# REST API: Population & Field Selection
The REST API by default does not populate any relations, media fields, components, or dynamic zones. It will return all fields for the model and while populating.
# Field selection
Queries can accept a fields parameter to select only some fields. By default, only the following types of fields are returned
- String (string, text, richtext, enumeration, email, password, and uid)
- Date (date, time, datetime, timestamp)
- Number (integer, biginteger, float, decimal)
- Generic (boolean, array, json)
Field selection will not work on relational, media, component, or dynamic zone fields, to see how to properly populate these refer to the population documentation.
Example request: Select only title & body fields
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
fields: ['title', 'body'],
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/users?${query}`);
// GET /api/users?fields[0]=title&fields[1]=body
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "test1",
"body": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.",
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
💡 TIP
By default fields are selected except relations, media, dynamic zones, and components; but you can specify a wildcard * instead of an array.
# Population
Queries can accept a populate parameter to populate various field types:
It is also possible to combine population with multiple operators among various other operators to have much more control over the population.
✋ CAUTION
- By default Strapi will not populate any type of fields.
- It's currently not possible to return just an array of IDs. This is something that is currently under discussion
# Relation & Media fields
Queries can accept a populate parameter to explicitly define which fields to populate, with the following syntax option examples.
✋ CAUTION
If the users-permissions plugin is installed, the find permission must be enabled for the content-types that are being populated. If a role doesn't have access to a content-type it will not be populated.
# Populate 1 level for all relations
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: '*',
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate=%2A
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
"slug": "test-article",
"body": "Test 1",
// ...
"headerImage": {
"data": {
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "17520.jpg",
"alternativeText": "17520.jpg",
"formats": {
// ...
},
// ...
}
}
},
"author": {
// ...
},
"categories": {
// ...
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
# Populate 1 level: categories
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: ['categories'],
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate[0]=categories
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
// ...
"categories": {
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "Food",
// ...
}
}
]
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
# Populate 2 levels: author and author.company
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: {
author: {
populate: ['company'],
}
}
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate[author][populate][0]=company
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
// ...
"author": {
"data": {
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "Kai Doe",
// ...
"company": {
"data": {
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "Strapi",
// ...
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
# Component & Dynamic Zones
The population parameter is used to explicitly define which Dynamic zones, components, and nested components to populate.
# Deeply populate a 2 level component & media
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: [
'seoData',
'seoData.sharedImage',
'seoData.sharedImage.media',
],
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate[0]=seoData&populate[1]=seoData.sharedImage&populate[2]=seoData.sharedImage.media
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
// ...
"seoData": {
"id": 1,
"metaTitle": "Test Article",
// ...
"sharedImage": {
"id": 1,
"alt": "starSky",
"media": {
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "17520.jpg",
"formats": {
// ...
},
// ...
}
}
]
}
}
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
# Deeply populate a dynamic zone with 2 components
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: {
testDZ: {
populate: '*',
},
},
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate[testDZ][populate]=%2A
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"testString": "test1",
// ...
"testDZ": [
{
"id": 3,
"__component": "test.test-compo",
"testString": "test1",
"testNestedCompo": {
"id": 3,
"testNestedString": "testNested1"
}
},
{
"id": 1,
"__component": "test.test-compo2",
"testInt": 1
}
]
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
# Combining Population with other operators
By utilizing the population operator it's possible to combine other operators such as field selection & sort & pagination in the population queries. See the following complex population examples:
# Populate with field selection
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
fields: ['title', 'slug'],
populate: {
headerImage: {
fields: ['name', 'url'],
},
},
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?fields[0]=title&fields[1]=slug&populate[headerImage][fields][0]=name&populate[headerImage][fields][1]=url
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
"slug": "test-article",
"headerImage": {
"data": {
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"name": "17520.jpg",
"url": "/uploads/17520_73c601c014.jpg"
}
}
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}
# Populate with filtering
Example request
const qs = require('qs');
const query = qs.stringify({
populate: {
categories: {
sort: ['name:asc'],
filters: {
name: {
$eq: 'Cars',
},
},
},
},
}, {
encodeValuesOnly: true,
});
await request(`/api/articles?${query}`);
// GET /api/articles?populate[categories][sort][0]=name%3Aasc&populate[categories][filters][name][$eq]=Cars
Example response
{
"data": [
{
"id": 1,
"attributes": {
"title": "Test Article",
// ...
"categories": {
"data": [
{
"id": 2,
"attributes": {
"name": "Cars",
// ...
}
}
]
}
}
}
],
"meta": {
// ...
}
}