Product search API
Find POSITAL products from technical requirements. Discover available filters, retrieve matching products, and read their datasheets through a public, read-only API.
For developers and AI assistants that can make HTTP requests. Covers absolute encoders, incremental encoders, inclinometers, kit encoders, linear sensors and accessories with English catalogue labels. Public searches require no account or API key.
Quick start
For a request such as “a CANopen absolute encoder with a 10 mm shaft and multiturn capability”, use this sequence:
Discover valid filter values
Read Available absolute encoder filters. It returns supported values and the number of matching products for each option.
Search with the requirements
curl --get 'https://www.posital.com/api/catalog/v1/products' \ --data-urlencode 'category=absolute-encoders' \ --data-urlencode 'interface=CANopen' \ --data-urlencode 'shaft_diameter_mm=10' \ --data-urlencode 'multiturn=true' \ --data-urlencode 'limit=3'Run this example and view the JSON results.
A 10 mm diameter does not specify solid versus hollow shaft. Add a flange design filter if the application requires one.
Check the product datasheet
Follow a result’s
details_url, or requestGET /api/catalog/v1/products/{productId}. Use the exact ID returned by search. The response includes datasheet sections and a link to the product page. Category is detected from the ID; an optional category parameter restricts the lookup.
Supported filters
Set category on both filter and search requests. It defaults to absolute-encoders. Each category has its own filters and meanings; unsupported filters return an error. Read current values from the links below, since options depend on the catalogue and any filters you apply.
Absolute encoders
category=absolute-encoders · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
interfacestring | Exact communication interface label. |
shaft_diameter_mmnumber (mm) | Exact shaft diameter in millimetres, not a catalogue code. |
multiturnboolean | True for explicitly labelled multiturn encoders; false for singleturn. Unknown/module labels are excluded. |
revolutionstring | Exact revolution capability label. |
resolutionstring | Exact resolution label; no inferred minimum or range matching. |
protection_classstring | Exact catalogue protection group. Check separate shaft/housing ratings in the datasheet; ratings are not treated as an ordered scale. |
materialstring | Exact catalogue material group, which can combine housing and flange materials. Check each component's material in the datasheet. |
flange_designstring | Exact shaft/flange design label, including mounting subtype. |
flange_sizestring | Exact flange size label, preserving round versus square geometry. |
shaft_optionsstring | Exact shaft/flange option label. |
connection_typestring | Exact connection type label, including orientation and length where specified. |
accuracystring | Exact catalogue accuracy/technology group, not a guaranteed accuracy limit. Datasheet INL can differ and depend on resolution. No numeric range matching. |
certificatesstring | Exact catalogue certificate/feature group. Values include Redundant and Safety, which do not establish a certification. Verify approvals in the datasheet. |
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
Incremental encoders
category=incremental-encoders · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
interfacestring | Exact communication interface label. |
shaft_diameter_mmnumber (mm) | Exact shaft diameter in millimetres, not a catalogue code. |
protection_classstring | Exact catalogue protection group. Check separate shaft/housing ratings in the datasheet; ratings are not treated as an ordered scale. |
materialstring | Exact catalogue material group, which can combine housing and flange materials. Check each component's material in the datasheet. |
flange_designstring | Exact shaft/flange design label, including mounting subtype. |
flange_sizestring | Exact flange size label, preserving round versus square geometry. |
shaft_optionsstring | Exact shaft/flange option label. |
connection_typestring | Exact connection type label, including orientation and length where specified. |
certificatesstring | Exact catalogue certificate/feature group. Values include Redundant and Safety, which do not establish a certification. Verify approvals in the datasheet. |
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
pin_assignmentstring | Exact pin assignment / output signal label. This does not specify pulses per revolution. |
Inclinometers
category=inclinometers · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
interfacestring | Exact communication interface label. |
resolutionstring | Exact angular resolution label; no inferred minimum or range matching. |
accuracystring | Exact catalogue accuracy label. Verify conditions and actual limits in the datasheet. |
measurement_rangestring | Exact measurement range label, including the number of axes. No inferred numeric range matching. |
technologystring | Exact application / technology label. |
materialstring | Exact housing material label. Check other component materials in the datasheet. |
protection_classstring | Exact catalogue protection class label; ratings are not treated as an ordered scale. |
connection_typestring | Exact connection type label. |
certificatesstring | Exact catalogue certificate group. Verify actual approvals in the datasheet. |
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
