diff --git a/Classes/DataProcessing/CategoriesProcessor.php b/Classes/DataProcessing/CategoriesProcessor.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c6662e5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Classes/DataProcessing/CategoriesProcessor.php
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+<?php
+
+/*
+ * This file is part of the "headless" Extension for TYPO3 CMS.
+ *
+ * For the full copyright and license information, please read the
+ * LICENSE.md file that was distributed with this source code.
+ */
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\DataProcessing;
+
+use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Utility\ArrayUtility;
+use TYPO3\CMS\Frontend\ContentObject\ContentObjectRenderer;
+use TYPO3\CMS\Frontend\ContentObject\DataProcessorInterface;
+
+/**
+ * Example usage (get categories by relation field):
+ *  categories = JSON
+ *  categories {
+ *      dataProcessing {
+ *          10 = headless-categories
+ *          10 {
+ *              relation.fieldName = categories
+ *              as = categories
+ *          }
+ *      }
+ *  }
+ * Example usage (get categories by comma-separated-list of category ids):
+ *
+ *   categories = JSON
+ *   categories {
+ *       dataProcessing {
+ *           10 = headless-categories
+ *           10 {
+ *               uidInList = 1,3,5
+ *
+ *               as = categories
+ *           }
+ *       }
+ *   }
+ *  Example usage (get categories by comma-separated-list of category ids from custom pid):
+ *
+ *    categories = JSON
+ *    categories {
+ *        dataProcessing {
+ *            10 = headless-categories
+ *            10 {
+ *                uidInList = 1,3,5
+ *                pidInList = leveluid:0
+ *                recursive = 250
+ *
+ *                as = categories
+ *            }
+ *        }
+ *    }
+ *
+ * @codeCoverageIgnore
+ **/
+class CategoriesProcessor implements DataProcessorInterface
+{
+    /**
+     * Fetches categories from the database
+     *
+     * @param ContentObjectRenderer $cObj The data of the content element or page
+     * @param array $contentObjectConfiguration The configuration of Content Object
+     * @param array $processorConfiguration The configuration of this processor
+     * @param array $processedData Key/value store of processed data (e.g. to be passed to a Fluid View)
+     *
+     * @return array the processed data as key/value store
+     */
+    public function process(
+        ContentObjectRenderer $cObj,
+        array $contentObjectConfiguration,
+        array $processorConfiguration,
+        array $processedData
+    ): array {
+        if (isset($processorConfiguration['if.']) && !$cObj->checkIf($processorConfiguration['if.'])) {
+            return $processedData;
+        }
+
+        $defaultQueryConfig = [
+            'pidInList' => (string)$cObj->stdWrapValue('pidInList', $processorConfiguration, 'root'),
+            'recursive' => (string)$cObj->stdWrapValue('recursive', $processorConfiguration, '0'),
+            'selectFields' => '{#sys_category}.{#uid} AS id, {#sys_category}.{#title}',
+        ];
+        $queryConfig = [];
+
+        $uidInList = (string)$cObj->stdWrapValue('uidInList', $processorConfiguration, '');
+        if (!empty($uidInList)) {
+            $queryConfig = [
+                'uidInList' => $uidInList,
+                'languageField' => 0,
+            ];
+        }
+
+        if (!empty($processorConfiguration['relation.'])) {
+            $referenceConfiguration = $processorConfiguration['relation.'];
+            $relationField = $cObj->stdWrapValue('fieldName', $referenceConfiguration ?? []);
+            if (!empty($relationField)) {
+                $relationTable = $cObj->stdWrapValue('table', $referenceConfiguration, $cObj->getCurrentTable());
+
+                if (!empty($relationTable)) {
+                    $queryConfig = [
+                        'join' => '{#sys_category_record_mm} on {#sys_category_record_mm}.{#uid_local} = {#sys_category}.{#uid}',
+                        'where' => '({#sys_category_record_mm}.{#tablenames} = \'' . $relationTable . '\' AND {#sys_category_record_mm}.{#fieldname} = \'' . $relationField . '\' AND {#sys_category_record_mm}.{#uid_foreign}=' . $cObj->data['uid'] . ')',
+                    ];
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (empty($queryConfig) === true) {
+            return $processedData;
+        }
+
+        ArrayUtility::mergeRecursiveWithOverrule(
+            $queryConfig,
+            $defaultQueryConfig
+        );
+
+        $targetVariableName = $cObj->stdWrapValue('as', $processorConfiguration, 'categories');
+        $categories = $cObj->getRecords('sys_category', $queryConfig);
