PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK=1
+    PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK=1 \
+    YTDLP_NO_PLUGINS=1
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install --yes --no-install-recommends ffmpeg \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
 RUN groupadd --gid 10001 app \
     && useradd --uid 10001 --gid app --no-create-home --shell /usr/sbin/nologin app
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4dc028e..3604f24 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -72,6 +72,19 @@ Open <http://127.0.0.1:8000> or request the health endpoint:
 curl --fail http://127.0.0.1:8000/health
 ```
 
+Inspect a public, non-live video without downloading it:
+
+```bash
+curl --fail --request POST http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/inspect \
+  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  --data '{"url":"https://example.com/video"}'
+```
+
+Inspection accepts only HTTP and HTTPS URLs on standard ports. The initial
+hostname must resolve entirely to public IP addresses. Playlists and
+multi-video sources are rejected, and raw signed media URLs are not returned
+to the browser.
+
 Run the automated tests in an ephemeral container:
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/app/inspection.py b/app/inspection.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e37910
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/inspection.py
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+import ipaddress
+import socket
+from collections.abc import Mapping
+from typing import Any
+from urllib.parse import urlsplit
+
+import yt_dlp
+from yt_dlp.utils import DownloadError
+
+
+class UnsafeUrlError(ValueError):
+    """Raised when a submitted URL is outside the permitted network boundary."""
+
+
+class InspectionError(RuntimeError):
+    """Raised when yt-dlp cannot inspect a permitted URL."""
+
+
+def validate_public_url(url: str) -> str:
+    """Validate the initial URL and require every resolved address to be public."""
+    try:
+        parsed = urlsplit(url)
+        port = parsed.port
+    except ValueError as error:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("The URL is malformed.") from error
+
+    if parsed.scheme not in {"http", "https"}:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("Only HTTP and HTTPS URLs are allowed.")
+    if not parsed.hostname:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("The URL must include a hostname.")
+    if parsed.username is not None or parsed.password is not None:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("Credentials are not allowed in source URLs.")
+    if port is not None and port not in {80, 443}:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("Only the standard HTTP and HTTPS ports are allowed.")
+
+    try:
+        addresses = {
+            result[4][0]
+            for result in socket.getaddrinfo(
+                parsed.hostname,
+                port or (443 if parsed.scheme == "https" else 80),
+                type=socket.SOCK_STREAM,
+            )
+        }
+    except socket.gaierror as error:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("The source hostname could not be resolved.") from error
+
+    if not addresses:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("The source hostname did not resolve to an address.")
+
+    for address in addresses:
+        try:
+            ip = ipaddress.ip_address(address)
+        except ValueError as error:
+            raise UnsafeUrlError("The source hostname returned an invalid address.") from error
+        if not ip.is_global:
+            raise UnsafeUrlError("The source hostname resolves to a non-public address.")
+
+    return url
+
+
+def _format_summary(media_format: Mapping[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    filesize = media_format.get("filesize") or media_format.get("filesize_approx")
+
+    return {
+        "format_id": str(media_format.get("format_id") or "unknown"),
+        "extension": media_format.get("ext"),
+        "width": media_format.get("width"),
+        "height": media_format.get("height"),
+        "fps": media_format.get("fps"),
+        "video_codec": media_format.get("vcodec"),
+        "audio_codec": media_format.get("acodec"),
+        "filesize": filesize,
+    }
+
+
+def _normalized_formats(raw_formats: object) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+    formats: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
+    seen: set[tuple[object, ...]] = set()
+
+    if not isinstance(raw_formats, list):
+        return formats
+
+    for media_format in raw_formats:
+        if not isinstance(media_format, dict):
+            continue
+        if (
+            media_format.get("vcodec") in {None, "none"}
+            and media_format.get("acodec") in {None, "none"}
+        ):
+            continue
+
+        summary = _format_summary(media_format)
+        identity = (
+            summary["extension"],
+            summary["width"],
+            summary["height"],
+            summary["fps"],
+            summary["video_codec"],
+            summary["audio_codec"],
+        )
+        if identity in seen:
+            continue
+        seen.add(identity)
+        formats.append(summary)
+
+    return formats
+
+
+def _select_single_video(info: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    entries = info.get("entries")
+    if entries is None and info.get("_type") not in {"playlist", "multi_video"}:
+        return info
+
+    videos = [entry for entry in entries or [] if isinstance(entry, dict)]
+    if len(videos) != 1:
+        raise InspectionError("Playlists and multi-video sources are not supported.")
+
+    video = dict(videos[0])
+    for field in ("title", "uploader", "channel", "thumbnail", "webpage_url"):
+        if not video.get(field) and info.get(field):
+            video[field] = info[field]
+    return video
+
+
+def inspect_url(url: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Inspect one public video URL without downloading its media."""
