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Google Reverse Image API

GET   /api/v1/search?engine=google_reverse_image
OpenAPI Initiative Download OpenAPI Spec

The Google Reverse Image API searches Google with an image instead of a text query. Pass a public image url and the response carries the web results Google returns for that image, the visually similar images it finds, and the searches it relates to the image.

Use the Google Reverse Image API for tasks such as:

  • Identifying landmarks, artworks, animals, or products from a photo.
  • Collecting visually similar images together with the pages that host them.
  • Following a product photo across retailers, with price and stock where Google shows them.
  • Researching the topic Google associates with an image.

Web results follow the location set by the country parameter, so the same image can return different results from different countries.

Google redirect links

Google serves result links as encrypted redirects (https://www.google.com/goto?url=...). We resolve them to the destination url on every search, so no parameter is needed. A link we cannot resolve is returned as the google.com redirect, which forwards to the same destination.

API Parameters

Search Query

  • Name
    url
    Required
    Required
    Description

    Parameter defines the image url. This is the direct link to the image you want to search with. The image must be publicly accessible, point to a valid image format (e.g., .jpg, .png), and the url must be at most 6000 characters long.

Localization

  • 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
    country
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    Two-letter country code that defines the location the search is made from. Defaults to us. Check the full list of supported Google Reverse Image country codes.

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_reverse_image.

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).

Zero Data Retention

  • Name
    zero_retention
    Enterprise Only
    Enterprise Only
    Required
    Optional
    Description

    Set this parameter to true to disable all logging and persistent storage. No request parameters, HTML, or JSON responses are stored or logged. Suitable for high-compliance use cases. Debugging and support may be limited while enabled.

API Examples

Full Response

Full Response
GET
https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?engine=google_reverse_image&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fd%2Fd8%2FColosseum_in_Rome-April_2007-1-_copie_2B.jpg%2F1280px-Colosseum_in_Rome-April_2007-1-_copie_2B.jpg
Request
import requests

url = "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search"
params = {
  "engine": "google_reverse_image",
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Colosseum_in_Rome-April_2007-1-_copie_2B.jpg/1280px-Colosseum_in_Rome-April_2007-1-_copie_2B.jpg"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)
Response
{
  "search_metadata": {
    "id": "search_DrB8RdY7kNfFgQyHRTpUngOm",
    "status": "Success",
    "created_at": "2026-09-21T08:12:28Z",
    "request_time_taken": 6.15,
    "parsing_time_taken": 0.16,
    "total_time_taken": 6.31,
    "request_url": "https://lens.google.com/uploadbyurl?url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Ft...",
    "html_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_DrB8RdY7kNfFgQyHRTpUngOm.html",
    "json_url": "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/searches/search_DrB8RdY7kNfFgQyHRTpUngOm"
  },
  "search_parameters": {
    "engine": "google_reverse_image",
    "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Colosseum_in_Rome-April_2007-1-_copie_2B.j...",
    "hl": "en",
    "country": "us"
  },
  "organic_results": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Colosseum",
      "link": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum",
      "source": "Wikipedia",
      "domain": "en.wikipedia.org",
      "displayed_link": "https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Colosseum",
      "snippet": "is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is the largest standing ...",
      "snippet_highlighted_words": [
        "is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome",
        "..."
      ],
      "favicon": "data:image/webp;base64,UklGRqIAAABXR...",
      "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkOolfWUX25dXn1QjrqzAiYTJ3Jk66U_6IUQeBuxUJs4nS..."
    },
    "..."
  ],
  "visual_matches": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "File:Colosseum in Rome, Italy - April 2007.jpg - Wikipedia",
      "link": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_in_Rome,_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg",
      "image": {
        "link": "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Colosseum_in_Rome,_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg/1...",
        "height": 751,
        "width": 1280
      },
      "source": "Wikipedia",
      "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQv4bHu8dClff7RoEdrVVH_q8lPyGwp4nJ1c6Ph2xPJwugd..."
    },
    "..."
  ],
  "related_searches": [
    {
      "title": "Colosseum",
      "link": "https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f3941eca61a3fb22&hl=en&lns_surface=26&q=Colosseum&kgmid=/m/0d5...",
      "thumbnail": "data:image/jpeg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJR..."
    },
    "..."
  ]
}

Web Results

Web Results
GET
https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?engine=google_reverse_image&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fe%2Fea%2FVan_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg%2F1280px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Request
import requests

url = "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search"
params = {
  "engine": "google_reverse_image",
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/1280px-Van_Gogh_-_Starry_Night_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)
Response
{
  "organic_results": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "The Starry Night",
      "link": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Starry_Night",
      "source": "Wikipedia",
      "domain": "en.wikipedia.org",
      "displayed_link": "https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › The_Starry_Night",
      "snippet": "The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the ...",
      "snippet_highlighted_words": [
        "The Starry Night"
      ],
      "favicon": "data:image/webp;base64,UklGRqIAAABXR...",
      "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCX7Y-4r2RlKxaXifytvQc5rXdSf6EONxErWUcT9PWRGqe..."
    },
    "..."
  ]
}

Visual Matches

Visual Matches
GET
https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search?engine=google_reverse_image&url=https%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Fa%2Fa5%2FTsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg%2F1280px-Tsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg
Request
import requests

url = "https://www.searchapi.io/api/v1/search"
params = {
  "engine": "google_reverse_image",
  "url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Tsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg/1280px-Tsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg"
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
print(response.text)
Response
{
  "visual_matches": [
    {
      "position": 1,
      "title": "Katsushika Hokusai - Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa ...",
      "link": "https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434",
      "image": {
        "link": "https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP130155.jpg",
        "height": 2594,
        "width": 3859
      },
      "source": "The Metropolitan Museum of Art",
      "thumbnail": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmgQY6_jdXkZ6D8qRWM7P9nU6_vNxErDCWYuDMABhrgF20..."
    },
    "..."
  ]
}