You should stop using booleans in your database

🧠 Core Argument

While booleans (true/false) seem like a natural fit for binary decisions (e.g., isActive, isDeleted), they often fail to capture the nuance of real-world workflows. The author suggests replacing them with more expressive data types like datetime, enum, or status fields.

🔍 Key Points

• Booleans are limiting: A true/false flag doesn’t tell you when something changed or why. For example, isVerified = true lacks context — when was it verified? By whom?

• Better alternatives:

  • Use a verified_at datetime instead of isVerified

  • Use status = ['pending', 'approved', 'rejected'] instead of isApproved

  • Use deleted_at timestamps instead of isDeleted

• Future-proofing: What starts as a simple boolean often evolves. Adding new states later (e.g., suspended, archived) requires schema changes and code rewrites.

• Debugging and auditing: Timestamps and enums provide richer data for logs, analytics, and debugging.