Choosing the Right Primary Key for the Database
ULID vs UUID vs Auto Increment
Primary keys play a critical role in database management systems, serving as a unique identifier for each record in a table. They enable efficient retrieval, updating and deletion of data and help maintain data integrity by ensuring that no duplicate records are present. When designing a database schema, one of the most important decisions is selecting the right primary key type, which can significantly impact performance, scalability and ease of use.
This article will explore the pros and cons of three popular primary key types:- Universally Unique Identifier (UUID), Universally Unique Lexicographically Sortable Identifier (ULID) and auto-incrementing integers. We will discuss the properties and characteristics of each, along with examples to help you make an informed decision when choosing the right primary key for your database.
Universally Unique Identifier (UUID)
A UUID is a 128-bit number that is designed to be globally unique, meaning that the probability of generating the same UUID twice is astronomically low. They are represented as a string of 36 characters, including dashes and can be generated independently without the need for a central authority. There are various versions of UUIDs, but Version 4…
