You mention generating both models and entities — aren't they the same thing?

In most MVC frameworks a "model" handles both data access and data representation, so they collapse into one class. CodeIgniter 4 separates them deliberately. In CI4, the **Model** is responsible for database interaction: queries, validation rules, the allowed fields list, soft-delete handling, and timestamps. The **Entity** is a typed PHP class that represents a single row of data — it holds the field values, declares their types (so a TINYINT(1) becomes a real `bool`, not the string `"1"`), and is where you put computed properties or mutators. The Model's default return type is set to the Entity class, so every query result comes back as a typed object rather than an anonymous array or stdClass. CI Wiz generates both files wired together correctly, which is exactly how CI4 intends them to be used.