SearXNG
SearXNG is a free, open-source search engine with a JSON API, so AI agents can search the web without paying per query. Deploy it in one click.
Deploy SearXNG on CloudStation Without Managing Servers
This template runs SearXNG with its JSON API turned on and a password in front of it, so your search endpoint is ready for agents and closed to everyone else.
⚠️ Before you start: Sign in with username admin and the ACCESS_PASSWORD value from the service's environment variables. It is generated for each deployment.
What is SearXNG?
SearXNG is a metasearch engine. It sends your query to many search services, combines the answers, and returns them as a web page or as JSON. It is open source under the AGPL-3.0 license.
How do I connect an AI agent to SearXNG?
Send a GET request to /search?q=your+query&format=json on your link, using basic auth with username admin and your ACCESS_PASSWORD. The response is JSON with a list of results, each with a title, URL and summary. Any agent or tool that can call an HTTP API can use it.
Best For and Not Best For
Best for: AI agents, RAG pipelines and automations that need web search, and teams that want a private search page.
Not best for: workloads that need guaranteed results from one specific search engine. Search services can limit traffic from cloud servers, so which ones answer can vary.
Why Teams Choose SearXNG
Search for Agents
Search results as JSON from a simple API call
Results combined from many search services
No per-query fee from SearXNG itself
Private Search
A normal search page in your browser
Password protection on this deployment
Search history is not kept by this template
SearXNG vs Alternatives
SearXNG vs Paid search APIs: Choose SearXNG when you want to avoid per-query pricing and run search yourself. Choose a paid API when you need guaranteed uptime and one consistent result source.
SearXNG vs Web scrapers: SearXNG finds pages. A scraper such as Crawl4AI reads them. Agents often use both.
Why Deploy SearXNG on CloudStation?
Password protected: The search endpoint is closed to the public, so others cannot use it through your address.
HTTPS handled for you: CloudStation provides SSL on your web address.
Light on resources: SearXNG stores no user data, so this template needs no volume.
Common SearXNG Use Cases
Agent web search: Give an agent current information from the web.
RAG with fresh data: Find sources before reading and summarizing them.
Private team search: Use one search page without personal tracking from the search provider.
FAQ
Is SearXNG free?
Yes. SearXNG is free and open source. You pay only for the CloudStation resources it runs on.
Does SearXNG have an API?
Yes. Add format=json to a search request. This template turns the JSON format on for you.
Can I use SearXNG as a free search API for AI agents?
Yes. Your agent calls your own SearXNG address with basic auth. Results depend on which search services answer at that moment.
Why did one search service return nothing?
Some search services limit traffic from cloud servers. SearXNG still returns results from the others.
Do I need a volume?
No. This template stores no user data.
Give Your Agent Web Search With SearXNG
If you are searching for self-host SearXNG, SearXNG hosting, a free search API for AI agents, a private search engine or a SearXNG JSON API, this CloudStation template is built for that intent.
Deploy SearXNG Now → Web search for agents. Your own server. Zero server management.