diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index 63af62a7ca6..ab4f5594876 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   before_action :session_expiry, :update_activity_time, :unless => proc { |c| c.remote_user_provided? || c.api_request? }
   before_action :set_taxonomy, :require_mail, :check_empty_taxonomy
   before_action :authorize
-  before_action :welcome, :only => :index, :unless => :api_request?
+  before_action :welcome, :find_selected_columns, :only => :index, :unless => :api_request?
   prepend_before_action :allow_webpack, if: -> { Rails.configuration.webpack.dev_server.enabled }
   around_action :set_timezone
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/concerns/application_shared.rb b/app/controllers/concerns/application_shared.rb
index 88c8aebc423..e6449bfa662 100644
--- a/app/controllers/concerns/application_shared.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/concerns/application_shared.rb
@@ -140,4 +140,8 @@ def find_session_taxonomy(taxonomy, user)
     end
     determined_taxonomy
   end
+
+  def find_selected_columns
+    @selected_columns = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.selected_by(User.current, controller_name)
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/controllers/hosts_controller.rb b/app/controllers/hosts_controller.rb
index 6e7b4206250..9af3fb72a1d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/hosts_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/hosts_controller.rb
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ class HostsController < ApplicationController
   before_action :set_host_type, :only => [:update]
   before_action :find_multiple, :only => MULTIPLE_ACTIONS
   before_action :validate_power_action, :only => :update_multiple_power_state
+  # index action is already included in ApplicationController
+  before_action(:only => SEARCHABLE_ACTIONS.without('index')) { find_selected_columns }
 
   helper :hosts, :reports, :interfaces
 
diff --git a/app/helpers/selectable_columns_helper.rb b/app/helpers/selectable_columns_helper.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9207b02ea0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/helpers/selectable_columns_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+module SelectableColumnsHelper
+  def render_selected_column_ths
+    result = ""
+    @selected_columns.each do |column|
+      result += render(
+        'common/selectable_column_th',
+        attributes: attributes(column[:th]),
+        th_content: th_content(column),
+        callback: column[:th][:callback]
+      )
+    end
+    result.html_safe
+  end
+
+  def render_selected_column_tds(record)
+    result = ""
+    @selected_columns.each do |column|
+      result += render(
+        'common/selectable_column_td',
+        attributes: attributes(column[:td]),
+        attr_callbacks: column[:td][:attr_callbacks],
+        subject: record,
+        callback: column[:td][:callback]
+      )
+    end
+    result.html_safe
+  end
+
+  def attr_from_callbacks(callbacks, subject)
+    return unless callbacks
+
+    callbacks.map { |(k, v)| "#{k}=\"#{instance_exec(subject, &v)}\"" }
+             .join(' ')
+             .html_safe
+  end
+
+  private
+
+  def attributes(th_or_td)
+    th_or_td.except(:callback, :sortable, :default_sort, :attr_callbacks, :label)
+            .map { |(k, v)| "#{k}=\"#{v}\"" }
+            .join(' ')
+            .html_safe
+  end
+
+  def th_content(col)
+    return if col[:th][:callback]
+    return col[:th][:label] unless col[:th][:sortable]
+
+    sort col[:key], as: col[:th][:label], default: col[:th][:default_sort] || 'ASC'
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/registries/foreman/plugin.rb b/app/registries/foreman/plugin.rb
index bb82899959d..44b18ef2078 100644
--- a/app/registries/foreman/plugin.rb
+++ b/app/registries/foreman/plugin.rb
@@ -329,6 +329,10 @@ def settings(&block)
       SettingManager.define(id, &block)
     end
 
+    def selectable_columns(table, &block)
+      Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.register(table, &block)
+    end
+
     def security_block(name, &block)
       @security_block = name
       instance_eval(&block)
diff --git a/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/category.rb b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/category.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..55d143663fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/category.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+module Foreman
+  module SelectableColumns
+    class Category < Array
+      attr_reader :id, :label
+
+      def initialize(id, label, table, default: false)
+        @id = id
+        @label = label
+        @table = table
+        @default = default
+        @columns_to_use = HashWithIndifferentAccess.new
+        super(0)
+      end
+
+      def column(key, th:, td:)
+        self << { key: key.to_s, th: th, td: td }.with_indifferent_access
+      end
+
+      def use_column(key, from:)
+        return if from.to_s == @id
+
+        @columns_to_use[from] ||= []
+        @columns_to_use[from] << key.to_s
+      end
+
+      def common_th_class
+        'hidden-tablet hidden-xs'
+      end
+
+      def common_td_class
+        common_th_class + ' ellipsis'
+      end
+
+      # This instance can be updated after it was created by DSL, but
+      #   only at the initialization time.
