django-display-ids

Stripe-like prefixed IDs for Django. Works with existing UUIDs — no schema changes.

Why?

UUIDv7 (native in Python 3.14+) offers excellent database performance with time-ordered indexing. But they lack context — seeing 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000 in a URL or log doesn’t tell you what kind of object it refers to.

Display IDs like inv_2aUyqjCzEIiEcYMKj7TZtw solve this: the prefix identifies the object type at a glance, and base62 encoding keeps them compact and URL-safe. This format, popularized by Stripe, is easy to recognize in URLs, logs, and emails. But storing display IDs in the database is far less efficient than native UUIDs.

Different consumers have different needs:

• Humans prefer slugs (my-invoice) or display IDs (inv_xxx)

• APIs and integrations work well with UUIDs

This library gives you the best of both worlds: accept any format in your URLs and API endpoints, then translate to an efficient UUID lookup in the database. Store UUIDs, expose whatever format your users need.

It focuses on lookup only — it works with your existing UUID fields and requires no migrations or schema changes.

Features

• Multiple identifier formats: display ID (prefix_base62uuid), UUID (v4/v7), slug

• Framework support: Django CBVs and Django REST Framework

• Zero model changes required: Works with any existing UUID field

• Stateless: Pure lookup, no database writes

Getting Started

• Installation
  • Requirements
  • Optional Dependencies
• Quick Start
  • Add the mixin to your model
  • Update your URLconf
  • Add the mixin to your view
  • What’s Happening
  • Next Steps

Usage Guide

• Usage Guide
  • Model Integration
  • Django Views
  • Django REST Framework
  • Django Admin
  • Template Tags
  • Overview

Reference

• API Reference
  • Encoding Functions
  • URL Path Converters
  • Resolver Functions
  • Exceptions
  • Settings Reference

Advanced

• Advanced Topics
  • Lookup Strategies
  • Example Generation