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The Library Management System uses categories to organize books by subject or genre. You can browse categories, and administrators can create, update, and delete category records to maintain the organizational structure.

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Browse categories

You can view all categories in the system with pagination support.
1

Request category list

Make a GET request to /api/categories to retrieve paginated categories:
curl http://localhost:8080/api/categories?page=0&size=20&sort=id
2

Review category listings

The response includes paginated category data:
{
  "success": true,
  "message": null,
  "data": {
    "content": [
      {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "Programming"
      },
      {
        "id": 2,
        "name": "Science Fiction"
      },
      {
        "id": 3,
        "name": "Biography"
      }
    ],
    "pageable": {
      "pageNumber": 0,
      "pageSize": 20
    },
    "totalElements": 15,
    "totalPages": 1
  }
}
By default, the category list returns 20 categories per page sorted by ID. You can customize pagination using the page, size, and sort query parameters.

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View category details

You can retrieve detailed information about a specific category using its ID. 
curl http://localhost:8080/api/categories/1
Response: 
{
  "success": true,
  "message": null,
  "data": {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "Programming"
  }
}
Future versions may include additional category information such as descriptions, book counts, and subcategories.

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Add a new category

Category management operations require administrator privileges. Ensure you’re authenticated with an admin account.
Administrators can create new categories to organize books in the library.
1

Prepare category information

Decide on a clear, descriptive name for your category. Category names should be specific enough to be useful but broad enough to contain multiple books.
2

Send create request

Make a POST request to /api/management/categories with the Authorization header:
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/management/categories \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Web Development"
  }'
3

Confirmation

The system returns the newly created category with its assigned ID:
{
  "success": true,
  "message": null,
  "data": {
    "id": 4,
    "name": "Web Development"
  }
}

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Category creation requirements

  • Name: 2-100 characters, required
Category names must be between 2 and 100 characters long. Choose names that will be meaningful to library users.

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Update a category

Administrators can update existing category names to improve clarity or fix spelling.
1

Identify category to update

Get the ID of the category you want to update.
2

Send update request

Make a PUT request to /api/management/categories/{id}:
curl -X PUT http://localhost:8080/api/management/categories/4 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Web Development & Design"
  }'
3

Review updated category

The system returns the updated category information:
{
  "success": true,
  "message": null,
  "data": {
    "id": 4,
    "name": "Web Development & Design"
  }
}
Updating a category name automatically updates the category name for all books in that category.

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Delete a category

Administrators can remove categories from the system when they’re no longer needed.
1

Check for associated books

Before deleting a category, ensure no books are currently assigned to it.
You cannot delete a category that contains books. Either move the books to a different category or delete the books first.
2

Send delete request

Make a DELETE request to /api/management/categories/{id}:
curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8080/api/management/categories/4 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"
3

Confirmation

The system confirms the deletion:
{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Category deleted successfully",
  "data": null
}

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Using categories in book management

When creating or updating books, you reference the category by its ID. Each book belongs to exactly one category: 
{
  "isbn": "978-0-13-468599-1",
  "title": "Clean Code",
  "description": "A handbook of agile software craftsmanship",
  "coverImageUrl": "https://example.com/covers/clean-code.jpg",
  "authorIds": [2],
  "categoryId": 1
}
In this example, the book is assigned to category ID 1 (Programming).

Related workflows

Learn how to create and manage books with categories

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Category organization strategies

Here are some strategies for organizing your library with categories:

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Subject-based categories

Organize books by academic or professional subjects:
  • Programming
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • History
  • Psychology

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Genre-based categories

Organize fiction books by literary genre:
  • Science Fiction
  • Mystery & Thriller
  • Romance
  • Fantasy
  • Historical Fiction

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Hybrid approach

Combine subject and genre categories to cover both fiction and non-fiction:
  • Fiction: Science Fiction
  • Fiction: Mystery
  • Non-Fiction: Technology
  • Non-Fiction: Biography
  • Non-Fiction: Business
Choose a categorization strategy that makes sense for your library’s collection and users. Consistency is more important than the specific system you choose.

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Category workflow best practices

Follow these best practices when managing categories:
1

Plan your taxonomy

Before creating categories, plan out your organizational structure. Consider how users will browse and search for books.
2

Keep it simple

Don’t create too many categories. Users can become overwhelmed with too many options. Aim for 10-20 well-defined categories.
3

Use clear names

Category names should be immediately understandable. Avoid abbreviations or jargon unless they’re widely recognized.
4

Be consistent

If you use plural forms for some categories (“Sciences”), use plural forms for all categories. If you use singular forms (“Science”), stick to that pattern.
5

Review periodically

As your collection grows, review your categories to ensure they still make sense. You may need to add new categories or reorganize existing ones.

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Common category management errors

You may encounter these errors when managing categories:
  • Category not found: The specified category ID doesn’t exist in the database
  • Duplicate category name: A category with this exact name already exists
  • Category in use: Cannot delete this category because it contains books
  • Invalid name length: The category name must be between 2 and 100 characters
  • Unauthorized: You must be an administrator to manage categories
If you need to delete a category that contains books, first update those books to move them to a different category, then delete the empty category.

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