PROCID

PROCID is a term encountered in computing that denotes an identifier associated with a process or operational unit within a system. In many contexts it is used interchangeably with the more common term process identifier (PID), a value assigned by the operating system to uniquely identify a running process. The PROCID is typically a nonnegative integer that is unique for active processes on a given machine; it may be reused after a process terminates, and its persistence across system restarts is not guaranteed.

In software, PROCID may be stored as a field named procId or proc_id in logs, data records, or debugging tools, and is often used to correlate events across components or services. The exact meaning of PROCID, however, depends on the platform. In POSIX-compliant systems, the standard function to obtain a process identifier is getpid(); in Windows, GetCurrentProcessId serves a similar purpose. Some codebases choose to refer to this value as PROCID, but it is not a universal standard term.

In multi-process or distributed environments, the PROCID/PID can be included in tracing headers or inter-process messages to track requests through a system. It is distinct from thread identifiers, which refer to individual threads within a process. Security and privacy considerations apply as PIDs can reveal system structure in process tables and logs.

Other uses of the term PROCID may appear in different domains, including as a shorthand for procedure identifiers in workflow systems or as product identifiers in inventory contexts. Because its meaning is context dependent, readers should consult the specific documentation for the software or system in question.

See also: PID, process identifier, getpid, GetCurrentProcessId.