---
title: "Core Concepts"
description: "Understand the key ideas behind the Universe API: your entitled universe, custom universes, primary and secondary filters, and pagination."
url: "https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/core-concepts"
image: "https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/_og/d/c_Ocean.takumi,title_~Q29yZSBDb25jZXB0cyB8IFVuaXZlcnNlIEFQSQ,description_~VW5kZXJzdGFuZCB0aGUga2V5IGlkZWFzIGJlaGluZCB0aGUgVW5pdmVyc2UgQVBJOiB5b3VyIGVudGl0bGVkIHVuaXZlcnNlLCBjdXN0b20gdW5pdmVyc2VzLCBwcmltYXJ5IGFuZCBzZWNvbmRhcnkgZmlsdGVycywgYW5kIHBhZ2luYXRpb24u,props_eyJ0aGVtZSI6eyJtb2RlIjoibGlnaHQiLCJjb2xvcnMiOnsicHJpbWFyeSI6IiMwMDAwMDAifX19,p_Ii91bml2ZXJzZS1hcGkvY29yZS1jb25jZXB0cyI,s_fbmNSVzQfj1s46-P.png"
---

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# Universe API

Retrieve investment identifiers in your entitled universe.

# Core Concepts

[View Markdown](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/core-concepts.md)[Download Markdown](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/core-concepts.md)

The Universe API returns the investments in your entitled universe. This page introduces the key ideas, and links to the articles that explain each one in detail.

## [Your Entitled Universe](#your-entitled-universe)

Your entitled universe is the set of investments that your account is licensed to use. What the API returns depends on your entitlements, and so do the filters you can apply. A request with no filters tells you which exchanges, countries and domiciles you are entitled to.

-   [Get Your Universe](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/get-your-universe#step-1-get-your-entitlements) explains how to find your entitlements.

## [Custom Universes](#custom-universes)

A custom universe is a named subset of your entitled universe, set up for your account. You can retrieve it in full, or narrow it further with filters.

-   [Get Your Universe](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/get-your-universe#step-3-use-a-custom-universe) explains how to retrieve a custom universe.

## [Primary and Secondary Filters](#primary-and-secondary-filters)

A primary filter sets the top-level scope of the results. It is required, and a request can have only one. For equities it is the exchange, and for managed investments it is the country available for sale or the domicile. Secondary filters are optional, and narrow the results within the scope that the primary filter sets.

-   [Get Your Universe](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/get-your-universe#step-2-filter-the-universe) explains how to use the filters.
-   [Filter Values](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/filter-values) lists the accepted values.

## [Pagination](#pagination)

Responses contain up to 50 investments. When there are more, the response includes a token that you pass in your next request to get the next page. You stop when there is no token.

-   [Work with Results](https://developer-beta.morningstar.com/universe-api/work-with-results#page-through-the-results) explains how to use pagination tokens.