Google Custom Search Shuts Down in 2027 — I Replaced It with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Web Search

Google Custom Search JSON API ceased new customer enrollment in 2023, providing a January 1, 2027 deadline for existing users to transition to alternative services. Google suggests Vertex AI Search for searches limited to up to 50 domains; for broader web searches, customers are directed to contact Google. The article explains the switch from Google's solution to Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Web Search after considering alternatives like Brave and Exa, concluding Amazon Bedrock as a viable option albeit at a higher cost per 1,000 queries.

The author emphasizes the importance of version pinning, validating security controls, and debugging each layer separately when using AgentCore Gateway as an AWS-native authorization boundary. They note that Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Web Search is a managed, MCP-compliant connector for AgentCore Gateway, available in specific AWS regions with a cost of $7 per 1,000 queries.

AWS pricing and connector documentation provided the figures. The tool automates the removal of third-party search API keys and provider-specific result parsing but does not eliminate the requirement for configuring IAM, a gateway, and an MCP client. The connector accepts specific parameters such as query length, maximum results, filters like domain and publication-date, and requires compliance with AWS's acceptable-use terms, which mandate the display of source citations and links when surfacing search results.