GUIDlike

GUIDlike is a term used to describe identifiers that resemble the format and intent of a globally unique identifier (GUID) or universally unique identifier (UUID). Such values are typically used to identify objects, records, or resources in software systems where uniqueness across space and time matters. A common textual form is 32 hexadecimal digits separated by hyphens in an 8-4-4-4-12 pattern, for example 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000.

GUIDlike values are often generated using standard UUID algorithms defined in RFC 4122, including version 1 (time-based), version 3 and 5 (name-based) and version 4 (random). A GUIDlike value typically aims to be globally unique, but the strength depends on the generator and deployment. In typical software environments, collisions remain extremely unlikely.

Common uses include database keys, identifiers for distributed systems, file metadata, and interoperability interfaces in software ecosystems. Languages such as C#, Java, Python, and many database systems provide built-in support for generating and parsing GUID/UUID-like values.

Considerations when using GUIDlike values include readability, length, case and hyphen normalization, and privacy concerns for time-based identifiers that can reveal creation timestamps or hardware addresses. GUIDlike values are not encrypted; if secrecy is required, they should be treated as opaque identifiers or encrypted.

See also GUID, UUID, RFC 4122.