+    safe_url = validate_public_url(url)
+    options: dict[str, Any] = {
+        "extract_flat": False,
+        "extractor_retries": 1,
+        "ignoreconfig": True,
+        "noplaylist": True,
+        "quiet": True,
+        "retries": 1,
+        "skip_download": True,
+        "socket_timeout": 15,
+        "no_warnings": True,
+    }
+
+    try:
+        with yt_dlp.YoutubeDL(options) as downloader:
+            raw_info = downloader.extract_info(safe_url, download=False)
+            info = downloader.sanitize_info(raw_info)
+    except DownloadError as error:
+        raise InspectionError("yt-dlp could not inspect this URL.") from error
+    except Exception as error:
+        raise InspectionError("The source inspection failed unexpectedly.") from error
+
+    if not isinstance(info, dict):
+        raise InspectionError("The source returned an unsupported response.")
+
+    info = _select_single_video(info)
+
+    formats = _normalized_formats(info.get("formats"))
+
+    return {
+        "id": str(info.get("id") or "unknown"),
+        "title": info.get("title") or "Untitled",
+        "extractor": info.get("extractor_key") or info.get("extractor"),
+        "uploader": info.get("uploader") or info.get("channel"),
+        "duration": info.get("duration"),
+        "upload_date": info.get("upload_date"),
+        "source_url": safe_url,
+        "webpage_url": info.get("webpage_url") or safe_url,
+        "thumbnail": info.get("thumbnail"),
+        "is_live": bool(info.get("is_live")),
+        "formats": formats,
+    }
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index eacd174..1c30728 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
 from fastapi import FastAPI
+from fastapi import HTTPException
+from starlette.concurrency import run_in_threadpool
+
+from app.inspection import InspectionError, UnsafeUrlError, inspect_url
+from app.models import InspectionRequest, InspectionResponse
 
 app = FastAPI(
     title="Media Ingest",
@@ -16,3 +21,14 @@ def root() -> dict[str, str]:
 def health() -> dict[str, str]:
     """Report whether the application process can serve requests."""
     return {"status": "healthy"}
+
+
+@app.post("/api/inspect", response_model=InspectionResponse, tags=["inspection"])
+async def inspect_source(request: InspectionRequest) -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Inspect a public video URL without downloading media."""
+    try:
+        return await run_in_threadpool(inspect_url, request.url)
+    except UnsafeUrlError as error:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=str(error)) from error
+    except InspectionError as error:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail=str(error)) from error
diff --git a/app/models.py b/app/models.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9b83fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+from typing import Annotated
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel, Field
+
+
+class InspectionRequest(BaseModel):
+    url: Annotated[str, Field(min_length=1, max_length=2048)]
+
+
+class MediaFormat(BaseModel):
+    format_id: str
+    extension: str | None = None
+    width: int | None = None
+    height: int | None = None
+    fps: float | None = None
+    video_codec: str | None = None
+    audio_codec: str | None = None
+    filesize: int | None = None
+
+
+class InspectionResponse(BaseModel):
+    id: str
+    title: str
+    extractor: str | None = None
+    uploader: str | None = None
+    duration: float | None = None
+    upload_date: str | None = None
+    source_url: str
+    webpage_url: str
+    thumbnail: str | None = None
+    is_live: bool
+    formats: list[MediaFormat]
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index db66b80..a04939a 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 fastapi==0.139.2
 uvicorn==0.51.0
+yt-dlp==2026.6.9
diff --git a/tests/test_inspection.py b/tests/test_inspection.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdc513b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_inspection.py
@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+import socket
+from typing import Any
+
+import pytest
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+import app.inspection as inspection
+import app.main as main_module
+from app.inspection import UnsafeUrlError
+from app.main import app
+
+client = TestClient(app)
+
+
+def sample_inspection() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    return {
+        "id": "abc123",
+        "title": "Example report",
+        "extractor": "Example",
+        "uploader": "Newsroom",
+        "duration": 42.5,
+        "upload_date": "20260811",
+        "source_url": "https://video.example/watch/abc123",
+        "webpage_url": "https://video.example/watch/abc123",
+        "thumbnail": "https://cdn.example/abc123.jpg",
+        "is_live": False,
+        "formats": [
+            {
+                "format_id": "1080p",
+                "extension": "mp4",
+                "width": 1920,
+                "height": 1080,
+                "fps": 50.0,
+                "video_codec": "avc1.64002a",
+                "audio_codec": "mp4a.40.2",
+                "filesize": 12_345_678,
+            }
+        ],
+    }
+
+
+def test_inspect_endpoint_returns_normalized_metadata(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_module, "inspect_url", lambda _url: sample_inspection())
+
+    response = client.post("/api/inspect", json={"url": "https://video.example/watch/abc123"})
+
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.json()["title"] == "Example report"
+    assert response.json()["formats"][0]["height"] == 1080
+
+
+def test_inspect_endpoint_rejects_unsafe_url(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    def reject_url(_url: str) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        raise UnsafeUrlError("The source hostname resolves to a non-public address.")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(main_module, "inspect_url", reject_url)
+
+    response = client.post("/api/inspect", json={"url": "http://127.0.0.1/private"})
+
+    assert response.status_code == 400
+    assert response.json() == {
+        "detail": "The source hostname resolves to a non-public address."
