When possible, use the [Category Trees - Create categories](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/catalog/category-trees/categories/create-categories) endpoint instead.
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](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/catalog/category-trees/categories/create-categories) endpoint when an API works with categories across different category trees that belong to different storefront channels.
**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`
**Read-Only Fields**:
- `id`
**Limits**:
- 16,000 categories per store limit.
- 1,000 categories per product limit.
- 50 characters category name length.
- 8 levels of child categories depth limit.
- 65,535 characters category description length limit.
Request
Common Category object properties.
parent_idintegerRequired
The unique numeric ID of the categoryʼs parent. This field controls where the category sits in the tree of categories that organize the catalog.
Required in a POST if creating a child category.
namestringRequired1-50 characters
The name displayed for the category. The name must be unique with respect to the category of siblings on the same level (you can duplicate the name for other siblings on another level). Required in a POST.
descriptionstringOptional
The category description, which can include HTML formatting.
viewsintegerOptional
Number of views the category has on the storefront.
sort_orderintegerOptional-2147483648-2147483647
Priority this category will be given when included in the menu and category pages. The lower the number, the closer to the top of the results the category will be.
page_titlestringOptional0-255 characters
Custom title for the category page. If not defined, the category name will be used as the meta title.
search_keywordsstringOptional0-255 characters
A comma-separated list of keywords that can be used to locate the category when searching the store.
meta_keywordslist of stringsOptional
Custom meta keywords for the category page. If not defined, the storeʼs default keywords will be used. Must post as an array like: [“awesome”,“sauce”].
meta_descriptionstringOptional0-65535 characters
Custom meta description for the category page. If not defined, the storeʼs default meta description will be used.
layout_filestringOptional0-50 characters
A valid layout file. Please refer to [the article on creating category files (Help Center)](https://support.bigcommerce.com/articles/Public/Creating-Custom-Template-Files/). This field is writable only for stores with a Blueprint theme applied. For stores with a Stencil theme applied, see [Custom Template Associations](/developer/api-reference/rest/admin/content/custom-template-associations).
is_visiblebooleanOptional
Flag to determine whether the category should be displayed to customers browsing the store. If true, the category will be displayed. If false, the category will be hidden from view.
default_product_sortenumOptional
Determines how the products are sorted on category page load.
image_urlstringOptional
Image URL used for this category on the storefront. Images can be uploaded using form file post to /categories/{categoryId}/image, or by providing a publicly accessible URL in this field. An image extension like .jpg or .png is required.
custom_urlobjectOptional
The custom URL for the category on the storefront. If not provided, the URL will be autogenerated from the category name.
dataobject
Common Category object properties.
metaobject
Response metadata.
