BigCommerce API 2024: How To Create And Retrieve A Category

Table of Contents

Beehexa will show you How to create and retrieve a category; you can create and retrieve a category with all the information you want using Postman.

Creates a Category

Use this endpoint when an API only works with categories of a default BigCommerce storefront (channel_id=1). Use the Create Categories endpoint when an API works with categories across different category trees that belong to different storefront channels.

Note: There are Limits related to the category:

  • 16,000 categories per store limit.
  • 1,000 categories per product limit.
  • 50 characters category name length.
  • 8 levels of category depth limit.
  • 65,642 characters category description length limit.

We will create a category in BigCommerce using Postman.

So, Log in Postman account and then choose a workspace

Now, we are ready to create a category using Postman. 

Select POST and paste the URL

https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/v3/catalog/categories

Replace {store_hash} with your store_hash generated on BigCommerce from the API path.

  1. In the Header section, you need to declare the information :
  • Accept : application/json
  • Content-Type : application/json
  • X-Auth-Token: Access token
  • X-Auth-Client: Client ID
beehexa BigCommerce API: How To Create And Retrieve A Category
beehexa 01 BigCommerce API: How To Create And Retrieve A Category
  1. In the Body section

Click on “raw” to fill in the data; remember to change the “text” to “JSON.”

Remember, a category can be created with an existing catalog product or a custom product.

Required Fields:

  • parent_id:
    • To create a child category, set the parent_id to the parent category.
    • To create a top-level category, set the parent_id to 0.
  • name:

I will show you our example below, and you can create your category

{
  "name": "HexaSync",
  "description": "<p>Integration Platform</p>",
  "views": 28,
  "sort_order": 3,
  "meta_keywords": [],
  "layout_file": "category.html",
  "is_visible": true,
  "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
  "image_url": "",
  "parent_id": 0,
  "custom_url": {
    "url": "/hexasync/",
    "is_customized":true
  }
}

Response: The API will return the data like this. 

            "id": 29,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "HexaSync",
            "description": "<p>Integration Platform</p>",
            "views": 28,
            "sort_order": 3,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/hexasync/",
                "is_customized": true
            }
        }
    ],
    "meta": {
        "pagination": {
            "total": 9,
            "count": 9,
            "per_page": 50,
            "current_page": 1,
            "total_pages": 1,
            "links": {
                "current": "?page=1&limit=50"
            }
        }
    }
}

Retrieve all categories

First of all, select GET and paste the URL

https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/v3/catalog/categories

If you want to retrieve just one product data, past the URL with the structure:

https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/v3/catalog/categories

Replace {store_hash} with your store hash generated on BigCommerce from the API path.

Replace {category_id} with the category ID you get when you create the category

In the Header section, you need to declare the information:

  • X-Auth-Token: Access token
beehexa BigCommerce API: How To Create And Retrieve A Category
beehexa 02 BigCommerce API: How To Create And Retrieve A Category

Then click send.

Response: The API will return the data like this.

{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": 18,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Bath",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 1,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/bath/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 19,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Garden",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 2,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/garden/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 20,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Publications",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 4,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/publications/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 21,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Kitchen",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 3,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/kitchen/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 22,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Utility",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 5,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/utility/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 23,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "Shop All",
            "description": "",
            "views": 0,
            "sort_order": 0,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category_with_facets.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/shop-all/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 24,
            "parent_id": 23,
            "name": "test_category",
            "description": "<p>it's cheap plastic with minimal toxic fumes</p>",
            "views": 105,
            "sort_order": 3,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/test_category/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 26,
            "parent_id": 23,
            "name": "chau_category",
            "description": "<p>it's cheap plastic with minimal toxic fumes</p>",
            "views": 150,
            "sort_order": 3,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/chau_category/",
                "is_customized": false
            }
        },
        {
            "id": 29,
            "parent_id": 0,
            "name": "HexaSync",
            "description": "<p>Integration Platform</p>",
            "views": 28,
            "sort_order": 3,
            "page_title": "",
            "meta_keywords": [
                ""
            ],
            "meta_description": "",
            "layout_file": "category.html",
            "image_url": "",
            "is_visible": true,
            "search_keywords": "",
            "default_product_sort": "use_store_settings",
            "custom_url": {
                "url": "/hexasync/",
                "is_customized": true
            }
        }
    ],
    "meta": {
        "pagination": {
            "total": 9,
            "count": 9,
            "per_page": 50,
            "current_page": 1,
            "total_pages": 1,
            "links": {
                "current": "?page=1&limit=50"
            }
        }
    }
}

In conclusion, the above are all steps to create and retrieve a category on BigCommerce with Postman. Please comment below or refer to our BigCommerce API documentation if you have any questions.

Finally, I hope you can achieve it!

You can see these steps visually in the video below: