Groups and categories
ApiGo organizes APIs along two independent dimensions:
| Dimension | Purpose | Structure | Affects permissions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | The directory tree on the left of the workbench, API ownership and collaboration boundaries | Tree with nested subgroups | Yes |
| Category | Business tag used for filtering and search | Flat list | No |
Both are maintained under "Service management → Category management → Groups and categories"; the page has two tabs, "Group management" and "Category management".
Group management
Group tree
Groups are shown as a tree table that can be expanded/collapsed and searched by name:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Group name | Shown with hierarchy indentation; subgroups can be expanded |
| Description | Group description |
| Created by | Group creator |
| Created at | Creation time |
| Linked APIs | Number of APIs in the group; shown in red when 0 |
| Actions | Add subgroup, edit, delete |
Groups also appear in the directory tree on the left of the workbench. Users see only the groups they created and the group subtrees they are authorized for; administrators can see all.
Creating a group
Click "Add subgroup" to open the form:
| Field | Required | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Group name | Yes | Must not start with _ or a digit; only letters, digits, underscores and Chinese characters; length 2–50 |
| Parent group | Yes | Selected from the group tree |
| Group description | No | Up to 50 characters |
The group appears in the tree immediately after saving, and APIs can be filed under it in the workbench.
Editing and deleting
- Only the group creator or an administrator can edit or delete a group.
- When editing a root group, the parent group cannot be changed, to avoid breaking the directory hierarchy.
- The built-in group (ID 1) cannot be deleted; the backend returns "The built-in group cannot be deleted".
- Deleting a group removes only the group record itself and does not cascade to delete APIs. If the group still contains APIs, they lose their group assignment after deletion, so migrate them to another group first.
The "Linked APIs" value in the UI is informational only and does not block deletion. Before deleting a group that contains APIs, move those APIs to another group in the workbench.
Groups and permissions
Groups are part of API visibility:
- Non-administrators can only see groups they created and groups they are authorized for;
- The workbench group tree and the group filter in the API list are both based on the same set of visible groups;
- Group authorization is handled through system permissions/roles or project member configuration; users are not invited directly from the group form;
- Groups are fully isolated between projects; after switching projects, you see the group tree of the current project.
Category management
Category list
Categories are flat business tags used to tag APIs so they can be filtered by business domain.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Category ID | Category primary key |
| Category name | Business category name |
| Description | Category description |
| Linked APIs | Number of APIs using the category |
| Updated at | Last modified time |
| Actions | Edit, delete |
Supports search by category name and pagination.
Creating and editing
The form has only two fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Category name | Yes | Business category name |
| Description | No | Category description |
Categories are single-level; the current UI does not support parent-child categories. An API can select at most one category; the category is optional, and APIs can be saved and released without one.
Deletion restrictions
When a category's "Linked APIs" count is greater than 0, the delete button is disabled. Change or clear the category on the APIs that use it first, then delete.
Categories and permissions
Categories play no part in permission checks: any user who can open the category management page can maintain categories, and APIs are never restricted by category.
How to choose
| Scenario | Use |
|---|---|
| Isolate APIs by team/business line and control visibility | Group |
| Workbench directory organization and API ownership | Group |
| Tag APIs with business labels and search by business domain | Category |
| Need multi-level organization | Group (nested) |
| Need a uniform mark across groups | Category (flat) |
Every API must belong to one group, but the category can be empty. The group determines "who can see it"; the category only determines "how to find it".
FAQ
| Symptom | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| A group is not visible in the workbench | You are not the creator and have no authorization | Ask an administrator to authorize the group or project member permission |
| APIs disappear after a group is deleted | The APIs still point to the deleted group | Find them by keyword in the API list and assign a group again |
| The category delete button is grayed out | APIs still use the category | Change the category on those APIs first |
| The group name cannot be saved | It starts with a digit/underscore or contains illegal characters | Change it to follow the naming rules |
| The parent group is grayed out when editing a root group | Root groups cannot change their parent | To adjust the hierarchy, create a subgroup and migrate the APIs |