app/search.py

# search.py

import requests

def search_query(query):
    """
    Perform a search using the DuckDuckGo Instant Answer API.
    
    Parameters:
        query (str): The search query.
        
    Returns:
        dict: A dictionary with the JSON response from the API.
        
    Raises:
        Exception: If the API call fails.
    """
    url = "https://api.duckduckgo.com/"
    params = {
        "q": query,
        "format": "json",
        "no_html": 1,
        "skip_disambig": 1
    }
    
    response = requests.get(url, params=params)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        return response.json()
    else:
        raise Exception(f"Search API error: {response.status_code}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example usage:
    query = "latest cancer research news"
    try:
        results = search_query(query)
        # Print the title and abstract (if available) from the response.
        # DuckDuckGo Instant Answer API returns a variety of keys depending on the query.
        print("Search Results:")
        print(results)
    except Exception as e:
        print("Error during search:", e)