---
title: Type-Safe IDs
description: Grove uses TypeIDs for type-safe, K-sortable entity identifiers across the Forge ecosystem.
---

Grove uses [TypeID](https://github.com/jetify-com/typeid) for entity identifiers, following the Forge ecosystem convention. TypeIDs are type-safe, K-sortable, and globally unique.

## Format

```
prefix_suffix
```

- **prefix** — Identifies the entity type (e.g., `usr` for users)
- **suffix** — A UUIDv7-based, base32-encoded identifier

Example: `usr_01h455vb4pex5vsknk084sn02q`

## Usage in Models

TypeIDs integrate naturally with Grove's model definitions:

```go
import (
    "go.jetify.com/typeid"
    "github.com/xraph/grove"
)

type User struct {
    grove.BaseModel `grove:"table:users,alias:u"`

    ID    typeid.TypeID `grove:"id,pk,type:varchar(36)"`
    Name  string        `grove:"name,notnull"`
    Email string        `grove:"email,notnull,unique"`
}
```

## Serialization

TypeIDs implement standard Go serialization interfaces:

- `encoding.TextMarshaler` / `encoding.TextUnmarshaler`
- `encoding/json.Marshaler` / `encoding/json.Unmarshaler`
- `database/sql.Scanner` / `driver.Valuer`

This means they work transparently with JSON APIs, database queries, and text-based protocols.

## K-Sortability

TypeIDs are based on UUIDv7, which encodes a timestamp:

- IDs sort chronologically by creation time
- Database indexes on TypeID columns are efficient (no random scatter)
- No need for separate `created_at` indexes for ordering

## Forge Ecosystem Convention

All Forge extensions use TypeID prefixes to avoid collisions:

| Extension | Prefix Convention |
|-----------|-------------------|
| Grove | Application-defined (e.g., `usr`, `org`, `inv`) |
| Warden | `wrol`, `wprm`, `wasn`, `wpol` |
| Chronicle | `cevt`, `clog` |
| Sentinel | `shst`, `shck` |