> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.northaxiumdata.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Browse Vendors

> Browse all federal contract vendors ranked by total contract value.

## Overview

Returns a ranked list of distinct vendor name strings from the contracts dataset. Use this to find the exact source string for a vendor before calling [Vendor Profile](/api-reference/vendors/profile).

**Pattern:** `search vendors` → `get vendor profile`

## Query Parameters

<ParamField query="q" type="string">
  Partial match on vendor name (case-insensitive). Example: `Palantir`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="sort_by" type="string">
  Sort order. Options: `total_value`, `contract_count`. Default: `total_value`. Example: `date`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="sort_order" type="string">
  `asc` or `desc`. Default: `desc`. Example: `desc`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="min_value" type="number">
  Minimum aggregated contract value. Example: `100000`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="limit" type="integer">
  Max results. Default: `100`. Max: `200`. Example: `25`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField query="offset" type="integer">
  Result offset. Default: `0`. Example: `50`.
</ParamField>

<RequestExample>
  ```bash cURL theme={null}
  curl -H "X-API-Key: your_api_key_here" \
    "https://api.northaxiumdata.ca/api/v1/vendors?q=Palantir"
  ```

  ```python Python theme={null}
  import requests

  headers = {"X-API-Key": "your_api_key_here"}
  response = requests.get(
      "https://api.northaxiumdata.ca/api/v1/vendors",
      headers=headers,
      params={"q": "Palantir"}
  )
  vendors = response.json()["data"]
  for v in vendors:
      print(f"{v['vendor']}: ${v['total_value']:,.0f} across {v['contract_count']} contracts")
  ```
</RequestExample>

<ResponseExample>
  ```json 200 theme={null}
  {
    "data": [
      {
        "vendor": "Palantir Technologies Canada Inc",
        "vendor_key": "Palantir%20Technologies%20Canada%20Inc",
        "total_value": 23840000.00,
        "contract_count": 14
      }
    ],
    "meta": {
      "total": 1,
      "limit": 100,
      "offset": 0
    }
  }
  ```

  ```json 401 theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "UNAUTHORIZED",
      "message": "Missing API key. Pass your key in the X-API-Key header."
    }
  }
  ```

  ```json 429 theme={null}
  {
    "error": {
      "code": "RATE_LIMITED",
      "message": "Monthly request limit exceeded. Upgrade your plan for higher limits."
    }
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>