DuckDuckGo Search API for web results
Search DuckDuckGo over HTTP and receive titles, links, and snippets as structured JSON, using a different index from Google through the same request shape.
Endpoint
Results arrive in the same JSON shape as every other engine, so switching between them changes one field.
Clean titles, without the scraping artefacts.
The result description as DuckDuckGo renders it.
The ordering differs from Google for the same query.
Useful for
Cross-checking / AI answers / Research
A second general index behind the same call
Set `search_service` to `duckduckgo` and the results come from DuckDuckGo. The endpoint, the authentication, and the response shape are the same as every other engine, so it drops into an existing Google-backed code path unchanged.
A different ranking for the same query
DuckDuckGo draws on its own sources and ranking, so it surfaces pages a Google-only pipeline can miss.
A drop-in second opinion
Because the response shape is shared, comparing two engines costs one extra request rather than a second integration.
Search and page content in one call
`crawl_results` fetches the top N results and returns each as markdown, the same as on every other engine.
Standard Search parameters
`max_results` up to 50, plus `include_sites`, `exclude_sites`, and `time_range`.
What is a DuckDuckGo search API?
A DuckDuckGo search API is an HTTP interface that returns DuckDuckGo web results as structured data. DuckDuckGo’s own public interface is an instant-answer endpoint rather than a general web search API, so applications that need a ranked list of web results use a search API in front of it. Search1API exposes DuckDuckGo as one of the search services on its Search endpoint, returning titles, links, and snippets in the same JSON shape it returns for its other engines. Its practical value in an agent pipeline is as a second general index: when a Google result set looks thin or one-sided, running the same query here costs one credit and gives an independent ranking to compare against.
Typical workflow
Search DuckDuckGo over HTTP and receive titles, links, and snippets as structured JSON, using a different index from Google through the same request shape.
Send a query with `search_service` set to `duckduckgo`.
Compare the result set against a `google` query for the same terms.
Set `crawl_results` when the answer needs page content rather than links.
One request, an independent ranking
A single call searches DuckDuckGo and returns results in the standard shape, so a second opinion on a query costs one credit and no new code.
bash
Best for
Cross-checking a result set that looks thin or one-sided.
AI assistants that assemble an answer from more than one ranking.
Research where a single engine’s ordering could bias a conclusion.
Pipelines that want a fallback general engine on the same contract.
FAQ
Does DuckDuckGo have an official search API?
DuckDuckGo publishes an instant-answer endpoint rather than a general web search API, so it does not return a ranked list of web results. Search1API covers that case by offering DuckDuckGo as one of the engines on its Search endpoint.
How does it differ from the Google engine?
DuckDuckGo draws on its own sources and ranking, so the same query returns a different set of pages and a different order. Running both is a coverage strategy rather than a redundant call.
Can I get page content with the results?
Yes. Set `crawl_results` to the number of top results you want fetched, and each page retrieved successfully includes a `content` field with the page text as markdown. Pages that cannot be retrieved are returned without `content` and are not charged.
What does a DuckDuckGo search cost?
One credit per search, and one additional credit for each page retrieved successfully through `crawl_results`. At the base top-up rate of $1 for 1,000 credits, that is $1 per 1,000 searches. Signup includes 100 free credits with no credit card.
Can I query Google and DuckDuckGo in one request?
Yes. The Search endpoint accepts an array of query objects, so both engines can be sent in a single batch. Each item is billed individually and a failed item is not charged.
Which other engines are supported?
The same Search endpoint accepts `google`, plus vertical sources such as `reddit`, `x`, `github`, `arxiv`, `youtube`, `wikipedia`, and `imdb`, and the Chinese-language engines `baidu`, `360`, `quark`, `wechat`, and `bilibili` — 17 in total on one contract.