DuckDuckGo

Instant answers and search results with zero tracking

DuckDuckGo's Instant Answer API returns structured answers to queries — definitions, calculations, Wikipedia summaries, and related topics. It's not a full web search API (no paginated web results), but rather an answer engine that returns the best single answer for a query. No API key required, zero tracking. For OpenClaw agents, DuckDuckGo's API is useful for quick factual lookups — definitions, entity summaries, and disambiguation. It's simpler than Wikipedia's API for basic 'what is X' queries. However, for full web search results, use Brave Search or Google Custom Search instead — DDG's API doesn't return web result listings.

Tags: search, data

Category: Search

Use Cases

  • Quick factual lookups for definitions and entity summaries without API key setup
  • Get Wikipedia-sourced abstracts for people, places, and concepts
  • Use as a zero-config fallback when other search APIs hit rate limits

Tips

  • Use for 'what is X' queries where you need a quick definition or summary
  • Check the 'Type' field in response: A=article, D=disambiguation, C=category, N=name, E=exclusive
  • Combine with Brave Search: use DDG for instant facts, Brave for full web research

Known Issues & Gotchas

  • NOT a web search API — returns instant answers only, no paginated web results
  • Many queries return empty results if there's no good instant answer available
  • The API is read-only and unofficial — DuckDuckGo may change it without notice

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get web search results from the DDG API?

No. The official API only returns Instant Answers (abstracts, definitions, calculations). For web search results, you'd need to scrape DDG HTML (against ToS) or use Brave Search/Google Custom Search.

When is DDG API useful vs Brave Search?

DDG is useful for simple factual lookups where you need a quick, structured answer — no API key needed. Brave Search is better for comprehensive web research with multiple results and snippets.

What sources does it pull from?

Instant Answers come from various sources including Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and DuckDuckGo's own index. The AbstractSource field tells you where each answer originated.