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Use the nullish coalescing operator (??) instead of the logical OR operator (||) when you specifically want to provide fallback values only for null or undefined, not for other falsy values.

The logical OR operator (||) treats all falsy values (empty strings, 0, false, null, undefined) as conditions to use the fallback value. The nullish coalescing operator (??) only triggers the fallback for null and undefined, preserving other falsy values that might be valid data.

Use ?? when:

• Empty strings, 0, or false are valid values that shouldn’t trigger fallbacks
• You’re specifically handling null/undefined cases
• Working with optional properties or nullable database fields

Examples:

// ❌ Problematic - empty string triggers fallback to 'public'
const typeSchema = column.enum.schema || 'public';

// ✅ Correct - only null/undefined triggers fallback
const typeSchema = column.enum.schema ?? 'public';

// ❌ Problematic - treats null as invalid when it might be valid data
if (!!set[colName]) { /* ... */ }

// ✅ Correct - explicitly check for undefined
if (set[colName] !== undefined) { /* ... */ }

// ❌ Problematic - empty object created for any falsy value
Object.keys(obj || {})

// ✅ Correct - empty object only for null/undefined
Object.keys(obj ?? {})

This pattern is especially important when working with database schemas, optional configurations, and API responses where distinguishing between “no value provided” (null/undefined) and “falsy value provided” (empty string, 0, false) is crucial for correct behavior.