Google Images Light API

Google Images Light API uses /api/v1/search?engine=google_images_light API endpoint to scrape real-time results.

The Google Images Light API provides a simplified version of Google Images API, that enables you to retrieve images, their title and sources, much faster. You can also apply filters such as size, color, type, and more to refine your search results efficiently.

API Parameters

Search Query

  • Name
    q
    Required
    Required
    Description

    Parameter defines the query you want to search. You can use anything that you would use in a regular Google search. e.g. inurl:, site:, intitle:, and more.

Device

  • Name
    device
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    The default parameter desktop defines the search on a desktop device. The mobile parameter defines the search on a mobile device. The tablet parameter defines the search on a tablet device.

    Results may vary between devices, desktop retreives title, source and thumbnail, mobile and tablet retreive source, original image information and thumbnail.

Geographic Location

  • Name
    location
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    Parameter defines from where you want the search to originate. If several locations match the location requested, we'll pick the most popular one. Head to the Locations API if you need more precise control.

  • Name
    uule
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    Parameter is the Google encoded location you want to use for the search. SearchApi automatically generated the uule parameter when you use the location parameter but we allow you to overwrite it directly. uule and location parameters can't be used together.

Localization

  • Name
    google_domain
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    The default parameter google.com defines the Google domain of the search. Check the full list of supported Google google_domain domains.

  • Name
    gl
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    The default parameter us defines the country of the search. Check the full list of supported Google gl countries.

  • Name
    hl
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    The default parameter en defines the interface language of the search. Check the full list of supported Google hl languages.

  • Name
    cr
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    The cr parameter restricts search results to documents originating in a particular country. Google determines the country of a document by the top-level domain (TLD) of the document's URL or by Web server's IP address geographic location. Check the full list of supported Google cr countries.

Filters

  • Name
    nfpr
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls whether results from queries that have been auto-corrected for spelling errors are included. To exclude these auto-corrected results, set the value to 1. By default, the value is 0, meaning auto-corrected results are included.

  • Name
    filter
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls whether the "Duplicate Content" and "Host Crowding" filters are enabled. Set the value to 1 to enable these filters, which is the default setting. To disable these filters, set the value to 0.

  • Name
    safe
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter toggles the SafeSearch feature for the results. SafeSearch operates by filtering out adult content from your search results. Google's filters use proprietary technology to check keywords, phrases and URLs. While no filters are 100 percent accurate, SafeSearch will remove the overwhelming majority of adult content from your search results. Set the value to active to enable SafeSearch. To disable it, set the value to off. By default, SafeSearch is disabled, but explicit content is blurred.

  • Name
    tbs
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter restricts results to URLs based on encoded values. Parameter is normally constructed using size, color, image_type, time_period, usage_rights values. For instance, isz:l would return only results that has large image size.

  • Name
    size
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls the size of your search results. There are few options available: large, medium, icon, larger_than_400x300, larger_than_640x480, larger_than_800x600, larger_than_1024x768, larger_than_2mp, larger_than_4mp, larger_than_6mp, larger_than_8mp, larger_than_12mp, larger_than_15mp, larger_than_20mp, larger_than_40mp, larger_than_70mp.

  • Name
    time_period
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter restricts results to URLs based on date. Supported values are: last_hour, last_day, last_week, last_month, last_year

  • Name
    color
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls the color of your search results. These options are available: black_and_white, color, transparent, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, pink, white, gray, black, brown.

  • Name
    image_type
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls the type of your search results. There are only few options that are available: clipart, line_drawing, gif, face, photo.

  • Name
    usage_rights
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter controls the usage rights of your search results. Options that are available: creative_commons_licenses, commercial_or_other_licenses.

  • Name
    aspect_ratio
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter filters images based on aspect ratio. Supported values are:

    • square - width equals height.
    • tall - height greater than width.
    • wide - width greater than height.
    • panoramic - width is at least twice the height.

Pagination

  • Name
    page
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    This parameter indicates which page of results to return. By default, it is set to 1.

Engine

  • Name
    engine
    Required
    Required
    Description

    Parameter defines an engine that will be used to retrieve real-time data. It must be set to google_images_light.