+      # This method is only for actual runtime usage,
+      #   after the Storage is fully defined/updated.
+      # Thus, saving once computed result.
+      def keys
+        @keys ||= columns.map { |c| c[:key] }.sort
+      end
+
+      def default?
+        @default
+      end
+
+      def columns
+        self + foreign_columns
+      end
+
+      private
+
+      # This is meant for actual runtime usage,
+      #  after the categories are fully defined.
+      # Thus, saving once computed result.
+      def foreign_columns
+        @foreign_columns ||= @columns_to_use.keys.map do |category_id|
+          @table.find { |cat| cat.id == category_id }&.select { |col| @columns_to_use[category_id].include?(col[:key]) }
+        end.flatten.compact
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/storage.rb b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/storage.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6ae9cc14bb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/storage.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+module Foreman
+  module SelectableColumns
+    class Storage
+      include Singleton
+
+      class << self
+        def tables
+          @tables ||= ActiveSupport::HashWithIndifferentAccess.new
+        end
+
+        def define(name, &block)
+          return Foreman::Logging.logger('app').warn _('Table %s is already defined, ignoring.') % name if tables[name]
+
+          table = SelectableColumns::Table.new(name)
+          table.instance_eval(&block)
+          tables[name] = table
+        end
+
+        def register(name, &block)
+          return Foreman::Logging.logger('app').warn _('Table %s is not defined, ignoring.') % name unless tables[name]
+
+          tables[name].instance_eval(&block)
+        end
+
+        # This is for UI data mostly
+        def defined_for(table)
+          return Foreman::Logging.logger('app').warn _('Table %s is not defined, ignoring.') % table unless tables[table]
+
+          tables[table].map do |category|
+            {
+              id: category.id,
+              name: category.label,
+              columns: category.columns.map { |c| { id: c[:key], name: c[:th][:label] } },
+            }
+          end
+        end
+
+        def selected_by(user, table)
+          return unless tables[table]
+
+          selected_keys = user.table_preferences.find_by(name: table)&.columns&.sort
+          result = if selected_keys
+                     tables[table].select { |category| (category.keys & selected_keys).any? }
+                                  .map(&:columns)
+                                  .flatten
+                                  .select { |col| selected_keys.include?(col[:key]) }
+                   else
+                     tables[table].select { |category| category.default? }
+                                  .map(&:columns)
+                                  .flatten
+                   end
+          result.uniq
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/table.rb b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/table.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0f0bf4e4f6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/registries/foreman/selectable_columns/table.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+module Foreman
+  module SelectableColumns
+    class Table < Array
+      attr_reader :name
+
+      def initialize(name)
+        @name = name
+        super(0)
+      end
+
+      def category(id, label: _('General'), default: false, &block)
+        category = find_or_create(id.to_s, label, default)
+        category.instance_eval(&block)
+      end
+
+      private
+
+      def find_or_create(id, label, default)
+        category = find { |c| c.id == id }
+        unless category
+          category = Category.new(id, label, self, default: default)
+          self << category
+        end
+        category
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/common/_selectable_column_td.html.erb b/app/views/common/_selectable_column_td.html.erb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..62795a9e9ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/common/_selectable_column_td.html.erb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<td <%= attributes %> <%= attr_from_callbacks(attr_callbacks, subject) %>><%= instance_exec(subject, &callback) %></td>
diff --git a/app/views/common/_selectable_column_th.html.erb b/app/views/common/_selectable_column_th.html.erb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ce2beb43a6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/views/common/_selectable_column_th.html.erb
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+<th <%= attributes %>><%= th_content ? th_content : instance_eval(callback) %></th>
diff --git a/app/views/hosts/_list.html.erb b/app/views/hosts/_list.html.erb
index 5918e9a0b1f..60c246d94f2 100644
--- a/app/views/hosts/_list.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/hosts/_list.html.erb
@@ -7,14 +7,8 @@
       <% if power_status_visible? %>
