google_setup.md

April 17, 2025 · View on GitHub

To set up a custom Google Search API and obtain an API key and CSE (Custom Search Engine) ID, follow these steps:

Step 1: Set Up Google Cloud Project

  1. Create a Google Cloud account:
    If you haven't already, sign up for a Google Cloud account at https://cloud.google.com.

  2. Create a new project:

    • Go to the Google Cloud Console.
    • On the left sidebar, click on Select a project.
    • Click on New Project and give it a name. Click Create.

  3. Enable Custom Search API:

    • In the Google Cloud Console, go to the API & Services section.
    • Click on Library.
    • Search for Custom Search API and click on it.
    • Click Enable to activate the API for your project.

Step 2: Obtain an API Key

  1. Go to the Credentials page:

    • In the Google Cloud Console, click on the API & Services section in the left sidebar.
    • Click Credentials.

  2. Create API key:

    • On the Credentials page, click on Create credentials.
    • Select API key from the dropdown.
    • An API key will be generated. Copy it and add to your environment_variables.sh.

    Note: You can restrict the API key by clicking on the "Restrict Key" button to limit usage to specific IPs or referrers.

Step 3: Create a Custom Search Engine (CSE)

  1. Go to the Custom Search Engine page:

  2. Create a new Custom Search Engine:

    • Click on Add to create a new search engine.
    • In the form just select Search the entire web. Image Search and SafeSearch can be off depending on your requirements.
    • Click Create.

  3. Get your CSE ID:

    • Once the CSE is created, click on the Control Panel of your Custom Search Engine.
    • On the left, find the Details section.
    • Your Search Engine ID (CSE ID) will be listed here. Copy it and add to your environment_variables.sh.

[OPTIONAL TO TEST IF THE API KEY WORKS] Step 4: Using the Custom Search API

  • Now that you have both the API key and CSE ID, you can use them to make requests to the Custom Search API.

To test, here’s an example of how to make a search request using Python:

import requests

api_key = 'YOUR_API_KEY'  # Replace with your API key
cse_id = 'YOUR_CSE_ID'  # Replace with your CSE ID
query = 'search term'  # Replace with your search term

url = f'https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1?q={query}&key={api_key}&cx={cse_id}'

response = requests.get(url)
data = response.json()

for item in data['items']:
    print(item['title'], item['link'])

If the above steps work you can now start using it to programmatically retrieve search results.