Scalar Types

Scalar types are primitive data types used in GraphQL and MongoDB schemas. Akan.js provides a set of predefined scalar types that map to GraphQL scalars and are used throughout the framework for type-safe model definitions.

Supported Scalar Types

📦Import from @akanjs/base

import { ID, Int, Float, Upload, JSON } from "@akanjs/base";

Scalar Type Reference Table

Complete reference of all scalar types with their GraphQL mapping, MongoDB type, default values, and example usage.

Type	GraphQL	MongoDB	Default	Example Value
`String`	String	String	`""`	`"Hello World"`
`Boolean`	Boolean	Boolean	`false`	`true`
`Date`	Date (custom)	Date	`dayjs(new Date(-1))`	`"2024-01-15T09:30:00Z"`
`ID`	ID	ObjectId	`null`	`"1234567890abcdef12345678"`
`Int`	Int	Number	`0`	`42`
`Float`	Float	Number	`0`	`3.14159`
`Upload`	Upload (GraphQL Upload)	-	-	FileUpload stream
`JSON`	JSON (custom)	Mixed	`{}`	`{ "key": "value" }`
`Map`	JSON	Map	`{}`	`{ "a": 1, "b": 2 }`

Blue types (String, Boolean, Date) are JavaScript built-ins. Purple types (ID, Int, Float, Upload, JSON) are custom Akan.js classes that need to be imported.

constant.ts Scalars

Scalar types are used in constant.ts files to define model field types. Here are practical examples of how each scalar type is used:

String - Text Data

String Usage

Boolean - True/False

Boolean Usage

Date - Date and Time

Date Usage

Int & Float - Numbers

Int & Float Usage

ID - MongoDB ObjectId

ID Usage

JSON - Arbitrary Data

JSON Usage

Complete Model Example

Here's a complete example showing various scalar types used together in a model definition:

article.constant.ts

💡Scalar Types Used

String: title, slug
Boolean: isPublic, isFeatured
Int: viewCount, likeCount, commentCount
Float: rating
Date: publishedAt, lastEditedAt
ID: authorId, tagIds
JSON: content, seoMeta

Scalar Best Practices

1️⃣Use Int for Counts and Quantities

Use Int instead of Float for whole numbers like counts, quantities, and IDs. It provides better performance and prevents floating-point issues.

2️⃣Use dayjs() for Date Defaults

Always use a function for Date defaults: { default: () => dayjs() }. Static defaults would capture the build time, not creation time.

3️⃣Use ID for Document References

Use ID type when you need to store a reference to another MongoDB document. It automatically converts to ObjectId in the database.

4️⃣Use JSON for Flexible Content

Use JSON type for rich text content (TipTap editor), flexible metadata, or configuration objects. Avoid using it for structured data - define proper fields instead.

🎉 What You've Learned:

✓ 9 scalar types: String, Boolean, Date, ID, Int, Float, Upload, JSON, Map
✓ Custom scalar classes (ID, Int, Float, Upload, JSON) from @akanjs/base
✓ GraphQL and MongoDB type mappings for each scalar
✓ Practical usage patterns in constant.ts model definitions

Scalar Types

Scalar Type Reference Table

constant.ts Scalars

Complete Model Example

Scalar Best Practices

Quick Start

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