Google Forums API

Find forum discussions matching a query.

What is this API?

Serqo’s Google Forums API returns forum and discussion results shown for a Google query as structured JSON. Use engine: "google" and type: "forums"; entries may include discussion titles, source communities, displayed dates and answer previews.

Common use cases

Find public discussions and questions related to a product or topic.
Collect the wording and sources of questions people discuss online.
Monitor whether forum pages appear for selected search queries.

Request example

POST https://api.serqo.io/v1/search

Field	Value
engine	`google`
type	`forums`

Request headers

Create an API key and store it on your server. Send the API key in the x-api-key header.

Header	Value	Description
Content-Type	`application/json`	JSON request body.
x-api-key	`YOUR_API_KEY`	API key used to authenticate the request.

bash

export SERP_API_KEY='YOUR_API_KEY'

curl https://api.serqo.io/v1/search \
  -H "x-api-key: $SERP_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "q": "self hosted photo backup",
  "engine": "google",
  "type": "forums",
  "gl": "us",
  "hl": "en"
}'

Code examples

Use the same API key with a standard HTTP client. These examples require Node.js 22 or later, or Python 3.

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://api.serqo.io/v1/search', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'x-api-key': process.env.SERP_API_KEY, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({"q": "self hosted photo backup","engine":"google","type":"forums"}),
});
const result = await response.json();
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`${response.status}: ${result.error?.message ?? 'Search failed'}`);
console.log(result.data);

Python

import json
import os
from urllib.request import Request, urlopen

payload = {"q": "self hosted photo backup","engine":"google","type":"forums"}
request = Request(
    'https://api.serqo.io/v1/search',
    data=json.dumps(payload).encode(),
    headers={
        'x-api-key': os.environ['SERP_API_KEY'],
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
)
with urlopen(request) as response:
    result = json.load(response)
    print(result['data'])

Parameters

The number of results returned per request depends on the search engine and may vary.

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
q	string	Yes	—	Non-empty search query.
engine	string	No	google	Use google for this API.
type	string	No	web	Use forums for this API.
gl	string	No	—	Two-letter lowercase country code, for example us.
hl	string	No	—	Interface language code, for example en.
start	integer	No	—	Offset from 0 to 1000000. Use nextStart from the response.
safe	off \| active	No	—	Explicit-content filter: off disables it, active enables it.
tbs	string	No	—	Google time filter, such as qdr:d, qdr:w or qdr:m.

Only q is required by the API, but keep engine and type as shown for this search. A dash means the API does not assign a default. Unknown parameters return 422 INVALID_PARAM.

Response

HTTP 200. A real API response, trimmed to the first three results for readability. Field availability and result groups vary by the returned page; values can be null.

