Adapterid

AdapterID is a label used in computing to uniquely identify a network interface or device adapter within a system or software ecosystem. It is not a single standardized field; its meaning and format vary by platform and API. In general, an adapterid serves as an opaque identity that software uses to refer to a particular adapter across operations such as enumeration, configuration, monitoring, or policy application.

Common contexts include operating system network stacks, virtualization platforms, and network management or security tools. On Windows, management tools often expose a unique identifier for each network adapter, sometimes labeled as NetCfgInstanceId or AdapterID, typically represented as a GUID associated with a physical or virtual NIC. In virtualization, each virtual network interface card is assigned an adapterid that distinguishes it from other interfaces in the host or guest, even if they share the same physical hardware. In APIs and libraries, adapterid may be passed to select a specific interface for binding, monitoring, or applying policies.

AdapterIDs may be formatted as a GUID/UUID, a MAC address, or a numeric index, depending on the system. Physical adapters often have persistent IDs derived from hardware identifiers or OS-managed GUIDs; virtual adapters typically receive IDs at creation time and may change on redeployment. Some systems allow reconfiguration or cloning to carry over IDs, while others anew produce them.

Best practices include treating adapterid as an opaque identity, not assuming a fixed format, and avoiding hard-coded mappings between names and IDs. Be aware that hardware changes, OS reconfiguration, or virtualization migrations can alter adapterids. Privacy considerations arise from the ability to track devices via stable IDs.