UID

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Programming

UID
Stands forUser identifier
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

UID stands for User identifier, a programming abbreviation.

The number Unix-like operating systems use to identify each user account, stored with every file and process to enforce permissions. The root account always has UID 0.

Example: The container runs as UID 1000, so it can't write to the root-owned volume.

Usage notes

Regular accounts usually start at 1000 on Linux and 501 on macOS, and groups have matching GIDs. Mismatched UIDs between a host and a container are a frequent cause of permission errors on mounted volumes. In apps and databases "UID" can loosely mean any unique identifier.

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  • UAT – User acceptance testing
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Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.