Google Pulls Down Accidentally Published Web Search Service API Documentation

Google inadvertently published its Web Search Service API documentation on August 22 before pulling it down last week. The documentation, which has been archived on the Wayback Machine, reveals that the Web Search Service API allows programmatic partners to develop websites and applications that retrieve and display Google Search results.

Partners can use REST or gRPC requests to retrieve search results in JSON format, with the API returning results in standard JSON format containing search result items, timing, and metadata.

The removal of the documentation has raised questions about how helpful it is to anyone outside of Google's partners, who would already have access to the information.