immich-app/immich

Prefer null values over empty strings

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#28,832 opened on Jun 4, 2026

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 (2 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)TypeScript (5,601 forks)batch import
good first issue

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Description

The Immich API and database should store null instead of empty strings.

Columns where this is happening:

  • album.description
  • asset_exif.description
  • person.name
  • person.thumbnailPath
  • session.deviceType
  • session.deviceOS
  • user.password
  • user.profileImagePath
  • user.oauthId
  • user.name

Contributor guide

Research direction
Identify the database schema and API endpoints where empty strings are set, and change them to null.
Tech stack
typescript
Domain
backenddatabase
Issue type
Refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitTypeScriptSQL
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60