         <th class="ca" width="80px"><%= _('Power') %></th>
       <% end %>
-      <th width="25%"><%= sort :name, :as => _('Name') %></th>
-      <th class="hidden-xs" width="17%"><%= sort :os_title, :as => _("Operating system") %></th>
-      <th class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs" width="10%"><%= sort :model, :as => _('Model') %></th>
-      <th class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs" width="8%"><%= sort :owner, :as => _('Owner') %></th>
-      <th class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs" width="15%"><%= sort :hostgroup, :as => _("Host group") %></th>
-      <th class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs" width="10%"><%= sort :last_report, :as => _('Last report'), :default => 'DESC' %></th>
+      <%= render_selected_column_ths %>
       <%= render_pagelets_for(:hosts_table_column_header) %>
-      <th class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs" width="7%"><%= sort :comment, :as => _('Comment') %></th>
       <th width="100px"><%= _('Actions') %></th>
     </tr>
   </thead>
@@ -29,15 +23,8 @@
             <%= react_component('PowerStatus', id: host.id, url: power_api_host_path(host)) %>
           </td>
         <% end %>
-        <td class="ellipsis"><%= name_column(host) %>
-        </td>
-        <td class="hidden-xs ellipsis"><%= (icon(host.operatingsystem, :size => "16x16") + " #{host.operatingsystem.to_label}").html_safe if host.operatingsystem %></td>
-        <td class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs ellipsis"><%= host.compute_resource_or_model %></td>
-        <td class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs ellipsis"><%= host_owner_column(host) %></td>
-        <td class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs"><%= label_with_link host.hostgroup, 23, @hostgroup_authorizer %></td>
-        <td class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs ellipsis"><%= last_report_column(host) %></td>
+        <%= render_selected_column_tds(host) %>
         <%= render_pagelets_for(:hosts_table_column_content, :subject => host) %>
-        <td class="hidden-tablet hidden-xs ca" title="<%= host.comment&.truncate(255) %>"><%= icon_text('comment', '') unless host.comment.empty? %></td>
         <td>
           <%= action_buttons(
                       display_link_if_authorized(_("Edit"), hash_for_edit_host_path(:id => host).merge(:auth_object => host, :authorizer => authorizer)),
diff --git a/config/initializers/foreman_register.rb b/config/initializers/foreman_register.rb
index 8e8fa9e956e..bba4c30177b 100644
--- a/config/initializers/foreman_register.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/foreman_register.rb
@@ -4,3 +4,24 @@
     partial: 'hosts/init_config_tab',
     priority: 100
 end
+
+Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:hosts) do
+  category :general, default: true do
+    column :name, th: { label: _('Name'), sortable: true, width: '25%' },
+                  td: { class: 'ellipsis', callback: ->(host) { name_column(host) } }
+    column :os_title, th: { label: _('Operating system'), sortable: true, width: '17%', class: 'hidden-xs' },
+                      td: { class: 'hidden-xs ellipsis', callback: ->(host) { (icon(host.operatingsystem, size: "16x16") + " #{host.operatingsystem.to_label}").html_safe if host.operatingsystem } }
+    column :model, th: { label: _('Model'), sortable: true, width: '10%', class: common_th_class },
+                   td: { class: common_td_class, callback: ->(host) { host.compute_resource_or_model } }
+    column :owner, th: { label: _('Owner'), sortable: true, width: '8%', class: common_th_class },
+                   td: { class: common_td_class, callback: ->(host) { host_owner_column(host) } }
+    column :hostgroup, th: { label: _('Host group'), sortable: true, width: '15%', class: common_th_class },
+                       td: { class: common_th_class, callback: ->(host) { label_with_link host.hostgroup, 23, @hostgroup_authorizer } }
+    column :last_report, th: { label: _('Last report'), sortable: true, default_sort: 'DESC', width: '10%', class: common_th_class },
+                         td: { class: common_td_class, callback: ->(host) { last_report_column(host) } }
+    column :comment, th: { label: _('Comment'), sortable: true, width: '7%', class: common_th_class },
+                     td: { class: common_th_class + ' ca',
+                           attr_callbacks: { title: ->(host) { host.comment&.truncate(255) } },
+                           callback: ->(host) { icon_text('comment', '') unless host.comment.empty? } }
+  end
+end
diff --git a/developer_docs/how_to_create_a_plugin.asciidoc b/developer_docs/how_to_create_a_plugin.asciidoc
index cae3bc6edf5..bbcffd17f42 100644
--- a/developer_docs/how_to_create_a_plugin.asciidoc
+++ b/developer_docs/how_to_create_a_plugin.asciidoc
@@ -429,6 +429,108 @@ widget_name". The content of the widget should be in the path:
   app/views/dashboard/_<widget_name>.html.erb
 ....
