Web Search API

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Cloudflare has made its Web Search API available in beta, allowing AI agents and applications to retrieve live internet search results. At launch, users can select Ceramic.ai, Exa or Linkup, with requests routed through AI Gateway and billed at each provider’s list API price without additional markup.

Cloudflare has made its Web Search API available in beta, giving AI agents and applications a way to retrieve live internet search results rather than depend only on a model’s training data or guessed URLs. The service launches with Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup as provider options and routes requests through Cloudflare’s AI Gateway.

Cloudflare says the API is designed to help applications ground responses in current web information. At launch, developers can choose among the three listed search providers. The company says all three support Zero Data Retention for requests made through Cloudflare and have committed to Cloudflare’s verified bot crawling standards.

Search requests appear in AI Gateway logs and are billed against AI Gateway credits at the selected provider’s list API price, with no additional markup from Cloudflare, according to the announcement. Developers can also use their own provider API key. The available announcement does not give a separate beta price or usage limit.

The API can be called through a REST endpoint or from a Cloudflare Worker using the AI binding. In either case, a request includes a search query and provider; developers can also set a result limit and, for the REST example, an AI Gateway identifier. Cloudflare directs users to its documentation for setup instructions.

Live Search for AI Applications

The release gives developers a Cloudflare-managed route to add live search results to AI applications. That can help an application retrieve information published after a model’s training cutoff, though access to search results alone does not guarantee that a response is accurate or that sources are represented correctly.

Routing through AI Gateway also places search activity in the same gateway logging and credit-billing system described by Cloudflare. The option to use a provider’s list price without Cloudflare markup may make costs easier to identify, while provider pricing and any applicable limits remain relevant to a project’s total expense.

The three-provider launch offers a choice of search services, but the announcement does not compare their result quality, coverage, latency or suitability for particular workloads. Those factors will matter to developers deciding which provider to use as the beta is tested.

How Cloudflare Routes Search

Cloudflare’s announcement describes Web Search API as part of AI Gateway, rather than as a standalone search index operated by Cloudflare. Requests are sent using one of the supported providers, and developers can inspect those requests in gateway logs. The company says its billing treatment is based on each provider’s list API price, with no added Cloudflare markup.

The announcement was published on October 2, 2026, and labels the service a beta. Its examples show both a REST request and a Worker call, with sample searches for activities in Salt Lake City. Those examples illustrate how to submit a query; they do not establish performance benchmarks or a guarantee about the freshness or completeness of returned results.

““Web Search API is now available in beta.””

— Cloudflare

Beta Limits and Provider Performance

Cloudflare’s announcement does not specify beta access limits, service availability guarantees, rate limits or a general release date. It also does not publish comparative evidence about search quality, response speed, geographic coverage or how frequently results are refreshed across Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup.

The company’s statements about Zero Data Retention and verified bot crawling standards are attributed to Cloudflare; the announcement does not provide supporting provider documentation or explain the verification process. It is also not clear how the API handles provider outages, failed queries or changes in provider pricing. Developers should consult the current product documentation and provider terms for operational details.

What Developers Can Test

Developers can begin with Cloudflare’s Web Search API documentation and test requests through the REST API or a Worker’s AI binding. During the beta, they can compare the supported providers against their own needs, review search requests in AI Gateway logs, and monitor charges against gateway credits.

Cloudflare has not announced a date for a wider release or described planned changes to the beta. Further product details, including any limits or availability changes, will need to come from Cloudflare’s documentation or later announcements.

Key Questions

What is Cloudflare’s Web Search API?

It is a beta API that lets AI agents and applications submit web search queries and use live results to ground responses, according to Cloudflare.

Which search providers are available?

At launch, developers can choose Ceramic.ai, Exa or Linkup.

How is Web Search API billed?

Cloudflare says requests are billed to AI Gateway credits at the provider’s list API price, with no additional Cloudflare markup. Developers may also bring their own provider API key.

How can developers call the API?

Cloudflare documents access through a REST API and through the AI binding in a Cloudflare Worker. Its announcement links to setup documentation.

Is the service generally available?

No. Cloudflare describes Web Search API as available in beta. The announcement does not give a general-release date or list beta limits.

Source: hn