Choosing the best database primary key – INT and UUIDs alternatives
I think the author confuses <i>primary keys</i> with <i>surrogate keys</i>. The article compares various surrogate keys in technical terms, but doesn&#x27;t address &quot;Choosing the best database primary key.&quot; A <i>natural</i> key usually makes the best primary in terms of database design, usability, and longevity. If you can&#x27;t identify a natural key that indicates failure to normalize or even the wrong model of the data.<p>Optimizing for storage, &quot;performance,&quot; or &quot;exposing the primary key to the world&quot; (why?) may matter in some cases, but at the expense of not having an actual relational model, just a pile of data wedged into a relational database management system.