"0" and "auto" flex-basis will be different in most if not all situations: numeric values are interpreted as specific widths, so zero would be the same as specifying "width: 0"
(and thus will collapse the element to its smallest possible width given the content, or to zero itself if its overflow is hidden.)
.f {display:flex}
.f div {border:1px solid}
.zero {flex-basis: 0}
.auto {flex-basis: auto}