As of my last update in early 2023, Microsoft does not provide a dedicated API specifically for "scraping" Bing search results in the traditional sense of web scraping. Web scraping typically refers to the practice of using bots to extract content from websites in an automated fashion, which often violates the terms of service of many websites, including Bing.
However, Microsoft does offer the Bing Search API as part of Microsoft Azure's Cognitive Services, which allows developers to programmatically access Bing's search results. This API is a legitimate and terms-compliant way to obtain search results for web, image, video, news, and other types of searches.
The Bing Search API provides structured data and is intended for scenarios such as adding search capabilities to your apps or websites, analyzing search results data, or creating new experiences based on Bing's search capabilities.
Here's a basic example of how to use the Bing Search API in Python:
import requests
subscription_key = "YOUR_BING_SEARCH_API_KEY"
search_term = "Microsoft Azure"
search_url = "https://api.cognitive.microsoft.com/bing/v7.0/search"
headers = {"Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": subscription_key}
params = {"q": search_term, "textDecorations": True, "textFormat": "HTML"}
response = requests.get(search_url, headers=headers, params=params)
response.raise_for_status()
search_results = response.json()
# Output the search results
for web_page in search_results["webPages"]["value"]:
print(web_page["name"], web_page["url"])
To use this code, you need to replace "YOUR_BING_SEARCH_API_KEY" with your actual subscription key from Azure Cognitive Services.
The Bing Search API is not free, but it does offer a pricing model based on the number of transactions you perform with the service. Microsoft provides a free tier with limited transactions per month for developers to start with and test their applications.
It's important to note that any kind of scraping or automated access that does not use the official API and violates Bing's terms of service can result in your IP being banned or other legal consequences. Always ensure that you use the official API and adhere to the terms of use provided by the service.
