When should you use enums instead of strings or integers?

When to use enums

Enums are type-safe fixed sets of constants—better than magic strings for order status, days, error codes.

enum OrderStatus { PLACED, PAID, SHIPPED, CANCELLED }
if (order.getStatus() == OrderStatus.PAID) { /* ... */ }

• Exhaustive switch—compiler warns on missing cases.
• Can attach fields/methods per constant (e.g., HTTP status code).