---
title: "Identifier"
description: "an identifier that names an entity; never removed when a handle changes"
section: concepts
address: /concepts/identifier
contract: 0476e35e6e275db5
---

# Identifier

an identifier that names an entity; never removed when a handle changes

[figure: Identifier is a fact at follows scope. The drawing shows its fields and the objects that they point at.]

| property | value |
|---|---|
| kind | fact |
| scope | follows |
| key | the namespace, the value and the source |
| store | postgres+lake |
| family | identity |



## Fields


| field | type | required | note |
|---|---|---|---|
| `entity` | `id` | yes |  |
| `namespace` | `text` | yes |  |
| `value` | `text` | yes |  |
| `normalised` | `text` | yes |  |
| `trust_rank` | `count` | yes |  |



## Routes that use it
No route takes or returns Identifier directly. The record holds it, and the objects that point at it reach it.