ent

Ent ORM Best Practices

This document outlines our best practices for using Ent as the ORM layer in this project.

Schema Structure

• All entity schemas should implement the ent.Schema interface
• Always include descriptive comments for each schema type
• Implement the four main methods for each schema:
  • Fields(): Define all fields of the entity
  • Edges(): Define relationships to other entities
  • Indexes(): Define database indexes for query optimization
  • Mixin(): Include shared behaviors like timestamps

Primary Keys

• Use UUID v4 as the primary key for all entities
• Always set UUIDs to be immutable and auto-generated:

field.UUID("id", uuid.UUID{}).
    Default(uuid.New).
    Immutable()

Field Validation

• Add appropriate validation to all fields:
  • Use NotEmpty() for required string fields
  • Use Positive() or NonNegative() for numeric fields that should be ≥ 0
  • Use Range() for fields with specific bounds (e.g., percentages)
• Mark optional fields with Optional() and provide sensible defaults with Default()

Indexes

• Create indexes for fields commonly used in queries
• Use composite indexes for fields frequently queried together
• Always index foreign key fields and fields used for filtering

Time Tracking

• Use the TimeMixin for all entities to track creation and update times
• Always include the TimeMixin in your schema's Mixin() method:

func (YourEntity) Mixin() []ent.Mixin {
    return []ent.Mixin{
        TimeMixin{},
    }
}

Edge Relationships

• Define clear and meaningful relationships between entities when applicable
• Document the cardinality and purpose of each relationship

Code Style

• Use descriptive field and edge names
• Follow Go naming conventions for schema types (PascalCase)
• Keep field definitions clean and aligned for readability