# duckduckgo.instant
**stable** **Standard**
DuckDuckGo Instant Answer: abstract, source, image and related topics for a query (keyless).
`GET /v1/duckduckgo/instant`
## What you get
One Duckduckgo record in Onekey's unified shape, in `data`. If the record does not exist you get a `404 not_found` and are not charged.
## What it costs
- **Standard ยท 1 credit** for a fresh fetch, charged only when it succeeds.
- **Free when served from cache (0.2 credit for a cached response over 100 KB).**
- **Free** if the request is invalid (never charged) or the source fails or reports not found (refunded).
## Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Default | What it is | Constraints |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `q` | string | yes | (required) | Search query | max 200 chars; trimmed, repeated spaces collapsed |
## Request
```bash
curl "https://api.onekey.dev/v1/duckduckgo/instant?q=python%20programming" \
-H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
```
```python
import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.onekey.dev/v1/duckduckgo/instant",
params={"q": "python programming"},
headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
body = res.json()
if body["success"]:
print(body["data"])
else:
print(body["error"]["code"], body["error"]["message"])
```
```javascript
const params = new URLSearchParams({ q: "python programming" });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.onekey.dev/v1/duckduckgo/instant?${params}`, {
headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const body = await res.json();
if (body.success) console.log(body.data);
else console.error(body.error.code, body.error.message);
```
## Recorded response
A real Duckduckgo response, recorded and returned in Onekey's shape. Fields the platform does not provide are `null`.
```json
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"entity": {
"name": "Python (programming language)",
"description": "Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that emphasizes code readability, simplicity, and ease-of-writing with the use of significant indentation, an extensive standard library, and garbage collection. Python supports multiple programming paradigms but with an emphasis on object-oriented programming and dynamic typing. Guido van Rossum began working on Python in the late 1980s as a successor to the ABC programming language. Python 3.0, released in 2008, was a major revision and not completely backward-compatible with earlier versions. Beginning with Python 3.5, capabilities and keywords for typing were added to the language, allowing optional static typing. As of 2026, the Python Software Foundation supports Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14, following the project's annual release cycle and five-year support policy. Python 3.15.0rc1 is out in preview, and the stable release is expected to launch in October 2026.",
"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)",
"type": "programming language"
},
"ext": {
"source": "Wikipedia",
"answer": "",
"definition": "",
"related": [
{
"FirstURL": "https://duckduckgo.com/c/Python_(programming_language)",
"Icon": {
"Height": "",
"URL": "",
"Width": ""
},
"Result": "Python (programming language) Category",
"Text": "Python (programming language) Category"
},
{
"FirstURL": "https://duckduckgo.com/Pydoc",
"Icon": {
"Height": "",
"URL": "",
"Width": ""
},
"Result": "Pydoc - Pydoc is the standard documentation module for the programming language Python.",
"Text": "Pydoc - Pydoc is the standard documentation module for the programming language Python."
},
{
"FirstURL": "https://duckduckgo.com/NumPy",
"Icon": {
"Height": "",
"URL": "",
"Width": ""
},
"Result": "NumPy - NumPy is a library for the Python programming language, adding support for large, multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with a large collection of high-level mathematical functions to operate on these arrays.",
"Text": "NumPy - NumPy is a library for the Python programming language, adding support for large, multi-dimensional arrays and matrices, along with a large collection of high-level mathematical functions to operate on these arrays."
}
]
},
"media": {
"url": null
}
},
"metadata": {
"platform": "duckduckgo",
"endpoint": "instant",
"cached": false,
"stale": false,
"age_s": 0,
"fetched_at": "2026-01-01T12:00:00+00:00",
"credits_charged": 1,
"request_id": "7f3a9c2e5b1d4c8fa2e6d0b9c4f18e37"
},
"error": null
}
```
## Field mapping
How this endpoint's source fields become Onekey's [unified schema](https://onekey.dev/docs/schema.md). Fields the source lacks come back as `null`.
| Source path | Onekey field | Transform |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Heading` | `entity.name` | - |
| `AbstractText` | `entity.description` | - |
| `AbstractURL` | `entity.url` | `safeUrl` |
| `AbstractSource` | `ext.source` | - |
| `Image` | `media.url` | `safeUrl` |
| `Answer` | `ext.answer` | `toString` |
| `Definition` | `ext.definition` | - |
| `Entity` | `entity.type` | - |
| `RelatedTopics` | `ext.related` | - |
## Caching and freshness
- Fresh for about 2 minutes. Repeat calls in that window are served from cache and are free.
- Between 2 minutes and 15 minutes the cached copy is still served instantly and marked `stale: true` while Onekey refreshes it in the background.
- If the source is down when a refresh is needed, the last copy can be served for up to 1 hour more (marked stale).
- A "not found" is remembered for 1 minute and is free.
- The cache is shared across all customers, which is what keeps repeat calls cheap.
## What can go wrong
| Status | Code | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 401 | `unauthorized` | Check the `x-api-key` header. |
| 402 | `insufficient_credits` | [Add credits](https://onekey.dev/pricing); your balance must cover the price. |
| 404 | `not_found` | That record does not exist. Free; do not retry. |
| 422 | `invalid_params` | Fix the parameters using the table above. Free. |
| 429 | `rate_limited` | Wait `Retry-After` seconds, then retry. |
| 502 | `upstream_error` | The source failed. Refunded; retry with backoff. |
See [Errors](https://onekey.dev/docs/errors.md) for the full list and retry guidance.
Status: stable (verified against the live source).