Identifikues

Identifikues, or identifier, in information systems is a piece of data that uniquely identifies an entity such as a user, a record, or a resource. It enables reference and retrieval without exposing other attributes and can take various forms, including numbers, strings, codes, or a web address.

Examples include a database primary key, a universally unique identifier (UUID), a national ID number, a product code, or a URL or DOI for a digital object. The common purpose is to distinguish one entity from all others within a given scope, allowing reliable linking and lookups.

Key properties of a good identifikues are uniqueness within its scope, stability over time, and sufficient distinctiveness to separate entities. It is typically generated according to a defined policy and may be system-assigned or user-provided. Some systems prefer opaque or hashed identifiers to avoid exposing underlying attributes.

Generation methods vary: sequential or incremental IDs, random or GUID-like values, time-based tokens, or hash-based identifiers derived from other data. In distributed environments, identifiers may be synchronized across services or created independently with conflict resolution.

Security and privacy considerations are important, as identifiers can reveal or enable inference about individuals or objects. Practices include using opaque IDs, hashing, and strict access controls to minimize unnecessary exposure.

Applications span databases, authentication and authorization, resource addressing on the Web, content management, and inventory systems. In broader terms, identifikues also appear in linguistics and semiotics as markers that distinguish entities or concepts.