---
title: "Categories"
description: "List one level of Amazon's category tree: the departments, or the children of one category."
---

> Every apinoa docs page as markdown: https://apinoa.com/llms.txt (all in one file: https://apinoa.com/llms-full.txt; this API family in one file: https://apinoa.com/docs/marketplace/llms.txt)

```http
GET | POST /v1/amazon/categories
```

Send parameters as a query string with `GET`, or as a JSON body with `POST`. Both are equivalent.

## Request

```bash tab="cURL"
curl "https://gateway.apinoa.com/v1/amazon/categories" \
  -H "x-api-key: $APINOA_API_KEY"
```

```js tab="JavaScript"
const res = await fetch("https://gateway.apinoa.com/v1/amazon/categories", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": process.env.APINOA_API_KEY },
});
const { success, data, error } = await res.json();
```

```python tab="Python"
import os

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://gateway.apinoa.com/v1/amazon/categories",
    headers={"x-api-key": os.environ["APINOA_API_KEY"]},
)
body = res.json()
```

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `categoryId` | string |  | Omit for the 40 departments; give a browse node (`172541`) or a department slug (`electronics`) to list that category's children. This is the one endpoint that takes either kind of id. |
| `region` | enum |  | Which Amazon marketplace to query, by buyer country: US, CA, MX, BR, FR, IT, ES, NL, SE, TR, AE, SA, IN, JP, SG, AU. Defaults to US. Prices come back in that marketplace's own currency (JP in JPY, FR in EUR). `US` `CA` `MX` `BR` `FR` `IT` `ES` `NL` `SE` `TR` `AE` `SA` `IN` `JP` `SG` `AU` |

The same parameters, and every response type, are in the OpenAPI document: https://apinoa.com/openapi.json

## Response

Returns [`CategoryList`](/docs/api-reference/marketplaces/response-schema#categorylist) in `data`. A real response, shortened: arrays keep their first entries and long text is cut.

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "marketplace": "amazon",
    "path": [],
    "categories": [
      {
        "id": "amazon-devices",
        "name": "Amazon Devices & Accessories",
        "browsable": false
      },
      {
        "id": "amazon-renewed",
        "name": "Amazon Renewed",
        "browsable": false
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

## Errors

| Status | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | `INVALID_PARAMS` | A parameter is missing, unknown or out of range. The message names it. |
| 401 | `UNAUTHORIZED` | The `x-api-key` header is missing, or the key is revoked or unknown. |
| 402 | `INSUFFICIENT_BALANCE` | The balance does not cover this call. Top up in the dashboard. |
| 429 | `MARKETPLACE_SATURATED` | Too many concurrent calls. Retry after the `Retry-After` seconds. |
| 502 | `UPSTREAM_ERROR` | The platform answered with something unusable. Retry with backoff. |

Every code is listed in [Errors](/docs/errors). Failed calls are not billed.

## Pricing

**Price** $0.001 per call. [List price](https://apinoa.com/en/pricing); the rate steps down above 1,000 calls a day.

## Notes

- **Omit `categoryId` for the departments.** Pass one to list its children, and walk down.
- **Two kinds of id.** A department is a store slug (`electronics`); everything below it is a numeric browse node (`172541`). Departments come back with `"browsable": false` because [Browse](/docs/api-reference/amazon/browse) needs a node. Descend one level and you have ids it accepts.
- Below the departments, `browsable` is not reported and defaults to yes; a minority of nodes list nothing (Camera & Photo is one).
- The response carries `path` (the ancestors, leaf last) and `categories`.