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Cloudflare announced that its Web Search API is available in beta, giving AI agents and applications a way to retrieve live internet search results. The service launches through AI Gateway with three provider options, and Cloudflare says searches are billed at providers’ list API prices without an additional markup.
Cloudflare announced on October 2 that its Web Search API is available in beta, allowing AI agents and applications to retrieve current internet search results rather than depend only on a model’s training data. The service runs through Cloudflare AI Gateway and initially offers searches through Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup.
Cloudflare says the API is intended to help applications ground responses in live information, instead of guessing URLs or relying on a model’s training cutoff. Developers can select one of the three providers when making a request and set a result limit. The announcement describes access through both a REST API and a Cloudflare Worker using an AI binding.
Search requests pass through AI Gateway, where Cloudflare says they appear in gateway logs. Billing is charged against AI Gateway credits at each provider’s list API price, with no additional markup, according to the company. Developers can also supply their own provider API key.
Cloudflare says all three launch providers support Zero Data Retention for requests made through Cloudflare and have committed to its verified bot crawling standards. These are statements in Cloudflare’s announcement; it does not provide further detail there about how retention is defined, how compliance is checked, or what the crawling commitment covers in practice.
Live Search for AI Applications
The beta gives developers a managed way to add web search to AI applications, an approach that can help systems draw on information newer than the data used to train their underlying models. That may matter for questions where answers can change over time, though the announcement does not provide performance tests or evidence about how search results affect answer accuracy.
Routing requests through AI Gateway also places search activity in the same gateway environment Cloudflare says developers can use for logs and credit billing. The stated no-markup pricing could make costs easier to relate to provider list prices, but final spending will depend on request volume and the selected provider’s rates. Cloudflare has not published comparative pricing or a cost estimate in the supplied announcement.
The provider choice gives developers three options at launch rather than tying the API to a single search provider. The practical differences among Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup—including result coverage, relevance, speed and availability—are not detailed in the announcement, so developers may need to test providers for their own applications.
Three Providers at Beta Launch
Cloudflare’s announcement is a beta launch, not a statement that the service has reached general availability. It identifies Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup as the available providers at launch. The company’s documentation is the stated starting point for developers who want to use the API.
The announcement gives two integration paths: a REST API request authenticated with a Cloudflare API token, or a call from a Worker through the AI binding. Both examples send a query and name a provider; they also show an optional result limit and a gateway identifier. Cloudflare says developers may bring their own provider API key.
Cloudflare positions the API as a way to connect applications to internet search through its gateway. The supplied material does not establish that Cloudflare operates the underlying search indexes or crawls the web itself for this product; it names the three providers handling searches and describes their commitments.
“Web Search API is now available in beta.”
— Cloudflare, in its October 2, 2026 announcement
Beta Details Still Pending
The announcement does not give a date for general availability, explain whether beta access has eligibility limits, or describe a service-level commitment. It also does not specify rate limits, regional availability, request quotas or how Cloudflare will communicate changes during the beta.
Other open questions include the search providers’ individual prices and capabilities, the format and provenance of returned results, and whether the API supplies citations or other source metadata. Cloudflare says the providers support Zero Data Retention for requests made through its service, but the announcement does not spell out retention definitions, exceptions or independent verification. Those details should not be assumed from the launch statement alone.
Developers Can Test the Beta
Developers can start with Cloudflare’s How to use Web Search API documentation and test the REST API or Worker integration described in the announcement. They can choose among Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup, configure a result limit and route requests through an AI Gateway identifier; Cloudflare also says a developer can bring a provider API key.
As testing proceeds, developers will be able to assess which provider suits their applications and monitor search requests through AI Gateway logs, as described by Cloudflare. The company has not announced a general-availability date or a subsequent milestone in the supplied material, so the timing and terms of any wider release remain unknown.
Key Questions
What is Cloudflare Web Search API?
It is a beta service that lets AI agents and applications request internet search results through Cloudflare. Cloudflare says it is designed to help applications use live information rather than rely only on a model’s training cutoff.
Which search providers are available at launch?
Cloudflare names Ceramic.ai, Exa and Linkup as the three providers available at launch. The announcement does not compare their search quality, speed or individual prices.
How are Web Search API requests billed?
Cloudflare says requests run through AI Gateway and are billed against AI Gateway credits at the selected provider’s list API price, with no additional markup. The announcement does not give specific provider rates.
Can developers use their own provider API key?
Yes. Cloudflare says developers can bring their own provider API key. Its announcement also describes access through a REST API and through a Worker using the AI binding.
Is the API generally available?
No general-availability date is provided. Cloudflare describes the service as available in beta; access terms and a wider-release timeline are not stated in the announcement.
Source: hn
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