Modulandid

Modulandid is a concept used in modular software and hardware ecosystems to provide a unique identifier for an individual module within a namespace. It is designed to enable precise referencing, stable dependency management, and auditable traceability across deployments and environments. The term combines module with identifier to emphasize its role as a persistent reference to a discrete component.

Format and schema for modulandids are not fixed universally, but common approaches include hierarchical or delimited strings, URIs, or UUID-derived values. Examples might resemble modulandid://vendor/moduleName:version:instance or urn:modulandid:vendor:moduleName:version:instance. Some systems generate modulandids by combining metadata such as vendor, module name, and version, while others prefer globally unique identifiers like UUIDs for each instance.

Generation and maintenance of modulandids can be deterministic or random. Deterministic schemes derive the id from the module’s metadata (for example, vendor, name, and version), ensuring the same modulandid for identical definitions. Random or pseudo-random generation provides uniqueness without tying the id to specific attributes. In practice, modulandids are stored in module manifests, registries, or telemetry payloads to support lookup, patching, rollback, and auditing.

Applications and implications include plugin architectures, package managers, dynamic loading and unloading of modules, and cross-system tracing. Modulandids help prevent ambiguity when multiple modules share similar names, and they support reproducible builds and reliable logging. They are typically used alongside or in place of simpler names or file paths, and are designed to remain stable across compatible updates.

See also: module identifier, UUID, semantic versioning, URN, package identifier.