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Categories are a fundamental organizational structure in Snipe-IT that group similar items together and control their behavior. Categories apply to all item types: assets, accessories, consumables, components, and licenses.

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Understanding Categories

Categories serve two primary purposes:
  1. Organization - Group similar items for easier management and reporting
  2. Behavior Control - Define policies like EULA acceptance requirements and checkout notifications
Categories are higher-level than Asset Models. For example:
  • Category: “Laptops” → Models: “MacBook Pro 16”, “Dell XPS 15”, “ThinkPad X1”
  • Category: “Monitors” → Models: “Dell U2720Q”, “LG 27UK850”

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Category Types

Each category must have a specific type, which determines what items can be assigned to it:
For physical assets that can be checked out to users, locations, or other assets.Examples:
  • Laptops
  • Desktops
  • Monitors
  • Phones
  • Tablets
  • Peripherals

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Creating a Category

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Step 1: Navigate to Categories

Go to Settings (gear icon) > Categories in the admin interface.

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Step 2: Create New Category

Click Create New and configure the following:
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Name
string
required
The category name (e.g., “Laptops”, “Network Equipment”, “Software Licenses”).Note: Category names must be unique within their category type.
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Category Type
select
required
Select from: Asset, Accessory, Consumable, Component, or License.Warning: The category type cannot be changed after creation.
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EULA
textarea
End User License Agreement text that users must accept when checking out items from this category.Supports Markdown formatting.
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Use Default EULA
boolean
Use the system-wide default EULA instead of a category-specific one.Set the default EULA in Settings > General > Default EULA.
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Require Acceptance
boolean
Force users to accept the EULA before checking out items from this category.Users must click “Accept” and the acceptance is logged in the activity log.
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Send Email on Check-in/Check-out
boolean
Send an email notification to the category admin when items are checked in or out.The recipient is set in the category’s admin field.
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Alert on Response
boolean
Send alerts when users respond to EULA acceptance requests.
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Notes
textarea
Internal notes about the category (not visible to end users).
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Tag Color
color
Optional color code for visual organization in the interface.

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Category Behavior Settings

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EULA Management

Categories can enforce End User License Agreements for assets. This is defined in app/Models/Category.php:256-266: 
public function getEula()
{
    if ($this->eula_text) {
        return Helper::parseEscapedMarkedown($this->eula_text);
    } elseif ((Setting::getSettings()->default_eula_text) && ($this->use_default_eula == '1')) {
        return Helper::parseEscapedMarkedown(Setting::getSettings()->default_eula_text);
    } else {
        return null;
    }
}
The EULA hierarchy works as follows:
  1. If category has custom EULA text → use category EULA
  2. Else if “Use Default EULA” is enabled → use system default
  3. Else → no EULA required

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Checkout Email Notifications

When Send Email on Check-in/Check-out is enabled, the checkin_email attribute is stored as a boolean value (app/Models/Category.php:283-286): 
public function setCheckinEmailAttribute($value)
{
    $this->attributes['checkin_email'] = (int) filter_var($value, FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOLEAN);
}

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Organizing with Categories

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Best Practices for Category Structure

Use broad categories - Create categories that group similar items, not individual models.Good: “Laptops”, “Desktop Computers”, “Network Equipment”Bad: “MacBook Pro 2023”, “Dell Latitude 5420”, “Cisco Switch 2960”
Align with procurement - Structure categories to match how your organization purchases and budgets.
Consider reporting needs - Categories appear in reports, so organize in a way that supports your reporting requirements.
Set consistent policies - Use category-level settings (EULA, notifications) to enforce consistent policies across similar items.

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Example Category Structure

Asset Categories:
  • Laptops (Require Acceptance: Yes)
  • Desktop Computers (Require Acceptance: Yes)
  • Monitors (Require Acceptance: No)
  • Mobile Devices (Require Acceptance: Yes, with Mobile Device Policy EULA)
  • Network Equipment (Require Acceptance: No)
  • Printers (Require Acceptance: No)
Accessory Categories:
  • Keyboards & Mice
  • Cables & Adapters
  • Docking Stations
  • Headsets
Consumable Categories:
  • Printer Supplies
  • Office Supplies
  • Storage Media
Component Categories:
  • Memory (RAM)
  • Storage Drives
  • Graphics Cards
  • Batteries
License Categories:
  • Operating Systems
  • Productivity Software
  • Design Software
  • Development Tools

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Category Relationships

Categories have several important relationships defined in app/Models/Category.php:

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Assets

Categories relate to assets through models: 
public function assets()
{
    return $this->hasManyThrough(Asset::class, \App\Models\AssetModel::class, 'category_id', 'model_id');
}

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Asset Models

Asset models belong to a category: 
public function models()
{
    return $this->hasMany(\App\Models\AssetModel::class, 'category_id');
}

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Other Item Types

Direct relationships exist for other types: 
public function accessories() // For accessory categories
public function consumables()  // For consumable categories
public function components()   // For component categories
public function licenses()     // For license categories

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Deleting Categories

Categories can only be deleted if they meet specific criteria (app/Models/Category.php:103-117):
A category can only be deleted if:
  • You have the delete permission for categories
  • The category contains zero items
  • For asset categories: zero associated models exist
  • The category is not soft-deleted
To delete a category with existing items:
  1. Reassign all items to a different category
  2. For asset categories, reassign or delete all models
  3. Then delete the category

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Permissions

Category management requires specific permissions defined in config/permissions.php:277-294:
  • categories.view - View categories
  • categories.create - Create new categories
  • categories.edit - Edit existing categories
  • categories.delete - Delete categories

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API Access

Categories are accessible via the REST API:

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List All Categories

GET /api/v1/categories

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Get Specific Category

GET /api/v1/categories/{id}

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Create Category

POST /api/v1/categories

{
  "name": "Laptops",
  "category_type": "asset",
  "require_acceptance": true,
  "checkin_email": false,
  "eula_text": "By accepting this laptop, you agree to..."
}

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Reporting with Categories

Categories are a primary dimension in Snipe-IT reports:
  • Assets by Category - See asset counts and values grouped by category
  • Category Depreciation - Track depreciation across categories
  • License Compliance - Report on software licenses by category
You can filter most reports by category to focus on specific asset types.

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Advanced: Category Scoping

Categories support advanced query scoping for filtering (app/Models/Category.php:302-321): 
// Filter by category name or type
$categories = Category::byFilter(['name' => 'Laptop'])->get();

// Get only categories that require acceptance
$requireAcceptance = Category::requiresAcceptance()->get();

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Troubleshooting

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”Category name already exists”

Category names must be unique per category type. You can have “Accessories” as both an Asset category and an Accessory category, but not two Asset categories with the same name. This is enforced by the validation rule in app/Models/Category.php:44: 
'name' => 'required|min:1|max:255|two_column_unique_undeleted:category_type'

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Cannot Change Category Type

Category type is immutable after creation. If you need to change the type:
  1. Create a new category with the desired type
  2. Reassign all items to the new category
  3. Delete the old category

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Category Not Appearing in Dropdowns

Ensure:
  • The category type matches the item type you’re creating
  • You have permission to view the category
  • The category is not soft-deleted

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Next Steps

Assets

Learn about asset management

Custom Fields

Add custom fields via fieldsets linked to models

Asset Management

Check out assets with EULA acceptance

API Reference

Use the Categories API

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