# Meta Data Fields

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/meta-data-fields/374343
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [July 15, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/meta-data-fields/374343 "2025-07-15T17:35:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![itd-john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8dc957/32.png) [@itd-john](https://meta.discourse.org/u/itd-john)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/meta-data-fields/374343/1 "2025-07-15T17:35:24Z")

</div>

Is there a way in Discourse to add a meta data field to a user, board, category in the DB? Create a custom field in the DB and then store access that data for the user in context?

Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![merefield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/merefield/32/176214_2.png) [@merefield](https://meta.discourse.org/u/merefield)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 6:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/meta-data-fields/374343/2 "2025-07-15T18:56:14Z")

</div>

Sure, have a search on “Custom Fields” here on Meta.

There are broadly two ways to do it:

- Custom Fields (see e.g. [How to add custom fields to models](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-add-custom-fields-to-models/184485))
- New database tables (via migrations)

You need to extent the relevant serializer in both cases.

You can only do this in a plugin (not a Theme or Theme Component)