---
title: "List Knowledge Base Categories"
url: "https://help.productfruits.com/en/article/knowledge-base-api-list-categories"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-12-22T12:35:06.667Z"
---

# List Knowledge Base Categories

## GET /categories - List Knowledge Base Categories

Retrieve a list of all categories in the knowledge base with their content in different languages. This endpoint is useful for understanding the current category structure, synchronization, and preparing for category imports.

## Endpoint

```
GET /v1/knowledgebase/categories
```

## Request Headers

| Header | Value | Required |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `Authorization` | `Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN` | Yes |

## Response Format

### Success Response (200 OK)

```json
{
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": 123,
      "correlationId": "docs-category",
      "parentCategoryId": null,
      "order": 1,
      "isFeatured": true,
      "icon": "image-guid-123",
      "contents": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "title": "Documentation",
          "description": "All documentation and guides",
          "slug": "docs",
          "slug_state": "manual"
        },
        {
          "lang": "es",
          "title": "Documentación",
          "description": "Toda la documentación y guías",
          "slug": "documentacion",
          "slug_state": "auto"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": 124,
      "correlationId": "getting-started",
      "parentCategoryId": 123,
      "order": 1,
      "isFeatured": false,
      "icon": null,
      "contents": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "title": "Getting Started",
          "description": "Beginner guides and tutorials",
          "slug": "getting-started",
          "slug_state": "auto"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

### Response Fields

#### Category Object (`categories[]`)

| Field | Type | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | `number` | Internal database ID of the category | `123` |
| `correlationId` | `string` | Custom correlation ID (if set) | `"docs-category"` |
| `parentCategoryId` | `number` | Parent category ID (null for root categories) | `null` |
| `order` | `number` | Display order within parent category | `1` |
| `isFeatured` | `boolean` | Whether category is featured | `true` |
| `icon` | `string` | Category icon (emoji or text) | `"📚"` |
| `contents` | `array` | Category content in different languages | See Content Object below |

#### Content Object (`contents[]`)

| Field | Type | Description | Example |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `lang` | `string` | Language code (ISO 639-1) | `"en"` |
| `title` | `string` | Category title | `"Documentation"` |
| `description` | `string` | Category description | `"All documentation and guides"` |
| `slug` | `string` | URL slug | `"docs"` |
| `slug_state` | `string` | Slug generation mode: "auto" or "manual" | `"manual"` |

## Common Use Cases

This endpoint fetches the complete category tree with parent-child relationships. The structure supports one level of hierarchy:

-   **Root categories**: Have `parentCategoryId: null`
-   **Child categories**: Have `parentCategoryId` pointing to their parent category ID

### Correlation ID Usage

The `correlationId` field serves as an external identifier that articles use during import to reference categories. When importing articles, you can specify a category by its `correlationId` instead of the internal database ID, making it easier to maintain relationships across different systems.

Use this endpoint to understand your current category structure and relationships before making changes or imports.

## Common Error Scenarios

### HTTP Error Codes

-   `401 Unauthorized`: Invalid or missing API token
-   `500 Internal Server Error`: Server-side processing error

### Error Response Examples

#### 401 Unauthorized

```json
{
  "error": "AuthenticationMissing",
  "message": "Missing token"
}
```

#### 500 Internal Server Error

```json
{
  "error": "Internal server error occurred while retrieving categories"
}
```

## Rate Limiting

Check out this [guide](https://help.productfruits.com/en/article/rest-api-rate-limiting) for detailed information about API limits and optimization strategies.

## Usage Examples

### Example 1: Get All Categories

```bash
curl -X GET "https://api.productfruits.com/v1/knowledgebase/categories" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN"
```

**Response:**

```json
{
  "categories": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "correlationId": "documentation",
      "parentCategoryId": null,
      "order": 1,
      "isFeatured": true,
      "icon": "image-guid-123",
      "contents": [
        {
          "lang": "en",
          "title": "Documentation",
          "description": "Complete documentation and guides",
          "slug": "docs",
          "slug_state": "manual"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```