---
term: profile
category: social
status: canonical
authority: social.elonn.local
---

Profile

A member's social-layer identity. Profile is distinct from the API identity record — it is the social representation of a member, authored by that member for the social context.

Fields:
- identity_user_id — foreign key to the API identity record
- display_name — the name shown to other members
- handle — URL-friendly unique identifier (e.g. @handle)
- bio — optional free-text self-description

Allowed:
- profile
- social profile
- member profile
- display name
- handle

Forbidden:
- account (that is the login surface at elonn.local)
- user profile (user is not a product term; see: member)
- identity (that is the API service record; distinct)
- avatar (a display property, not the object)

Notes:
- A profile is created automatically on first social service interaction via ensureProfile().
- A member always has exactly one profile per social service instance.
- display_name can be null; fall back to the member's email from the identity record for display purposes.
- handle must be unique across all profiles and is optional. When set, it becomes the member's social URL segment.

Related:
- member
- identity
- handle