When should you pass context into the database in ExecContext, and when should you not?

In Go, the ExecContext method is used to execute SQL queries with support for a context (context.Context). The context allows managing the query's execution time, canceling operations, and passing metadata.

You should pass a context to ExecContext when:

• You need to control timeouts or deadlines for the query execution.
• You require the ability to cancel the operation (e.g., when canceling an HTTP request).
• You need to pass metadata (such as tracing or authentication) through the context.

You should not use ExecContext if:

• The query is very simple and does not require execution time control.
• The context is not used in the calling code, and there is no need for cancellation or timeouts.

Example usage:

ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 2*time.Second)
defer cancel()

_, err := db.ExecContext(ctx, "UPDATE users SET active = ? WHERE id = ?", true, userID)
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

Thus, passing the context is useful for managing the request lifecycle and improving control over database operations.