 
+[[selectable-columns]]
+=== Selectable columns
+
+_Requires Foreman 3.4 or higher, set `requires_foreman '>= 3.4'` in engine.rb or
+register.rb._
+
+[[adding-selectable-columns]]
+===== Adding selectable columns to index pages
+
+Index pages always contain a table with a certain set of columns.
+Since Foreman 3.4 some pages have this set extendable, e.g. hosts index page,
+and provide users a way to select which columns are meant to be displayed. For
+the list of available tables with selectable columns, please refer to
+config/initializers/foreman_register.rb file.
+
+
+If you want to add more selectable columns to an existing page in Foreman,
+please the following syntax in
+`Foreman::Plugin.register :foreman_plugin do ... end` block:
+
+[source, ruby]
+----
+selectable_columns :table do
+  category :id, label: N_('Category name'), default: true do
+    column :key,
+           th: {
+             label: N_('Column name'),
+             sortable: true,
+             default_sort: 'DESC',
+             width: '10%',
+             class: 'hidden ca'
+           },
+           td: {
+             class: 'hidden ca',
+             attr_callbacks: {
+               title: ->(record) { record.value }
+             },
+             callback: ->(record) { record.value }
+           }
+    use_column :key, from :category_id
+  end
+end
+----
+
+Where for `category`:
+
+* `id`: [Symbol] (Required) Internal id of the category. Used to find an existing or define a new one.
+* `label`: [String] (Optional) Translated string with category name. Required only for new categories.
+* `default`: [Boolean] (Optional) Flag whether this category should be visible to users by default. Default: `false`.
+
+Where for `column`:
+
+* `key`: [Symbol] (Required) Record attribute's name. Used to make column sortable and selectable.
+* `th`: [Hash] (Required) Column header definition. Please, see below for further information.
+* `td`: [Hash] (Required) Column data definition. Please, see below for further information.
+
+Where for `th`:
+
+* `label`: [String] (Required) Translated string with column name to be shown.
+* `sortable`: [Boolean] (Optional) Makes column sortable. Default: `false`.
+* `default_sort`: [String] (Optional) Defines default sort order. Default: `'ASC'`
+
+Where for `td`:
+
+* `callback`: [Lambda] (Required) A callback that will be used to process data to be shown.
+* `attr_callbacks`: [Hash] (Optional) Only use if you need to process values for HTML attributes dynamically.
+
+Where for `use_column`:
+
+* `key`: [Symbol] (Required) Key of the defined column to include in the current category.
+* `from`: [Symbol] (Required) ID of the category defining the column to use. Category must be in the same table.
+
+You can also define HTML attributes for `<th>` and `<td>` tags. Some common are
+listed below, but you can use your own.
+_Note: all except `:callback`, `:sortable`, `:default_sort`, `:attr_callbacks`
+are considered as HTML tag attributes.
+
+* `width`: [String] (Optional) Width of the column.
+* `class`: [String] (Optional) Space-separated list of CSS classes to use for the column.