JSON

{
  "success": true,
  "requestId": "req_bcc9a112-06c6-48e4-b263-53334b5b5c2d",
  "data": {
    "engine": "google",
    "type": "forums",
    "query": {
      "q": "self hosted photo backup",
      "gl": "us",
      "hl": "en"
    },
    "searchInformation": {
      "totalResults": 395000,
      "timeTakenMs": 300,
      "displayed": "About 395,000 results"
    },
    "results": [
      {
        "position": 1,
        "type": "forum",
        "title": "BEST photos solution in 2024? What are you using?",
        "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/196khet/best_photos_solution_in_2024_what_are_you_using/",
        "displayedUrl": null,
        "domain": "reddit.com",
        "source": "Reddit · r/selfhosted",
        "date": null,
        "snippet": "My new years resolution is to go FOSS (or at least self-hosted) meaning I need to get away from my current Google Photos and Adobe Lightroom ...",
        "snippetHighlightedWords": [],
        "thumbnail": null,
        "favicon": null,
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": null,
        "sitelinks": [
          {
            "title": "96 answers",
            "url": "https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESqAEB6zswFcrnALKlR6AS5CYpYanaOH0zGGSFbHPrLm15KNurGYccL1XwaESMrJ2W6ui9Tk6GJLU4yMDg-3mlU8xNItVSurC2pPhhViE6u_tItc1xuNzacDCvchJr5oDkZmKgqeFeHogRyZn3Te75aSZQEPNG3Jg0y6_dKdXjPRW_5MbPWZQhI5-yk_-zvrtpBRb8lbPbtM7vPe2APmo87N4gU2dxR-MeD3k"
          },
          {
            "title": "Self hosted photo management 2024 : r/ selfhosted",
            "url": "https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESkgEB6zswFU4iZw8BzD-p87lcJ5bTm40voFNpVrycY3Sr47VLGFdi-64rmadYrDitvfIaq4NHiPiMMAwmPUHLB4kchiXw5kUOkNeZvYVmV5DO3QJNMze9TTs8_kzoIRRQSvmH4acv60xMVYsrocjwZcmVKMRoLB_Wzl_swH8nDrTVKlmxcKxNm39IC1y5EU5BqgFhAA"
          },
          {
            "title": "Want to self host photos ... Feel out of my depth...",
            "url": "https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESngEB6zswFSbSkD0aXTht2nM29ydYdS2GSeDai_ip7duM3g7fiAsuOr1-sw15Qn_nJaMwTuqnZtWrx6zCEkMbuGCwcaSGYEhfKs9WN8DhZzk9R6BvVsTZLGK8o8qppTv9m7OVc_pdyGAO9HG5ayFtA-GzyBWnP2dKUx-Kgd883ItbAqscuSG3ZU19OZd84iUbSC_p40kobuyp2EFyNh9yQA"
          }
        ],
        "extensions": {
          "googleRpos": "0"
        }
      },
      {
        "position": 2,
        "type": "forum",
        "title": "photo backup.. - self hosted : is immich the best out there",
        "url": "https://www.dpreview.com/forums/threads/photo-backup-self-hosted-is-immich-the-best-out-there.4811025/",
        "displayedUrl": "https://www.dpreview.com › ... › Beginners Questions",
        "domain": "dpreview.com",
        "source": "DPReview",
        "date": "Jul 23, 2025",
        "snippet": "Jul 23, 2025 — It has a mobile app which allows you to automatically sync your phone photos with the server . If you have a camera and/or you process things ... Read more",
        "snippetHighlightedWords": [
          "automatically sync your phone photos with the server"
        ],
        "thumbnail": null,
        "favicon": null,
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": null,
        "sitelinks": [
          {
            "title": "Read more",
            "url": "https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAES5gEB6zswFeNXHXo6JE7g5ucWwCdD3bn_hQlHwnP8ezroXtWzn0qqI36zZ3Xwe91yxcjKkiYKXhBxKZPk0jlfZJQvityZ2LZ1VzJdFWyBpMqaOT4W7FdIB6aiFholvQp7PLDGAuuR2Im52WHJaD__HGZhsn0hOhMqJIeby7lNXUuCMOhqgcV0jTFL_r0jeK1-9x2VqhGEjmf8MAbVCJptgeBajJoxcfGHVTfKGoE4x-rx6VHwFfyoGiEctCioMeT2IJTfiq64HEXjlnmzdYUI39bjLTsfIiQ371mNGoCFscrHceC-ASwGHg"
          }
        ],
        "extensions": {
          "googleRpos": "1"
        }
      },
      {
        "position": 3,
        "type": "forum",
        "title": "Self Hosted Google Photos - Linux",
        "url": "https://forum.level1techs.com/t/self-hosted-google-photos/205893",
        "displayedUrl": "https://forum.level1techs.com › ... › Linux",
        "domain": "forum.level1techs.com",
        "source": "Level1Techs Forums",
        "date": "Jan 17, 2024",
        "snippet": "Jan 17, 2024 — For my Devember 2023 project I decided to create my own self hosted photo backup solution to use instead of Google Photos. Unfortunately, ... Read more",
        "snippetHighlightedWords": [
          "self hosted photo backup solution"
        ],
        "thumbnail": null,
        "favicon": null,
