Dev Tools · 2h ago
SearXNG JSON API breaks silently on most public instances
SearXNG's JSON search API is disabled by default, returning 403 Forbidden unless explicitly enabled. Some instances return 200 with an anti-bot HTML page instead of JSON, causing silent failures in client code. Developers must handle both 403 and non-JSON 200 responses to build reliable integrations.
Meridian48 take
This is a classic footgun for developers who assume a local config matches public instances; the fix is simple but undocumented in most tutorials.
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Your SearXNG JSON integration works on your own instance and silently breaks on everyone else's. Here's why. →
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searxngjson-api