+
+[[creating-selectable-columns]]
+===== Creating selectable columns on index pages
+
+If you want to not only extend existing pages, but to also have pages with
+selectable columns in the plugin itself, you can use
+`Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage` directly. In this case everything the same
+except you no longer need to use plugin's DSL, but the storage itself to define
+your tables:
+
+[source, ruby]
+----
+# in your initializer
+Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:table) do
+  category ...
+end
+----
+
+To use your columns in views, please use
+
+* `render_selected_column_ths`: Renders all selectable column <th> tags for table.
+* `render_selected_column_tds(record)`: Renders all selectable column <td> tags for table.
+
 [[adding-a-pagelet]]
 === Adding a Pagelet
 
diff --git a/test/helpers/selectable_columns_helper_test.rb b/test/helpers/selectable_columns_helper_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a1a30c2e45e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helpers/selectable_columns_helper_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+require 'test_helper'
+
+class SelectableColumnsHelperTest < ActionView::TestCase
+  include SelectableColumnsHelper
+
+  let(:selected_columns) do
+    [
+      {
+        key: 'key1', th: { label: 'Key1', width: '5%' },
+                     td: { class: 'elipsis', callback: ->(o) { o.even? } }
+      }.with_indifferent_access,
+      { key: 'key2', th: { label: 'Key2', class: 'elipsis', width: '10%' },
+                     td: { class: 'hidden', attr_callbacks: { title: ->(o) { o.to_s } }, callback: ->(o) { o.odd? } }
+      }.with_indifferent_access,
+    ]
+  end
+
+  setup do
+    @selected_columns = selected_columns
+  end
+
+  test 'should render ths' do
+    expected = [
+      '<th width="5%">Key1</th>',
+      '<th class="elipsis" width="10%">Key2</th>',
+      '',
+    ].join("\n").html_safe
+    assert_equal expected, render_selected_column_ths
+  end
+
+  test 'should render tds' do
+    expected = [
+      '<td class="elipsis" >false</td>',
+      '<td class="hidden" title="123">true</td>',
+      '',
+    ].join("\n").html_safe
+    assert_equal expected, render_selected_column_tds(123)
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/unit/selectable_columns/category_test.rb b/test/unit/selectable_columns/category_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a3abf7004e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/selectable_columns/category_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+require 'test_helper'
+
+class CategoryTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  let(:table) { Foreman::SelectableColumns::Table.new(name: 'foo') }
+
+  test 'should store column definitions' do
+    category = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new(:test, 'Test', table)
+    category.column :key, th: {}, td: {}
+    category.column :key2, th: {}, td: {}
+
+    assert_not_empty category.columns
+  end
+
+  test 'should re-use column definitions' do
+    shared_table = table
+    category1 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test', 'Test', shared_table)
+    category1.column :key, th: {}, td: {}
+    category2 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test2', 'Test2', shared_table)
+    category2.use_column :key, from: :test
+    shared_table.concat([category1, category2])
+
+    assert_not_empty category2.columns
+  end
+
+  test 'should ignore non-existing category for re-usage' do
+    shared_table = table
+    category2 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test2', 'Test2', shared_table)
+    category2.use_column :key, from: :test3
+    shared_table.concat([category2])
+
+    assert_empty category2.columns
+  end
+
+  test 'should ignore non-existing column for re-usage' do
+    shared_table = table
+    category1 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test', 'Test', shared_table)
+    category1.column :key, th: {}, td: {}
+    category2 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test2', 'Test2', shared_table)
+    category2.use_column :key2, from: :test
+    shared_table.concat([category1, category2])
+
+    assert_empty category2.columns
+  end
+
+  test 'should ignore itself for re-usage' do
+    shared_table = table
+    category2 = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Category.new('test2', 'Test2', shared_table)
+    category2.use_column :key, from: :test2
+    shared_table.concat([category2])
+
+    assert_empty category2.columns
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/unit/selectable_columns/storage_test.rb b/test/unit/selectable_columns/storage_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8c682f78f4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/selectable_columns/storage_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+require 'test_helper'
+
+class StorageTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  setup do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.stubs(tables: HashWithIndifferentAccess.new)
