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Universally unique identifier

--> | organisation = Open Software Foundation (OSF), ISO/IEC, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) | digits = 32 | check_digit = | example = | website = (obsoleted ) }} A universally unique identifier (UUID) is a 128-bit number that is designed to be unique in the broadest sense and is generally used to identify objects in computer systems. The term globally unique identifier (GUID) is also used, mostly in Microsoft-designed systems.

When generated via a typical method, a UUID is almost surely unique across all computing systems and information. Typically, a UUID is generated via an algorithm that requires relatively low overhead, and unlike other unique numbering schemes, it does not depend on a central registration authority or coordination between the parties generating them. While the probability that a UUID value will be duplicated is not zero, it is generally considered negligible.

A UUID generated in this manner can be used to identify something with near certainty that the identifier does not duplicate one that has already been, or will be, generated to identify something else. Information labeled with UUIDs by independent parties can, therefore, be combined into a single database or transmitted on the same channel, with a negligible probability of identifier clashing.

Use of UUIDs is widespread, with many computing platforms providing support for generating them and for parsing their textual representation. They are widely used in modern distributed systems, including microservice architectures and cloud environments, where decentralized and collision-resistant identifier generation is essential. Provided by Wikipedia