Does PostREST have a null-safe not-equal operator, like IS DISTINCT FROM? - postgresql

Question

I'm making some simple PostgREST queries on a table with network device properties. It seems that eq and not.eq both exclude null values. I've learned that that's a “feature” of PostgreSQL, and can be worked around with the IS DISTINCT FROM operator, which treats null as a comparable value.
I can't find an equivalent (null-safe not-equals) operator in PostgREST. Is there one?
Simplified example:
# https://example.com/api?select=*&name=like.spam-*
[{
"name":"spam-eggs",
"type":"router",
"sector":"cheese"
},{
"name":"spam-ham",
"type":"router",
"sector":null
}]
not.eq.cheese excludes cheese and null:
# https://example.com/api?select=*&name=like.spam-*&sector=not.eq.cheese
[]
My awkward workaround is using or to include nulls:
# https://example.com/api?select=*&name=like.spam-*&or=(sector.not.eq.cheese,sector.is.null)
[{
"name":"spam-ham",
"type":"router",
"sector":null
}]
Am I stuck with that workaround, or is there an operator like isdistinctfrom, neq-or-null, etc. that I've missed?

Answer 1

I've checked the code and there's no implementation of IS DISTINCT FROM right now. That is, no PostgREST operator translates to it. The only reference I found is in a comment in this file, but it's for a different issue.
So, yes, right now, your workaround would be the closest you can get to the behavior you want. Creating a FUNCTION with a custom query using IS DISTINCT FROM is another alternative, although it requires more heavy lifting.