# Item families

> For the complete machine-readable documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://apidocs.chargebee.com/llms.txt).


If you're a company that sells multiple product lines then each product line or service is an item family in the Chargebee API. For example, if you are a SaaS company that offers separate products for project management, content collaboration, and customer support. Each of those can be an item family under which the various plans, addons and charges can be the [items](/docs/api/items). Item families compartmentalize items such that only items belonging to the same family can be part of any given subscription.

**Note:**  
You must have the [Product Families](https://www.chargebee.com/docs/2.0/product-families.html) enabled for your site to be able to set up item families.

## Sample Item family

```json
{
  "description": "Acme Inc Family",
  "id": "acme-inc",
  "name": "Acme Inc Family",
  "resource_version": 1576400459324,
  "updated_at": 1576400459
}
```

## Item families attributes

## Input Parameters

- `id` (required, string, max chars=50)
  The identifier for the item family. It is unique and immutable.

- `name` (required, string, max chars=50)
  A unique display name for the item family. This is visible only in Chargebee and not to customers.

- `description` (optional, string, max chars=500)
  Description of the item family. This is visible only in Chargebee and not to customers.

- `status` (optional, enumerated string)
  Status of the item family.
  Possible enum values:
    - `active`
      The item family is active and can be used to create new items.
    - `deleted`
      The item family has been deleted and cannot be used to create new items. The `id` and `name` can be reused to create a new item family.

- `resource_version` (optional, long)
  The version number of this resource. For every change made to the resource, `resource_version` is updated with a new timestamp in milliseconds.

- `updated_at` (optional, timestamp(UTC) in seconds)
  When the item family was last updated.

- `channel` (optional, enumerated string)
  The subscription channel this object originated from and is maintained in.
  Possible enum values:
    - `web`
      The object was created (and is maintained) for the web channel directly in Chargebee via API or UI.
    - `app_store`
      The object data is synchronized with data from [in-app subscription(s)](/docs/api/in_app_subscriptions) created in Apple App Store. Direct manipulation of this object via UI or API is disallowed.
    - `play_store`
      The object data is synchronized with data from [in-app subscription(s)](/docs/api/in_app_subscriptions) created in Google Play Store. Direct manipulation of this object via UI or API is disallowed.

- `business_entity_id` (optional, string, max chars=50)
  The unique ID of the [business entity](/docs/api/business_entities) of this `item_family`. This is applicable only when multiple business entities have been created for the site. The value of this attribute indicates that the resource is specific to the given business entity.

- `deleted` (required, boolean)
  Indicates whether the item family has been deleted or not.