        "duration": null,
        "price": null,
        "rating": null,
        "sitelinks": [
          {
            "title": "Read more",
            "url": "https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESywEB6zswFcapa93LxnvFbukOZEI_bahb3fYGDvW5P1VGsI5K1eed9-FVSGB-73CekjjWAZ145Y3OONuqZWlXJdUw8lg_L3X2VnLU8UZ_mNNBFxcmFcwVtov_WiVh9U8agYRgYU3qTcNjUIZvHtxdF6Yqoe99fsPMlRo5WNN8mq4hF2luJJEB5AKv0-cp5sMzM7y-pkN76s_cfvziy_xlyUwKgfQ2NhkTcw10hETB60LYZqN6uDgXNnaEa9IAG_JyiLUr8wb8RubltJ6Nkw"
          }
        ],
        "extensions": {
          "googleRpos": "2"
        }
      }
    ],
    "features": {
      "relatedSearches": [
        {
          "query": "Self hosted photo backup reddit",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Self+hosted+photo+backup+reddit&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAg7EAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "Best self hosted photo backup",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Best+self+hosted+photo+backup&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAhCEAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "Self-hosted cloud storage",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Self-hosted+cloud+storage&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAhBEAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "Home photo server",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Home+photo+server&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAg_EAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "PhotoPrism vs Immich",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=PhotoPrism+vs+Immich&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAhAEAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "Immich vs Google Photos",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Immich+vs+Google+Photos&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAg-EAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "How to create your own cloud photo storage",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=How+to+create+your+own+cloud+photo+storage&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAg9EAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "Best open source photo organizer",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&q=Best+open+source+photo+organizer&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ1QJ6BAg8EAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "2",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=10&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAE"
        },
        {
          "query": "3",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=20&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAG"
        },
        {
          "query": "4",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=30&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAI"
        },
        {
          "query": "5",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=40&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAK"
        },
        {
          "query": "6",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=50&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAM"
        },
        {
          "query": "7",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=60&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAO"
        },
        {
          "query": "8",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=70&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAQ"
        },
        {
          "query": "9",
          "url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=self+hosted+photo+backup&safe=off&sca_esv=64345335af5ad8d5&udm=18&hl=en&gl=us&sxsrf=APpeQnv5CehHxZw7IkJ2oW7JNb7pe95EJA:1792732948264&ei=FO_aarPPD4yh5NoP-4OQ2Ac&start=80&sa=N&sstk=AS6-VmKnvbXNVal4Ud1oMvUpZ_sV98WPTRovC6SM3CnZhMdCXCEio56KFGZv5p8eSCv-IM8hddGHFvqYNvKlww_oLibMZpJFC1vfoQ&ved=2ahUKEwizqbvUss-XAxWMEFkFHfsBBHsQ8tMDegQIORAS"
        }
      ],
      "knowledgePanel": {
        "title": null,
        "subtitle": null,
        "description": null,
        "kgmid": null,
        "attributes": {
          "AutocompletePrediction": "Delete"
        },
        "sources": []
      }
    },
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "start": 0,
      "hasNext": true,
      "nextStart": 10
    },
    "meta": {
      "elapsedMs": 1864
    }
  },
  "meta": {
    "cache": "miss"
  }
}