+  end
+
+  test 'should store table definitions' do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category(:general) {}
+    end
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:nondefault) do
+      category(:nongeneral) {}
+    end
+
+    assert_not_empty Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.tables
+  end
+
+  test 'should not re-define a table' do
+    only_name = 'general'
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category(only_name) {}
+    end
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category(:general2) {}
+    end
+    table = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.tables[:default]
+
+    assert_equal 1, table.size
+    assert_equal only_name, table.first.id
+  end
+
+  test 'should re-use defined table' do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category(:general) {}
+    end
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.register(:default) do
+      category(:nongeneral) {}
+    end
+    table = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.tables[:default]
+
+    assert_equal 2, table.size
+  end
+
+  test 'should not define a table while registering categories' do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.register(:default) do
+      category(:nongeneral) {}
+    end
+
+    assert_empty Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.tables
+  end
+
+  test 'should return defined columns on a table in simplified form' do
+    expected = [
+      {
+        id: 'general',
+        name: 'General',
+        columns: [
+          { id: 'key1', name: 'Key1' },
+          { id: 'key2', name: 'Key2' },
+        ],
+      },
+      {
+        id: 'nongeneral',
+        name: 'Nongeneral',
+        columns: [
+          { id: 'key3', name: 'Key3' },
+          { id: 'key1', name: 'Key1' },
+        ],
+      },
+    ]
+
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category :general do
+        column :key1, th: { label: 'Key1' }, td: {}
+        column :key2, th: { label: 'Key2' }, td: {}
+      end
+      category :nongeneral, label: 'Nongeneral' do
+        column :key3, th: { label: 'Key3' }, td: {}
+        use_column :key1, from: :general
+      end
+    end
+
+    result = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.defined_for(:default)
+    assert_equal expected, result
+  end
+
+  test 'should return filtered by preferences full definitions of columns' do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category :general do
+        column :key1, th: { label: 'Key1' }, td: {}
+        column :key2, th: { label: 'Key2' }, td: {}
+      end
+      category :nongeneral, label: 'Nongeneral' do
+        column :key3, th: { label: 'Key3' }, td: {}
+        use_column :key1, from: :general
+      end
+    end
+
+    expected = [
+      { key: 'key1', th: { label: 'Key1' }, td: {} }.with_indifferent_access,
+      { key: 'key3', th: { label: 'Key3' }, td: {} }.with_indifferent_access,
+    ]
+
+    user = FactoryBot.create(:user)
+    user.table_preferences.create(name: 'default', columns: ['key1', 'key3'])
+
+    result = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.selected_by(user, :default)
+
+    assert_equal expected, result
+  end
+
+  test 'should return default category if user does not have preferences' do
+    Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.define(:default) do
+      category :general, default: true do
+        column :key1, th: { label: 'Key1' }, td: {}
+        column :key2, th: { label: 'Key2' }, td: {}
+      end
+      category :nongeneral, label: 'Nongeneral' do
+        column :key3, th: { label: 'Key3' }, td: {}
+        use_column :key1, from: :general
+      end
+    end
+
+    expected = [
+      { key: 'key1', th: { label: 'Key1' }, td: {} }.with_indifferent_access,
+      { key: 'key2', th: { label: 'Key2' }, td: {} }.with_indifferent_access,
+    ]
+
+    user = FactoryBot.create(:user)
+
+    result = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Storage.selected_by(user, :default)
+
+    assert_equal expected, result
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/unit/selectable_columns/table_test.rb b/test/unit/selectable_columns/table_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..005b6336b18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/selectable_columns/table_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+require 'test_helper'
+
+class TableTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
+  test 'should store category definitions' do
+    table = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Table.new(:test)
+    table.category(:test) {}
+    table.category(:test2) {}
+
+    assert_not_empty table
+  end
+
+  test 'should re-use category definitions' do
+    table = Foreman::SelectableColumns::Table.new(:test)
+    table.category(:test) {}
+    table.category(:test) {}
+
+    assert_equal 1, table.size
+  end
+end