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Retrieves the complete category tree from the Portal.io catalog. The response is an array of top-level industry objects, each containing a nested categories array with their child categories and optional image URLs. Sub-categories may themselves contain additional subCategories arrays. Use the id values from this response as CategoryId or ParentCategoryId filters when searching catalog items.
The Catalog endpoints require separate authorization. Contact your Portal.io representative to confirm your account has catalog API access enabled.

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Request

GET /public/catalog/categories

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Headers

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Accept
string
required
Must be application/json.
​
X-MSS-API-APPID
string
required
Your API Application Key.
​
X-MSS-API-USERKEY
string
required
Your User API Key.
​
X-MSS-CUSTOM-DATE
string
required
Current UTC timestamp in RFC 7231 format (e.g. Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:22:19 GMT).
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X-MSS-SIGNATURE
string
required
HMAC-SHA256 signature of the canonical request, Base64-encoded.

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Response

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200 Success

Returns an array of industry-level category objects.
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id
integer
required
Unique numeric identifier of the industry (top-level category group).
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name
string
required
Display name of the industry group (e.g. Audio, Video, Networking).
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categories
array
Child categories belonging to this industry.

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Error Codes

CodeMeaning
401Not authorized. Your HMAC signature was incorrect or credentials are invalid.
402An active Portal.io subscription is required to use this endpoint.
403Your user account does not have permission for this API call.
500Internal server error.

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Example

curl -i -X GET \
  'https://api.portal.io/public/catalog/categories' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H 'X-MSS-API-APPID: YOUR_APP_ID' \
  -H 'X-MSS-API-USERKEY: YOUR_USER_KEY' \
  -H 'X-MSS-CUSTOM-DATE: Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:22:19 GMT' \
  -H 'X-MSS-SIGNATURE: BASE64_SIGNATURE'

[
  {
    "id": 12,
    "name": "Audio",
    "categories": [
      {
        "id": 47,
        "name": "AV Receivers",
        "imageUrl": "https://images.portal.io/categories/47.jpg",
        "subCategories": []
      },
      {
        "id": 48,
        "name": "Amplifiers",
        "imageUrl": null,
        "subCategories": []
      }
    ]
  },
  {
    "id": 13,
    "name": "Video",
    "categories": [
      {
        "id": 60,
        "name": "Displays",
        "imageUrl": "https://images.portal.io/categories/60.jpg",
        "subCategories": [
          {
            "id": 61,
            "name": "4K Displays",
            "imageUrl": null,
            "subCategories": []
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
]