+
+        $processedRecordVariables = [];
+        foreach ($categories as $key => $category) {
+            $processedRecordVariables[$key] = ArrayUtility::filterRecursive($category, function ($key) {
+                return $key === 'id' || $key === 'title';
+            }, ARRAY_FILTER_USE_KEY);
+        }
+
+        $processedData[$targetVariableName] = $processedRecordVariables;
+
+        return $processedData;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Configuration/Services.php b/Configuration/Services.php
index 5f0196e6..8f59c5d8 100644
--- a/Configuration/Services.php
+++ b/Configuration/Services.php
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\ContentObject\IntegerContentObject;
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\ContentObject\JsonContentContentObject;
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\ContentObject\JsonContentObject;
+use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\DataProcessing\CategoriesProcessor;
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\DataProcessing\DatabaseQueryProcessor;
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\DataProcessing\FilesProcessor;
 use FriendsOfTYPO3\Headless\DataProcessing\FlexFormProcessor;
@@ -120,6 +121,7 @@
             GalleryProcessor::class => ['identifier' => 'headless-gallery', 'share' => false, 'public' => false],
             DatabaseQueryProcessor::class => ['identifier' => 'headless-database-query', 'share' => false, 'public' => true],
             FlexFormProcessor::class => ['identifier' => 'headless-flex-form', 'share' => false, 'public' => false],
+            CategoriesProcessor::class => ['identifier' => 'headless-categories', 'share' => false, 'public' => false],
         ] as $class => $processorConfig
     ) {
         $service = $services->set($class)
diff --git a/Configuration/TypoScript/Configuration/PageConfiguration.typoscript b/Configuration/TypoScript/Configuration/PageConfiguration.typoscript
index 3a1c81f0..7fb945ff 100644
--- a/Configuration/TypoScript/Configuration/PageConfiguration.typoscript
+++ b/Configuration/TypoScript/Configuration/PageConfiguration.typoscript
@@ -51,7 +51,16 @@ page {
                 }
             }
             meta =< lib.meta
-            categories =< lib.categories
+            categories = JSON
+            categories {
+                dataProcessing {
+                    10 = headless-categories
+                    10 {
+                        relation.fieldName = categories
+                        as = categories
+                    }
+                }
+            }
             breadcrumbs =< lib.breadcrumbs
             appearance =< lib.pageAppearance
             content =< lib.content
diff --git a/Configuration/TypoScript/ContentElement/ContentElement.typoscript b/Configuration/TypoScript/ContentElement/ContentElement.typoscript
index 4154624f..0ca61eb1 100755
--- a/Configuration/TypoScript/ContentElement/ContentElement.typoscript
+++ b/Configuration/TypoScript/ContentElement/ContentElement.typoscript
@@ -14,40 +14,14 @@ lib.contentElement {
         colPos {
             field = colPos
         }
-        categories = COA
+        categories = JSON
         categories {
-            10 = CONTENT
-            10 {
-                table = sys_category
-                select {
-                    pidInList = root
-                    selectFields = sys_category.title
-                    join = sys_category_record_mm on sys_category_record_mm.uid_local = sys_category.uid
-                    where {
-                        field = uid
-                        wrap = AND sys_category_record_mm.tablenames = 'tt_content' AND sys_category_record_mm.uid_foreign=|
-                    }
-                }
-                renderObj = TEXT
-                renderObj {
-                    field = title
-                    wrap = |###BREAK###
-                }
-            }
-            stdWrap.split {
-                token = ###BREAK###
-                cObjNum = 1 |*|2|*| 3
-                1 {
-                    current = 1
-                    stdWrap.wrap = |
-                }
-                2 {
-                    current = 1
-                    stdWrap.wrap = ,|
-                }
-                3 {
-                    current = 1
-                    stdWrap.wrap = |
+            dataProcessing {
+                10 = headless-categories
+                10 {
+                    relation.fieldName = categories
+
+                    as = categories
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c75f03f0..bfbaacb7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -247,6 +247,9 @@ Used for processing flexforms.
 
