---
issue: 125
title: "Backend: getCategoryPath unbounded sequential findById loop"
severity: low
domain: Marketplace
labels: [performance, backend]
status: open
created: 2026-05-30
source: Full Codebase Audit 2026-05-30
---

# Backend: getCategoryPath unbounded sequential findById loop

**Severity:** low
**Domain:** Marketplace
**Labels:** performance, backend

## Description

`CategoryService.ts:142` builds a category breadcrumb path by looping and calling `findById` once per ancestor level. For a 5-level category tree, this is 5 sequential DB round-trips per request.

## Options

1. Load all categories once (already cached) and walk the tree in memory.
2. Maintain a denormalized `path`/`ancestors` field on each category.
3. Leave as-is for shallow trees.

## Recommendation

Build the path from the in-memory category cache; consider a denormalized `ancestors` field for deeper trees.

## Affected Files

- `backend/src/services/marketplace/CategoryService.ts:142`

## References

- [Full Codebase Audit 2026-05-30](../09%20-%20Audits/Full%20Codebase%20Audit%20-%202026-05-30.md) — DEC-47