search

# Search — General-Purpose Web & Platform Search

Search the web, platforms, and proprietary datasets. Pick the best API for the task — or combine several for comprehensive results.

## 1. Tavily — Comprehensive Web Search & Research

Best for: General web search, deep research reports, site mapping, and crawling.

**Search the web:**
```bash
orth run tavily /search --body '{
  "query": "latest developments in AI agents",
  "search_depth": "advanced",
  "include_answer": true,
  "max_results": 10
}'
```

**Deep research** (async — returns a report with citations):
```bash
# Step 1: Start research task
orth run tavily /research --body '{"input": "Compare AI agent frameworks for production use", "model": "pro"}'
# Step 2: Poll for results using request_id
orth run tavily /research/{request_id}
```

**Map a website** (discover all URLs):
```bash
orth run tavily /map --body '{"url": "https://docs.example.com", "limit": 200}'
```

**Crawl a website** (extract content from multiple pages):
```bash
orth run tavily /crawl --body '{
  "url": "https://docs.example.com",
  "max_depth": 3,
  "limit": 50
}'
```

Key parameters: `search_depth` (basic/fast/advanced/ultra-fast), `topic` (general/news), `time_range` (day/week/month/year), `include_domains`/`exclude_domains`, `include_answer`, `include_raw_content`, `country`.

## 2. Exa — Neural & Semantic Search

Best for: Finding similar content, semantic/embeddings-based search, category-filtered search (people, companies), and deep research.

**Neural web search:**
```bash
orth run exa /search --body '{
  "query": "startups building AI coding assistants",
  "numResults": 10,
  "type": "auto",
  "contents": {"text": true}
}'
```

**Find similar pages:**
```bash
orth run exa /findSimilar --body '{
  "url": "https://example.com/article",
  "numResults": 10,
  "contents": {"text": true}
}'
```

**Get a sourced AI answer:**
```bash
orth run exa /answer --body '{"query": "What are the best practices for prompt engineering?"}'
```

**Get page contents:**
```bash
orth run exa /contents --body '{"urls": ["https://example.com"], "text": true, "summary": true}'
```

**Deep research** (async):
```bash
# Step 1: Create task
orth run exa /research/v1 --body '{"instructions": "Research the current state of AI coding assistants", "model": "exa-research-pro"}'
# Step 2: Poll with researchId
orth run exa /research/v1/{researchId}
```

Key parameters: `type` (auto/neural/fast/deep), `category` (people/company), `includeDomains`/`excludeDomains`, `startPublishedDate`/`endPublishedDate`, `includeText`/`excludeText`.

## 3. Andi — Fast Web Search

Best for: Quick, high-quality web search with intelligent ranking and instant answers. Low latency.

```bash
orth run andi /v1/search --query 'q=how%20does%20RAG%20work&depth=deep&limit=20'
```

Key parameters: `q` (query), `limit` (1-100), `depth` (fast/deep), `intent` (NewsSearchIntent, VideoSearchIntent, ImageSearchIntent), `dateRange` (day/week/month/year), `includeDomains`/`excludeDomains`, `country`, `language`.

## 4. Linkup — Question-Based Search with Sourced Answers

Best for: Natural language questions, sourced answers with citations, structured output.

**Search with sourced answer:**
```bash
orth run linkup /search --body '{
  "q": "What are the latest AI agent frameworks?",
  "depth": "deep",
  "outputType": "sourcedAnswer"
}'
```

**Structured output search:**
```bash
orth run linkup /search --body '{
  "q": "Top 5 AI startups in 2025",
  "depth": "deep",
  "outputType": "structured",
  "structuredOutputSchema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "startups": {
        "type": "array",
        "items": {
          "type": "object",
          "properties": {
            "name": {"type": "string"},
            "description": {"type": "string"},
            "funding": {"type": "string"}
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}'
```

Key parameters: `q` (natural language question), `depth` (standard/deep), `outputType` (searchResults/sourcedAnswer/structured), `fromDate`/`toDate`, `includeDomains`/`excludeDomains`, `maxResults`.

## 5. Valyu — Web, Proprietary Datasets & News Search

Best for: Searching across web, academic/proprietary datasets, and news. AI-generated answers. Deep research tasks.

