# Changes to the user card data source
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951
**Category:** Development
**Tags:** user-card, dev-news
**Created:** [January 28, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951 "2020-01-28T15:57:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951/1 "2020-01-28T15:57:48Z")
At the moment, when you click a user card, we load `/u/david.json`, which is exactly the same endpoint as my full profile. This is a little wasteful, since the user card doesn’t even use most of the data!
Therefore, we will be switching the user card to use a new route `/u/david/card.json`. This contains just enough information to render the card. In my testing, this makes user cards 2-3 times faster than before!
At the moment this change is behind a hidden site setting. To try it out, head to your rails console and run
```plaintext
SiteSetting.enable_new_user_card_route = true
```
In the next few weeks, this will be enabled by default, and the site setting will be removed. This is enabled right now on Meta.
### Great! What do I need to do?
If you’re a user or a forum admin, nothing! You should see improved performance on user cards very soon!
If you’re a plugin developer, you may need to make a few tweaks to support the new route.
### I use custom fields in my plugin, and render them on the user card
No problem, custom fields will continue working in exactly the same way
### I add data to the user serializer, and use it in the full user profile
Fine, the user profile will continue to use the old endpoint, and any existing `add_to_serializer` calls will continue to work
### I add data to the user serializer, and use it on the user card
Ok, you will need to do a little work. Previously we just had a structure like
```ruby
class UserSerializer < BasicUserSerializer
```
Now we have a structure like
```ruby
class UserCardSerializer < BasicUserSerializer
# and
class UserSerializer < UserCardSerializer
```
If you want something to be included in the card endpoint, you need to add it to the `UserCardSerializer`. For example, if you have code like this:
```ruby
add_to_serializer(:user, :favourite_forum_software) do
"discourse"
end
```
You need to change it to
```ruby
add_to_serializer(:user_card, :favourite_forum_software) do
"discourse"
end
```
The `UserSerializer` will automatically include anything in the `UserCardSerializer` so you can make this change straight away and it will work on tests-passed (even with the hidden site setting disabled).
To maintain compatibility with stable/beta, add a check for `UserCardSerializer` like this:
```ruby
# TODO: Remove switch once Discourse 2.4 stable is released
serializer = (defined? UserCardSerializer) ? :user_card : :user
add_to_serializer(serializer, :favourite_forum_software) do
"discourse"
end
```
---
### Author:  [@fzngagan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/fzngagan)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2020, 10:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951/2 "2020-01-29T10:05:45Z")
Great stuff @david. Really excited to see this one. I agree a 100% to the fact that a new serializer was needed to user cards.
I think this change also lays the ground for displaying user cards on the `/u` route.
---
### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2020, 12:20pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951/3 "2020-01-29T12:20:00Z")
> [@fzngagan](#):
>
> I think this change also lays the ground for displaying user cards on the `/u` route.
It does indeed! Watch this space 👀
---
### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2020, 8:43am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/changes-to-the-user-card-data-source/139951/4 "2020-04-17T08:43:44Z")
> [@david](#):
>
> In the next few weeks, this will be enabled by default, and the site setting will be removed.
This is now the new default, and the setting has been removed
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/576872a2d93ce8546c5fded6d9edf5344c9bb4fe](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/commit/576872a2d93ce8546c5fded6d9edf5344c9bb4fe)