Kit encoders
category=kit-encoders · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
interfacestring | Exact communication interface label. |
multiturnboolean | True for explicitly labelled multiturn encoders; false for singleturn. Unknown/module labels are excluded. |
revolutionstring | Exact revolution capability label. |
resolutionstring | Exact resolution label; no inferred minimum or range matching. |
accuracystring | Exact catalogue accuracy/technology group, not a guaranteed accuracy limit. Datasheet INL can differ and depend on resolution. No numeric range matching. |
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
shaft_typestring | Exact shaft type label, including hub, hollow and no-shaft options. |
shaft_dimensionstring | Exact shaft dimension label. Values include threads, imperial sizes and placeholders; do not interpret all values as diameters. |
shaft_fasteningstring | Exact shaft fastening option label. |
cable_clipstring | Exact cable clip option label. |
top_shieldstring | Exact top shield / carrier configuration label. |
face_mountingstring | Exact face mounting label, including mounting pattern and shielding where specified. |
connection_typestring | Exact kit encoder connection type label. |
Linear sensors
category=linear-sensors · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
interfacestring | Exact communication interface label. |
connection_typestring | Exact connection type label, including orientation and length where specified. |
protection_classstring | Exact catalogue protection group. Check separate shaft/housing ratings in the datasheet; ratings are not treated as an ordered scale. |
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
measurement_rangestring | Exact catalogue measurement range group. Some values are ranges or wheel sizes, not an exact measuring length. |
measurement_lengthstring | Exact measurement length label, preserving the catalogue units. |
resolutionstring | Exact linear sensor resolution label. Values can be steps or distance per pulse; no inferred numeric range matching. |
connection_orientationstring | Exact connection orientation label. |
technologystring | Exact sensing technology / assembly label. |
enclosurestring | Exact draw-wire enclosure label. |
Accessories
category=accessories · View current filter values
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
lifecyclestring | Product lifecycle; this is not stock availability. |
accessory_namestring | Exact accessory description from the catalogue, often including an ordering number. Discover values through the filters endpoint. |
coupling_typestring | Exact shaft coupling type label. Not applicable to every accessory. |
hub_1_diameterstring | Exact hub 1 diameter label, preserving metric or imperial units. Not applicable to every accessory. |
hub_2_diameterstring | Exact hub 2 diameter label, preserving metric or imperial units. Not applicable to every accessory. |
Matching rules
- Different filters must all match. Repeat a parameter for alternatives, for example
interface=CANopen&interface=Profinet. - String values match catalogue labels exactly apart from letter case and surrounding whitespace. Use actual millimetres for
shaft_diameter_mmandtrueorfalseformultiturn. - Filter counts include all applied filters. Remove a filter when exploring replacement values. A filter’s
complete=falseindicates incomplete counts or unmapped values. - Unknown parameters and unsupported values return an error. The API does not interpret natural language, infer numeric ranges, or relax requirements.
These values are catalogue filter labels. Verify technical limits, component materials and approvals against the product datasheet.
Responses and limits
Search returns total, applied_filters, a bounded list of products, and next_offset. Each product includes its ID, name, product URL, details URL and decoded catalogue filter values. Unknown values remain null.
The default shortlist contains 5 products; limit accepts 1–20. Use next_offset to continue. Offsets are limited to 0–980; when refinement_required is true, narrow the search. Each filter accepts up to 10 alternatives.
- 200
- Success, including an empty shortlist when no products match.
- 400
- Invalid or unsupported input. Read the error’s code and message.
- 404
- The requested product does not exist or is not visible to the caller.
- 503
- The catalogue is temporarily unavailable or returned incomplete data. Retry later.
- 429
- Request limit reached. Wait for the number of seconds in the
Retry-Afterheader before retrying.
Anonymous requests use the public catalogue. Existing webshop sessions retain their product visibility. Lifecycle is not stock availability; the API does not provide prices or delivery promises.
Anonymous results may be reused for up to five minutes. Requests with cookies or authorization headers bypass this shared result cache.
Using an AI assistant
Configure your assistant’s HTTP tools using the OpenAPI specification. The operations are getProductFilters, searchProducts and getProduct.
Have the assistant translate the user’s request into supported filters, ask about missing requirements, and check the resulting datasheets. If no products match, it should ask which requirement can change. Publishing this API does not automatically connect an assistant to it.
You can share the example search with an assistant that can read web URLs. Tools that cannot fetch URLs need an integration configured first.