 ### RootSitesProcessor
 Render your all headless sites configuration for your frontend application.
+### CategoriesProcessor
+This processor returns an array of categories (`id` and `title`) by either a
+relation record or a comma separated list of category uids
 
 ## Contributing
 ![Alt](https://repobeats.axiom.co/api/embed/197db91cad9195bb15a06c91fda5a215bff26cba.svg)
diff --git a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/BaseContentTypeTest.php b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/BaseContentTypeTest.php
index aa5d025c..35a086a6 100644
--- a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/BaseContentTypeTest.php
+++ b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/BaseContentTypeTest.php
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ public function setUp(): void
         $this->importDataSet(__DIR__ . '/../Fixtures/content.xml');
     }
 
-    protected function checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement, $id, $pid, $type, $colPos = 0, $categories = '')
+    protected function checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement, $id, $pid, $type, $colPos = 0, $categories = [])
     {
         self::assertEquals($id, $contentElement['id'], 'id mismatch');
         self::assertEquals($type, $contentElement['type'], 'type mismatch');
diff --git a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/ShortcutElementTest.php b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/ShortcutElementTest.php
index 1197f237..3c65d51c 100644
--- a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/ShortcutElementTest.php
+++ b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/ShortcutElementTest.php
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ public function testShortcutContentElement()
         self::assertFalse(isset($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][0]['bodytext']));
 
         // element at pos 1 is our TextElement
-        $this->checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][1], 1, 1, 'text', 0, 'SysCategory1Title,SysCategory2Title');
+        $categories = [
+            ['id' => 1, 'title' => 'SysCategory1Title'],
+            ['id' => 2, 'title' => 'SysCategory2Title'],
+        ];
+
+        $this->checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][1], 1, 1, 'text', 0, $categories);
         $this->checkAppearanceFields($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][1], 'layout-1', 'Frame', 'SpaceBefore', 'SpaceAfter');
         $this->checkHeaderFields($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][1], 'Header', 'SubHeader', 1, 2);
         $this->checkHeaderFieldsLink($contentElement['content']['shortcut'][1], 'Page 1', '/page1?parameter=999&cHash=', '_blank');
diff --git a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/TextElementTest.php b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/TextElementTest.php
index 654072b2..87f5f5d9 100644
--- a/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/TextElementTest.php
+++ b/Tests/Functional/ContentTypes/TextElementTest.php
@@ -26,8 +26,12 @@ public function testTextContentElement()
         $fullTree = json_decode((string)$response->getBody(), true);
 
         $contentElement = $fullTree['content']['colPos0'][0];
+        $categories = [
+            ['id' => 1, 'title' => 'SysCategory1Title'],
+            ['id' => 2, 'title' => 'SysCategory2Title'],
+        ];
 
-        $this->checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement, 1, 1, 'text', 0, 'SysCategory1Title,SysCategory2Title');
+        $this->checkDefaultContentFields($contentElement, 1, 1, 'text', 0, $categories);
         $this->checkAppearanceFields($contentElement, 'layout-1', 'Frame', 'SpaceBefore', 'SpaceAfter');
         $this->checkHeaderFields($contentElement, 'Header', 'SubHeader', 1, 2);
         $this->checkHeaderFieldsLink($contentElement, 'Page 1', '/page1?parameter=999&cHash=', '_blank');