Web search API
An API that returns ranked results from a web index so a program can use them without running its own crawler.
What it means
A web search API lets a program send a query and receive a ranked list of results from a web index. The program does not need its own crawler or index, which is the expensive part of search. Responses usually arrive as JSON, with fields such as a title, a URL and some text for each result. Some providers return only links, while others return excerpts, full page content or a finished answer.
Teams use these APIs to feed agents, chat features and research tools. The main design questions are what the response contains, how fast it returns, how fresh the index is, and whether the provider can explain where each claim came from. Many providers run their own index, while others combine several sources. Ask which index a provider uses before you assume its results cover the sites you care about.
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Cite this entry
https://bestwebsearchapi.com/glossary/web-search-api/