Response fields

Field	Type	Description
data.query	object	Search query passed to the engine.
data.searchInformation	object	Reported result count and search timing, when provided.
success	boolean	Whether the request succeeded. True in this example.
requestId	string	Request identifier to include when troubleshooting.
data.type	string	Search type used for this response.
data.engine	string	Engine that returned the results.
data.results	array	Main result list. Check feature groups as well when present.
data.features	object	Additional result groups; groups not returned by the engine may be absent.
data.pagination	object	Current offset and next-page availability.
data.meta.elapsedMs	number	Search duration in milliseconds, not a performance guarantee.
meta.cache	string \| null	hit, miss, or null if cache status is unknown.

Result fields

Read data.features.discussionsAndForums when present. Some results may instead appear in data.results; check both before treating a search as empty.

Field	Type	Description
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].position	integer	Discussion position.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].title	string	Discussion title.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].link	string \| null	Discussion link; may be a Google redirect.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].source	string \| null	Forum or source label.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].date	string \| null	Displayed date text.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].comments	string \| null	Comment-count text.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].community	string \| null	Community label.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].answers	array	Answer previews when present.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].answers[].text	string \| null	Answer-preview text.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].answers[].votes	string \| null	Vote-count text.
data.features.discussionsAndForums[].answers[].date	string \| null	Answer-date text.

Main result entries

Field	Type	Description
data.results[].domain	string \| null	Destination domain, when available.
data.results[].favicon	string \| null	Site icon when provided.
data.results[].sitelinks	array	Additional links nested under the result.
data.results[].sitelinks[].title	string	Sitelink label.
data.results[].sitelinks[].url	string \| null	Sitelink destination.
data.results[].extensions	object	Other result-specific properties.
data.results[].snippetHighlightedWords	string[], optional	Highlighted terms in the snippet, when provided.
data.results[].position	integer	Rank on this results page, starting at 1.
data.results[].type	string	Result category: organic, news, image, video, shopping, local, forum, book, patent or ad. This can differ from the request type.
data.results[].title	string \| null	Title shown in the result.
data.results[].url	string \| null	Destination URL when resolved; it may be null.
data.results[].displayedUrl	string \| null	URL or domain displayed by the engine; not always a clickable link.
data.results[].source	string \| null	Source name or displayed domain.
data.results[].date	string \| null	Date text when extracted; not necessarily an ISO timestamp.
data.results[].snippet	string \| null	Result summary.
data.results[].thumbnail	string \| null	Thumbnail URL or inline data URL, when provided.
data.results[].duration	string \| null	Video duration text when provided.
data.results[].price	string \| null	Price text when provided.
data.results[].rating	number \| null	Rating when provided.

Pagination

Check data.pagination.hasNext; stop when it is false.
Use data.pagination.nextStart as start. Keep the other search parameters unchanged.
Send the next request. Each page is a separate search request.

Field	Type	Description
data.pagination.nextUrl	string \| null	Search-engine URL for the next page, when available; use nextStart with this API.
data.pagination.requestedPage	integer	Page requested; may differ from the returned page if the engine does not provide it.
data.pagination.page	integer	Current page number.
data.pagination.start	integer	Current result offset.
data.pagination.hasNext	boolean	Whether another page is available.
data.pagination.nextStart	integer \| null	Offset for the next request, or null when unavailable.

Errors

JSON

{
  "success": false,
  "requestId": "req_example",
  "error": {
    "code": "INVALID_PARAM",
    "message": "Unknown parameter \"page\"",
    "retryable": false
  }
}

Field	Type	Description
error.code	string	Machine-readable error code.
error.message	string	Reason the request failed.
error.retryable	boolean	Whether retrying is recommended.
error.retryAfterMs	number, optional	Minimum wait before retrying, in milliseconds.

HTTP status	Meaning	What to do
400	Invalid request or unsupported search type.	Check the query and engine/type combination.
401	Missing, invalid or revoked API key.	Check the authentication header and API key.
402	Insufficient credits.	Check your credit balance.
403	Permission or plan restriction.	Check account access and plan limits.
422	Invalid parameter.	Correct the parameter identified by error.message.
429	Request rate or queue limit.	Follow the retry rules below.
5xx	Server or search service failure.	Keep the requestId; retry only if allowed.

Retry rules

Retry only when error.retryable is true.
If error.retryAfterMs is present, wait at least that many milliseconds.

Pricing and limits

Successful searches use credits at the applicable rate.
Failed searches and timeouts are not charged.
Cache hits are free at the default rate. Before searching, your available balance must cover the full request cost.

See plan pricing and rate-limit and credit details.

Frequently asked questions

Does this API measure overall customer sentiment?

No. It returns matching discussion results from a search page; it does not sample all communities or calculate representative sentiment. Analyze the returned items with your own method and context.

How are forum searches charged?

Successful searches use the applicable credit rate for the engine, type and country. Failed searches and timeouts release the reservation; cache hits are free at the default rate. See Pricing and limits below for the current rules.