+    }
+
+
+def test_validate_public_url_accepts_public_addresses(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        socket,
+        "getaddrinfo",
+        lambda *_args, **_kwargs: [
+            (socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 6, "", ("93.184.216.34", 443))
+        ],
+    )
+
+    url = "https://video.example/watch/abc123"
+
+    assert inspection.validate_public_url(url) == url
+
+
+def test_validate_public_url_rejects_if_any_address_is_private(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        socket,
+        "getaddrinfo",
+        lambda *_args, **_kwargs: [
+            (socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 6, "", ("93.184.216.34", 443)),
+            (socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM, 6, "", ("127.0.0.1", 443)),
+        ],
+    )
+
+    with pytest.raises(UnsafeUrlError, match="non-public"):
+        inspection.validate_public_url("https://video.example/watch/abc123")
+
+
+def test_validate_public_url_rejects_credentials() -> None:
+    with pytest.raises(UnsafeUrlError, match="Credentials"):
+        inspection.validate_public_url("https://user:password@video.example/watch/abc123")
+
+
+def test_inspect_url_removes_raw_format_urls(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    captured_options: dict[str, Any] = {}
+
+    class FakeYoutubeDL:
+        def __init__(self, options: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+            captured_options.update(options)
+
+        def __enter__(self) -> "FakeYoutubeDL":
+            return self
+
+        def __exit__(self, *_args: object) -> None:
+            return None
+
+        def extract_info(self, url: str, *, download: bool) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            assert url == "https://video.example/watch/abc123"
+            assert download is False
+            return {
+                **sample_inspection(),
+                "extractor_key": "Example",
+                "formats": [
+                    {
+                        **sample_inspection()["formats"][0],
+                        "ext": "mp4",
+                        "vcodec": "avc1.64002a",
+                        "acodec": "mp4a.40.2",
+                        "url": "https://secret-cdn.example/signed-stream-url",
+                    }
+                ],
+            }
+
+        def sanitize_info(self, info: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            return info
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection, "validate_public_url", lambda url: url)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection.yt_dlp, "YoutubeDL", FakeYoutubeDL)
+
+    result = inspection.inspect_url("https://video.example/watch/abc123")
+
+    assert captured_options["skip_download"] is True
+    assert captured_options["noplaylist"] is True
+    assert "url" not in result["formats"][0]
+
+
+def test_normalized_formats_remove_storyboards_and_cdn_duplicates() -> None:
+    formats = inspection._normalized_formats(
+        [
+            {
+                "format_id": "storyboard",
+                "ext": "mhtml",
+                "vcodec": "none",
+                "acodec": "none",
+            },
+            {
+                "format_id": "akamai-720p",
+                "ext": "mp4",
+                "width": 1280,
+                "height": 720,
+                "fps": 50.0,
+                "vcodec": "avc1.640020",
+                "acodec": "mp4a.40.5",
+            },
+            {
+                "format_id": "cloudfront-720p",
+                "ext": "mp4",
+                "width": 1280,
+                "height": 720,
+                "fps": 50.0,
+                "vcodec": "avc1.640020",
+                "acodec": "mp4a.40.5",
+            },
+        ]
+    )
+
+    assert len(formats) == 1
+    assert formats[0]["format_id"] == "akamai-720p"
+
+
+def test_inspect_url_accepts_single_video_wrapper(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    class FakeYoutubeDL:
+        def __init__(self, _options: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+            pass
+
+        def __enter__(self) -> "FakeYoutubeDL":
+            return self
+
+        def __exit__(self, *_args: object) -> None:
+            return None
+
+        def extract_info(self, _url: str, *, download: bool) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            assert download is False
+            return {
+                "_type": "playlist",
+                "title": "BBC article title",
+                "entries": [
+                    {
+                        "id": "bbc-video-1",
+                        "title": "BBC video title",
+                        "formats": [
+                            {
+                                "format_id": "h264-1080",
+                                "ext": "mp4",
+                                "width": 1920,
+                                "height": 1080,
+                                "vcodec": "avc1.640028",
+                                "acodec": "mp4a.40.2",
+                            }
+                        ],
+                    }
+                ],
+            }
+
+        def sanitize_info(self, info: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            return info
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection, "validate_public_url", lambda url: url)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection.yt_dlp, "YoutubeDL", FakeYoutubeDL)
+
+    result = inspection.inspect_url("https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/example")
+
+    assert result["id"] == "bbc-video-1"
+    assert result["title"] == "BBC video title"
+    assert result["source_url"] == "https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/example"
+
+
+def test_inspect_url_rejects_wrapper_with_multiple_videos(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    class FakeYoutubeDL:
+        def __init__(self, _options: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+            pass
+
+        def __enter__(self) -> "FakeYoutubeDL":
+            return self
+
+        def __exit__(self, *_args: object) -> None:
+            return None
+
+        def extract_info(self, _url: str, *, download: bool) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            assert download is False
+            return {"_type": "playlist", "entries": [{"id": "one"}, {"id": "two"}]}
+
+        def sanitize_info(self, info: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+            return info
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection, "validate_public_url", lambda url: url)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(inspection.yt_dlp, "YoutubeDL", FakeYoutubeDL)
+
+    with pytest.raises(inspection.InspectionError, match="multi-video"):
+        inspection.inspect_url("https://video.example/playlist")