Field types reference

A field type decides how a value is stored, which display types you can pick, and what shape the value takes in the REST API. This page is the reference for each type. To add fields and set constraints such as required and unique, see Model your data: entities, fields, relations.

Each section gives the dashboard name, the API value you pass as --type or database_type, how the value is stored, the display types you can pair it with, the JSON value in requests and responses, the validation that applies and an example.

All types at a glance

Rules that apply to every type

• The type is permanent. You can't change a field's type after you create it, so add a new field and copy the values across.
• A field name is 63 characters or fewer, starts with a letter and uses letters, numbers and underscores. It can't be id, locked, created_at or updated_at, and it can't start with anythink.
• The display type must be one of the types allowed for the field's type. Anything else is refused with a 400 that lists the allowed display types, such as For database type 'integer', display type must be one of: input, select.
• A default value fills existing records when you add the field to an entity that already has records.
• Unique is enforced by the database. A duplicate value returns 400. Required is enforced by the dashboard's record form.
• Send each value in the shape shown for its type below. Dates and timestamps are ISO 8601.

Small text

Use it for names, titles, codes and short strings, and with select for a fixed list of choices. Choices are display options: they decide what the dashboard offers, and don't change what's stored.

anythink fields add orders status --type varchar --display select --options "Draft=draft,Paid=paid,Shipped=shipped"

{ "status": "paid" }

Validation: a number is stored as its text. A text field has no minimum or maximum length unless you check it in your app.

Large text

Use it for anything longer than a line. rich-text lets editors write Markdown in the dashboard. The stored value is still plain text.

anythink fields add orders notes --type text

{ "notes": "First line\nSecond line" }

Integer

anythink fields add orders quantity --type integer --default 1

{ "quantity": 42 }

Validation: send a whole number inside the range. A numeric string such as "7" is read as the number 7. Use bigint for anything larger.

Big Integer

Use it for very large numbers such as epoch times.

anythink fields add events occurred_at_ms --type bigint

{ "occurred_at_ms": 1790000000000 }

Validation: send a whole number. Responses carry the exact number, but JavaScript's JSON.parse is only exact up to 9,007,199,254,740,991. Above that, read the value with a library that supports big integers, or store it as small text.

Decimal

Use it for prices and measurements. It keeps exact values, which a float doesn't.

anythink fields add orders total --type decimal

{ "total": 19.99 }

Validation: send a number, or a numeric string such as "19.99".

Boolean

A boolean with no default value defaults to false, so a new record that leaves it out comes back as false.

anythink fields add orders paid --type boolean

{ "paid": true }

Date

Use date only when the time of day is meaningless, such as a birthday. For anything that happened at a moment, use timestamp.

anythink fields add orders placed_on --type date

{ "placed_on": "2026-10-02" }

The response gives "placed_on": "2026-10-02T00:00:00". Ignore the time part. Filter dates with yyyy-MM-dd, as in Filter operators reference.

Timestamp

Anythink converts every timestamp to UTC. A value with no offset is read as UTC.

anythink fields add orders shipped_at --type timestamp

{ "shipped_at": "2026-10-05T23:30:00+01:00" }

The response gives "shipped_at": "2026-10-05T22:30:00Z". created_at and updated_at are timestamps that Anythink sets on every record.

JSON

Use it when the shape varies between records and you don't need to filter on its contents.

anythink fields add orders metadata --type jsonb

{ "metadata": { "channel": "web", "tags": ["gift", "express"] } }

The response gives the same data as a string, so parse it in your app:

{ "metadata": "{\"channel\": \"web\", \"tags\": [\"gift\", \"express\"]}" }

Validation: the value must be valid JSON. Key order isn't kept.

Geo

A geo field is reported with database_type jsonb and display type geo. The dashboard's map reads and writes a point as [latitude, longitude].

anythink fields add stores location --type geo

{ "location": [51.505, -0.09] }

The response gives "location": "[51.505,-0.09]", a string you parse in your app.

Select with Multiple

Tick Multiple on a select field to let one record hold several choices. The field is then stored as an array of the type you picked.

In the dashboard, choose Small text, Integer or Decimal, set the display type to Select, add the choices and tick Multiple. With the CLI, pass --multiple:

anythink fields add customers interests --type varchar --display select --multiple --options "Running,Cycling,Rugby"

{ "interests": ["Running", "Rugby"] }

Validation: always send an array, even for one choice. Send ["Running"], not "Running". The response is the same array.

File Upload

A file field links a record to uploaded files. Responses follow the shape for relationships that hold many records, with __count the number of files and __data their details. Display options set the allowed file types and how many files a record can hold. See Upload and manage files for uploading and attaching files.

User

A user field behaves like a many-to-one relationship to your project's users. Choose what happens to the record when the user is deleted: CASCADE, SET NULL, RESTRICT or SET DEFAULT. A required field can't use SET NULL.

Relationships

A relationship field needs a target entity and an on-delete behaviour: CASCADE, SET NULL, RESTRICT or SET DEFAULT. A required field can't use SET NULL. A one-to-many field also needs the name of the field on the target entity that points back.

anythink fields add orders customer --type many-to-one --target customers --on-delete "SET NULL"

In requests, a one-to-one or many-to-one field takes the related record's id:

{ "customer": 1 }

In responses, the shape depends on the relationship:

{
  "id": 3,
  "customer": { "id": 1, "name": "Ada Lovelace", "__name": "Ada Lovelace" }
}

A many-to-one or one-to-one field comes back expanded by default. A one-to-many or many-to-many field comes back with each related record's id and __name. Use the fields parameter to change either. The REST API reference covers expansion, and Connect entities with relationships covers modelling, writing and filtering linked records.

Dynamic Reference

A dynamic reference points at a record of any entity, where a relationship points at one chosen entity. Anythink stores and returns the text you send and doesn't follow it to the record, so choose a format and keep to it, for example entity_name:record_id.

anythink fields add comments subject --type dynamic-reference

{ "subject": "orders:12" }

Next steps

• Model your data: entities, fields, relations: create entities and add fields.
• Connect entities with relationships: link records across entities.
• REST API reference: read and write records.
• Filter operators reference: filter records by field value.
• Upload and manage files: add file fields.