> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://api.basedock.us/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Product Categories, Manufacturers, and Tags in Base.com
> Manage product categories, manufacturers, and tags in Base.com. These are independent dictionaries referenced by ID when creating or updating products.
Categories, manufacturers, and tags are three independent dictionaries that attach to a product as a reference to an ID — not as free text. When you create a product via [`addInventoryProduct`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=addInventoryProduct), you must supply the relevant IDs; Base will reject or miscategorize products that reference IDs that don't exist. Make sure these dictionaries are populated before you start uploading product cards (see [Uploading Product Data](/products/uploading-product-data)).
## Categories
Categories form a tree structure inside an inventory. Each node has a numeric ID you reference from the product.
* **List:** [`getInventoryCategories`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=getInventoryCategories) — returns all categories for a given inventory.
* **Create / update:** [`addInventoryCategory`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=addInventoryCategory) — resending the same category ID updates that category rather than creating a duplicate.
* **Delete:** [`deleteInventoryCategory`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=deleteInventoryCategory).
Deleting a category **also removes the products assigned to it**. Products in subcategories of the deleted category are unaffected — they move up to the top level rather than being deleted. Double-check which products sit directly in a category before you delete it.
## Manufacturers
Manufacturers are a flat list (no hierarchy) and are paginated at 1 000 entries per page.
* **List:** [`getInventoryManufacturers`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=getInventoryManufacturers) — omit the `page` parameter to retrieve all manufacturers in a single call.
* **Create / update:** [`addInventoryManufacturer`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=addInventoryManufacturer).
* **Delete:** [`deleteInventoryManufacturer`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=deleteInventoryManufacturer).
## Tags
Tags let you mark products across the catalog independently of their category or manufacturer — useful for filtering, campaign targeting, or flagging products for internal processes.
* **List:** [`getInventoryTags`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=getInventoryTags).
* **Create / update:** [`addInventoryTag`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=addInventoryTag) — resending the same `tag_id` updates the existing tag.
* **Delete:** [`deleteInventoryTag`](https://api.baselinker.com/index.php?method=deleteInventoryTag).
Deleting a tag automatically **unlinks it from all products** that carry it. You don't need to manually remove the tag from individual products first.
## Before a bulk cleanup
Deleting a category, manufacturer, or tag is **irreversible** with respect to its product links. Export your current product-to-category, product-to-manufacturer, and product-to-tag assignments before you run any bulk delete operation. There is no undo.
If your scenario requires custom tagging or categorization logic tied to an external PIM or ERP system — for example, auto-mapping PIM taxonomy to Base categories on import — discuss this with the implementation team before you build it. Duplicated logic between your system and Base can cause conflicts that are difficult to debug later.