The search endpoint runs a live web query and returns the top results. Optionally, pass scrapeOptions to inline-scrape the content of every result URL in the same call — you get ranked results and their full page content without making separate scrape requests. The entire operation costs 1 credit regardless of the number of results returned.
Run a basic search
Send POST /v1/search with a query string. Use the limit parameter to control how many results come back.
curl -X POST https://api.zapfetch.com/v1/search \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAPFETCH_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"query": "best vector databases 2026",
"limit": 5
}'
Scrape results inline with scrapeOptions
Pass scrapeOptions to fetch the full content of each result URL as part of the same search call. Specify which formats you want — the same options available on the scrape endpoint apply here.
curl -X POST https://api.zapfetch.com/v1/search \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAPFETCH_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"query": "best vector databases 2026",
"limit": 5,
"scrapeOptions": { "formats": ["markdown"] }
}'
Using scrapeOptions is the most efficient way to build a research pipeline: one request gives you ranked results and their full content, ready to pass to an LLM without a second round-trip.
Key parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|
query | string | The search query to run. |
limit | integer | Number of results to return. |
scrapeOptions | object | Optional. If present, each result URL is scraped and its content included in the response. Accepts a formats array. |
Credit cost
| Outcome | Cost |
|---|
| Successful search call | 1 credit |
| Failed call (error response) | 0 credits |
The 1-credit cost covers the search itself. When you add scrapeOptions, the inline scrapes are included in that same credit — you are not charged separately for each result URL fetched.
Next steps
- Fetch a single URL directly with Scrape.
- Pull structured fields out of search results with Extract.
- Crawl a whole site with Crawl.