getUserid

getUserid is a convention used in software development for a function or method that retrieves the unique identifier of a user. The function typically returns a user ID that uniquely distinguishes a user within a system, such as an internal numeric ID, a UUID, or a string. The exact source of the ID depends on context: it may be stored in a user session, included in an authentication token, derived from a database record, or retrieved from a user profile object.

Common patterns involve getUserid being part of a user service, an authentication module, or a class that models the current session. Some implementations fetch the ID for the currently authenticated user, while others accept a user object or context to return the corresponding ID. The function’s behavior can vary: it may return a primitive value, such as a number or string, or a more complex user object containing the ID.

Return values and error handling also vary. If no user is authenticated, getUserid may return null or undefined, throw an exception, or return a sentinel value. Applications should handle cases where no ID is available and verify that the caller has permission to access user identifiers.

Security and privacy considerations include guarding against exposing internal IDs to unauthorized clients, validating the source of the ID, and avoiding leakage of sensitive identifiers in logs or error messages. Naming variants exist, such as getUserId or fetchUserid, depending on language conventions and project style guides. See also user authentication, user ID, and identity management.