# Retrieve a category

Source: https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/categories/retrieve-a-category

Retrieve an existing category using the ID that was returned when created.

## Arguments

- `id` (objectId, required): The id of the category to retrieve.
- `expand` (string): Expanding link fields and child collections is performed using the expand argument.

  - For example, `expand=account` would return a related customer account if one exists.

  When the field represents a collection, you can specify the query limit.

  - For example, `expand=variants:10` would return up to 10 records of the variants collection.

  See [expanding ](https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/querying/expanding)for more details.

  etails.
- `fields` (string): Return only the specified fields in the result. For example `fields=name,slug` would return only the fields `name` and `slug` in the response. Supports nested object and array fields using dot-notation, for example, `items.product_id`. The category `id` is always returned.
- `include` (string): Include one or more arbitrary queries in the response, possibly related to the main query.

  See [including ](https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/querying/including)for more details.

## Example request

`GET /categories/:id`

**cURL**

```bash
$ curl https://api.swell.store/categories/5ca9871f9b14d199072432a1 \
  -u store-id:secret-key
```

**Node**

```javascript
const { swell } = require('swell-node');
swell.init('store-id', 'secret-key');

await swell.get('/categories/{id}', {
  id: '5ca9871f9b14d199072432a1',
});
```

**PHP**

```php
<?php $swell = new \Swell\Client('store-id', 'secret-key');

$swell->get('/categories/{id}', [
  'id' => '5ca9871f9b14d199072432a1',
]);
```

## Example response

```json
{
  "id": "5ca9871f9b14d199072432a1",
  "active": true,
  "name": "Widgets",
  "slug": "widgets",
  "date_created": "2019-04-01T00:00:00.000Z"
  "description": null,
  "images": [
    {
      "id": "5ca24abb9c077817e5fe2b37",
      "file": {
        "id": "5ca24abb9c077817e5fe2b38",
        "date_uploaded": "2019-04-02T00:26:23.399Z",
        "length": 66764,
        "md5": "99194f53bfdea832553e7fa8ae8fd80f",
        "content_type": "image/png",
        "url": "http://cdn.swell.store/test/5ca24abb9c077817e5fe2b36/99194f53bfdea832553e7fa8ae8fd80f",
        "width": 940,
        "height": 600
      }
    }
  ],
  "meta_title": null,
  "meta_keywords": null,
  "meta_description": null
}
```