itemids

Item IDs are identifiers assigned to individual items within a collection, catalog, or data store to enable unique reference, retrieval, and interoperability. An item ID is typically a stable, machine-readable token that remains constant even as an item's human-facing attributes such as name or description change.

Formats vary by system. Common forms include numeric surrogate keys (for example integers in a relational database), alphanumeric codes like SKUs, or namespaced strings such as game:item_name. Some systems use universally unique identifiers (UUIDs) to guarantee global uniqueness, while others rely on locale-specific or vendor-specific codes. In many data models, the primary key for an item is its ID, while additional fields store the human-readable name, category, and attributes.

Item IDs support operations such as search, inventory management, serialization, and API calls. In video games, item IDs are used to spawn items, apply effects, or store player inventories. In commerce, product IDs link to catalogs, pricing, and stock levels. In content libraries, asset IDs reference media, textures, or documentation. The same item may have multiple identifiers across systems, requiring mapping between IDs (for example, between internal IDs and external SKUs).

Challenges include ensuring stability across software updates, handling deprecation, and avoiding collisions when integrating multiple catalogs. Best practices include using surrogate keys that are independent of attributes, maintaining a mapping between old and new IDs, and exposing a stable public identifier alongside human-friendly names.

See also: surrogate key, SKU, UUID, GTIN.