**Web search:**
```bash
orth run valyu /v1/search --body '{"query": "AI agent frameworks comparison", "search_type": "web", "max_num_results": 10}'
```

**Academic/proprietary search:**
```bash
orth run valyu /v1/search --body '{"query": "transformer architecture improvements", "search_type": "proprietary"}'
```

**News search:**
```bash
orth run valyu /v1/search --body '{"query": "OpenAI latest announcements", "search_type": "news"}'
```

**AI-generated answer:**
```bash
orth run valyu /v1/answer --body '{"query": "What are best practices for building AI agents?"}'
```

**Deep research** (async):
```bash
# Step 1: Create task
orth run valyu /v1/deepresearch/tasks --body '{"query": "Comprehensive analysis of vector databases market", "mode": "standard"}'
# Step 2: Poll for status
orth run valyu /v1/deepresearch/tasks/{id}/status
```

Key parameters: `search_type` (web/proprietary/news), `fast_mode`, `included_sources`/`excluded_sources`, `relevance_threshold`, `start_date`/`end_date`, `country_code`.

## 6. SearchAPI — Multi-Platform Search

Best for: Searching specific platforms — Amazon, eBay, Walmart, YouTube, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, app stores, and ad libraries (Meta, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn).

All SearchAPI calls use the same endpoint with different `engine` values:

**Amazon product search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=amazon_search&q=wireless%20headphones'
```

**eBay search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=ebay_search&q=vintage%20watch'
```

**Walmart search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=walmart_search&q=laptop'
```

**YouTube search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=youtube&q=AI%20agents'
```

**YouTube video details / comments / transcripts:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=youtube_video&video_id=dQw4w9WgXcQ'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=youtube_comments&video_id=dQw4w9WgXcQ'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=youtube_transcripts&video_id=dQw4w9WgXcQ'
```

**Airbnb search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=airbnb&q=Paris&adults=2&check_in_date=2025-06-01&check_out_date=2025-06-07'
```

**TripAdvisor search:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=tripadvisor&q=best%20restaurants%20NYC'
```

**Apple App Store:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=apple_app_store&term=productivity'
```

**Ad library search** (Meta, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn):
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=meta_ad_library&q=AI%20tools'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=tiktok_ads_library&q=AI'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=reddit_ad_library&q=software'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=linkedin_ad_library&q=hiring'
```

**Social media profiles:**
```bash
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=tiktok_profile&username=openai'
orth run searchapi /api/v1/search --query 'engine=instagram_profile&username=openai'
```

Available engines: `amazon_search`, `ebay_search`, `walmart_search`, `youtube`, `youtube_video`, `youtube_comments`, `youtube_transcripts`, `youtube_channel`, `youtube_channel_videos`, `airbnb`, `tripadvisor`, `apple_app_store`, `meta_ad_library`, `tiktok_ads_library`, `reddit_ad_library`, `linkedin_ad_library`, `tiktok_profile`, `instagram_profile`.

## Tips

- **General web search**: Start with Tavily (`search_depth: "advanced"`) or Exa (`type: "auto"`) for best relevance
- **Speed matters**: Use Andi for fast results, Tavily `ultra-fast` for lowest latency
- **Sourced answers**: Linkup and Valyu both generate answers with citations — Linkup is best for Q&A, Valyu for blending web + proprietary data
- **Academic/research data**: Valyu's `proprietary` search type covers arxiv, pubmed, and academic datasets
- **News**: Use Valyu (`search_type: "news"`) or Tavily (`topic: "news"`) for current events
- **Deep research**: Tavily, Exa, and Valyu all offer async research tasks — Tavily for web-focused, Exa for comprehensive with citations, Valyu for web + academic mix
- **Find similar content**: Exa's `/findSimilar` is unique — pass a URL and get semantically similar pages
- **Platform-specific search**: SearchAPI is the only option for Amazon, eBay, Walmart, YouTube, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and ad libraries
- **Domain filtering**: Most APIs support `include_domains`/`exclude_domains` to scope results
- **Async patterns**: Deep research tasks (Tavily, Exa, Valyu) are async — POST to start, GET to poll for results
- **Combine APIs**: For thorough research, run Tavily + Exa + Linkup in parallel and cross-reference results

## Discover More

List all endpoints for any API, or add a path for parameter details:

```bash
orth api show tavily
orth api show exa
orth api show andi
orth api show linkup
orth api show valyu
orth api show searchapi
```

Example: `orth api show tavily /search` for full parameter details.