Badge: Understanding UID and Card Number

Modified on Wed, 11 Jun at 1:54 PM

Understanding UID and Card Number

Type	Definition
Printed Card Number	The number printed on the outside of the card is independent of the UID or the Badge-generated Card Number. These printed numbers are custom-defined per manufacturing production run and may follow a variety of formats (e.g., sequential, access control encoding, visual identifiers). While often similar to the Card Number used in systems, they serve a distinct purpose for visual reference and are determined by your custom card production specifications.
UID Number	The UID Number is the unique serial number encoded on the card chip, typically read in hexadecimal (HEX) format. This value is captured during enrollment and used by Badge for encoding and internal system tracking.
Card Number	The Card Number appears as a column in your reports. It is generated at the time of enrollment based on the UID, using a transformation format defined by your organization's requirements. This transformed value is used for integrations with third-party systems and may differ from what is physically printed on the card.

Integration with Third-Party Systems Badge supports secure transformation of the UID into a system-specific Card Number using a List connection. This allows you to pass formatted identifiers to third-party platforms—such as access control, cafeteria, or transportation systems—without exposing raw UID values.

Common Supported UID Transformations that are supported include:

Reverse Hex	Reverses the byte order of the UID
Decimal	Converts the UID to a base-10 number
Reverse Decimal	Reverses byte order before converting to decimal
Zero-Padding	Adds leading zeros for fixed-length formatting

Click here to submit a ticket to for support on configuring a List Connection and defining Card Number format for your systems in Badge. 

We'll collaborate with you to ensure secure, accurate, and seamless data exchange across all integrated platforms.