UUID as a Primary Key in Databases: Advantages, Challenges, and Best Practices

Making a decision about how to create your primary keys is one of the most important decisions you will have to make while developing a database schema. Auto-incrementing integers have traditionally been used as primary keys in databases due to the fact that they are simple to build, efficient, and predictable. With that being said, Universally Unique Identifiers (also known as UUIDs) have emerged as a popular option in contemporary distributed systems. However, what exactly are UUIDs, and how do they compare to primary keys when it comes to the design of databases? The purpose of this essay is to examine the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing UUIDs as primary keys in relational and NoSQL databases. Additionally, we will address the circumstances in which they are the most suitable choice and the circumstances in which they should be avoided.

What is a UUID?

A Universally Unique Identifier, often known as a UUID, is a representation of a 128-bit value that is commonly expressed as a 32-character hexadecimal string. For example, a UUID could be d6b2a2b3-bc67-4bdf-9ab4-b0f8bcb575be. One of the most important qualities of a UUID is that it is globally unique. This means that no two UUIDs that are formed, regardless of whether they are generated in separate systems or at…