Google Custom Search JSON API

A Google API that returns Programmable Search Engine results (web or image) as JSON, intended for developers building search into their own sites or apps. Per Google's own docs, it is now closed to new customers: Google directs new use cases to Vertex AI Search (for searching up to 50 domains) or, for full web search, to contact sales about an alternative solution. Existing customers retain access only until the stated discontinuation date.

• RESTful requests returning web or image search results in JSON format
• Built on the OpenSearch 1.1 Specification
• Requires a configured Programmable Search Engine (with a Search engine ID) and an API key
• Basic usage monitoring via Cloud Platform Console's API Dashboard, with advanced monitoring available through Google Cloud Operations

Not applicable - Google's own documentation states the API is closed to new customers, so no one should be onboarding onto it as a new integration.

This API cannot be adopted by new customers at all, per Google's own documentation, so it is a poor fit for literally everyone evaluating it fresh - new integrations should go straight to Vertex AI Search or Google's full web search offering. Existing customers face a hard migration deadline of January 1, 2027, after which the service is discontinued.

Authentication

API key

Rate limits

100 free queries/day; paid usage available up to 10,000 queries/day

Machine-readable API

No OpenAPI link in the reviewed source set

• Web search results (JSON)
• Image search results (JSON)

• Full API request/response reference and query parameters
• Company/product website and social links (not applicable in the usual sense - this is a Google Cloud API product)
• A machine-readable OpenAPI specification was not included in the reviewed source set.