# Retrieve a variant

Source: https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/variants/retrieve-a-variant

Retrieve an existing variant using the id that was returned when created.

## Arguments

- `id` (objectId, required): The id of the variant to retrieve.
- `expand` (string): Expanding link fields and child collections is performed using the expand argument.

  - For example, `expand=account` would return a related customer account if one exists.

  When the field represents a collection, you can specify the query limit.

  - For example, `expand=variants:10` would return up to 10 records of the variants collection.

  See [expanding ](https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/querying/expanding)for more details.
- `fields` (string): Return only the specified fields in the result.

  - For example `fields=name,slug` would return only the fields `name` and `slug` in the response.

  Supports nested object and array fields using dot-notation

  - For example `items.product_id`. The variant `id` is always returned.
- `include` (string): Include one or more arbitrary queries in the response, possibly related to the main query.

  See [including ](https://developers.swell.is/backend-api/querying/including)for more details.

## Example request

`GET /products:variants/:id`

**cURL**

```bash
$ curl https://api.swell.store/products:variants/5c8fb5e1ed2faf8c79da492a \
  -u store-id:secret-key
```

**Node**

```javascript
const { swell } = require('swell-node');
swell.init('store-id', 'secret-key');

await swell.get('/products:variants/{id}', {
  id: '5c8fb5e1ed2faf8c79da492a',
});
```

**PHP**

```php
<?php $swell = new \Swell\Client('store-id', 'secret-key');

$swell->get('/products:variants/{id}', [
  'id' => '5c8fb5e1ed2faf8c79da492a',
]);
```

## Example response

```json
{
  "id": "5c8fb5e1ed2faf8c79da492a",
  "parent_id": "5ca24abb9c077817e5fe2b36",
  "name": "Blue, Small",
  "active": true,
  "currency": "USD",
  "date_created": "2019-04-01T00:00:00.000Z"
  "date_updated": "2019-04-01T00:00:00.000Z",
}
```