API key

  • Name
    api_key
    Required
    Required
    Description

    The api_key authenticates your requests. Use it as a query parameter (https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?api_key=YOUR_API_KEY) or in the Authorization header (Bearer YOUR_API_KEY).

API Examples

Full Response - Desktop

Full Response - Desktop
GET
https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?engine=google_images_light&q=orange
Request
import requests

url = "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search"
params = {
  "engine": "google_images_light",
  "q": "orange"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)
Response
{
    "search_metadata": {
        "id": "search_vr7K8ndWgWe1idN83P45k2mY",
        "status": "Success",
        "created_at": "2025-07-04T18:16:32Z",
        "request_time_taken": 0.5,
        "parsing_time_taken": 0.05,
        "total_time_taken": 0.55,
        "request_url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=orange&oq=orange&gl=us&hl=en&udm=2",
        "html_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_vr7K8ndWgWe1idN83P45k2mY.html",
        "json_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_vr7K8ndWgWe1idN83P45k2mY"
    },
    "search_parameters": {
        "engine": "google_images_light",
        "q": "orange",
        "device": "desktop",
        "google_domain": "google.com",
        "hl": "en",
        "gl": "us"
    },
    "search_information": {
        "query_displayed": "orange",
        "detected_location": "South Montebello, California"
    },
    "images": [
        {
            "position": 1,
            "title": "Orange (fruit) - Wikipedia",
            "source": {
                "name": "en.wikipedia.org",
                "link": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_(fruit)"
            },
            "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQT1S_EWAXFh_6lmf5fCOM7cXHUXqjptMuF6iklsPrpojics5-kK43Rrh9DCYo&s"
        },
        {
            "position": 2,
            "title": "Orange Juice Nutritional...",
            "source": {
                "name": "www.dole.com",
                "link": "https://www.dole.com/produce/oranges"
            },
            "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR5BUlZhuS2wxc4MSyZWjaZGxlKugN3VnoUKBx3d5ZOZX0g1WP-80KJ7-oyLJ0&s"
        },
        ...
    ]
}

Full Response - Mobile

Full Response - Mobile
GET
https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?device=mobile&engine=google_images_light&q=pear
Request
import requests

url = "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search"
params = {
  "engine": "google_images_light",
  "q": "pear",
  "device": "mobile"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)
Response
{
    "search_metadata": {
        "id": "search_e4Y69DMlgLWRi8NKpXxN0K2V",
        "status": "Success",
        "created_at": "2025-07-04T18:16:32Z",
        "request_time_taken": 0.7,
        "parsing_time_taken": 0.05,
        "total_time_taken": 0.75,
        "request_url": "https://www.google.com/search?q=pear&oq=pear&gl=us&hl=en&udm=2",
        "html_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_e4Y69DMlgLWRi8NKpXxN0K2V.html",
        "json_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_e4Y69DMlgLWRi8NKpXxN0K2V"
    },
    "search_parameters": {
        "engine": "google_images_light",
        "q": "pear",
        "device": "mobile",
        "google_domain": "google.com",
        "hl": "en",
        "gl": "us"
    },
    "search_information": {
        "query_displayed": "pear",
        "detected_location": "Chicago IL, Illinois"
    },
    "images": [
        {
            "position": 1,
            "source": {
                "name": "rootstofruitsnursery.com",
                "link": "https://rootstofruitsnursery.com/products/ayers"
            },
            "original": {
                "link": "https://rootstofruitsnursery.com/cdn/shop/files/IMG_2063_1200x1200_crop_center.jpg?v=1698952333",
                "width": 1200,
                "height": 1200
            },
            "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFx9Un6ici5zPkntcpJtwNkpe22nkap-YfJMgAkx491hl_F2PWUvG_wmzHGQ&s"
        },
        {
            "position": 2,
            "source": {
                "name": "www.producemarketguide.com",
                "link": "https://www.producemarketguide.com/produce/deciduous-fruit/pears"
            },
            "original": {
                "link": "https://www.producemarketguide.com/media/user_RZKVrm5KkV/22476/pears_commodity-page.png",
                "width": 600,
                "height": 600
            },
            "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSWMb29Ou11N0fn0RCEQDbsU5HcuLpzYUWA1BYs9vMAwztYA5jHywkf68xF&s"
        },
    ...
    ]
}