---
title: Identifiers
description: The prefixed IDs Luigi's Box AI uses for organizations, catalogs, channels and surfaces, plus the identity format for catalog objects.
slug: concepts/identifiers
docKind: reference
hub: luigisbox-ai
---

Almost every API call names at least one identifier. Luigi's Box AI uses prefixed IDs: the
prefix says what a value refers to, and a value pasted into the wrong parameter is rejected.

## Account identifiers

These are assigned by Luigi's Box when the entity is created. You never invent them.

| Entity | Prefix | Example | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organization | `lbo_` | `lbo_r2vn8c` | Scoping list endpoints, creating catalogs |
| Catalog | `lbc_` | `lbc_8w3k2p` | Indexing, feed configuration, catalog metadata |
| Channel | `lbn_` | `lbn_4hj9tv` | Every discovery request, every analytics event |
| Campaign | `lbm_` | `lbm_p7q2zx` | [Business rules](/merchandising/business-rules/overview/) |
| Rule | `lbr_` | `lbr_2m8xkd` | [Business rules](/merchandising/business-rules/overview/) |
| A/B test | `lba_` | `lba_9v3npc` | Experiment reporting |
| Tag | `lbt_` | `lbt_k4d7rq` | Grouping catalogs, channels or surfaces |
| Sponsored-products provider | `lbad_` | `lbad_9v3npc` | [Sponsored products](/merchandising/sponsored-products/) |
| Integration repository | `lbdr_` | `lbdr_8w3k2p` | [Distribution](/distribution/overview/) |

The prefix is part of the value. Store and send `lbc_8w3k2p`, never `8w3k2p`.

### Shape

An account identifier is a prefix, an underscore, and six characters from
[Crockford base32](https://www.crockford.com/base32.html) — the digits `0`–`9` plus the
letters `a`–`z` with `i`, `l`, `o` and `u` left out. The canonical form is lowercase.

Input is forgiving: uppercase is accepted, hyphens are ignored, and `i`/`l` are read as `1`
and `o` as `0`. `LBC-8W3K2P` and `lbc_8w3k2p` name the same catalog.

:::note
IDs never change. Renaming a catalog or a channel keeps its identifier, because access
grants and analytics history are attached to the ID, not the name.
:::

## Surface identifiers

A surface is the configured discovery experience your storefront calls. Its ID has three
parts:

```text
lbs_<intent>_<slug>
```

- `lbs` — always.
- `<intent>` — what kind of discovery the surface performs: `search`, `recommender`, or
  `collection`.
- `<slug>` — a readable name chosen when the surface is created: lowercase letters,
  digits and underscores, starting with a letter, up to 48 characters.

```text
lbs_search_main
lbs_recommender_homepage_carousel
lbs_collection_category_pages
```

The intent in the ID says which endpoint the surface belongs to. Sending
`lbs_recommender_homepage_carousel` to `/discovery/v1/search` is rejected, because the
intent in the ID does not match the endpoint.

Slugs are unique within one catalog and intent, so the same catalog cannot have two
`lbs_search_main` surfaces — but two different catalogs can.

## Catalog object identity

Catalog objects — products, categories, brands, articles — are identified by values *you*
choose, not by Luigi's Box. An identity is typed:

```text
<type>/<value>
```

For example:

```text
product/sku-1001
category/summer-shirts
brand/northwear
```

The type prefix must match the object's `@type`. The value part is yours: a SKU, a slug, a
database key. It only has to be unique within the catalog and stable over the object's
lifetime.

The same `<type>/<value>` form is used everywhere an object is referenced — in `@id`, in
`@category` and `@brand` references, in the `reference` field of analytics events, and in
`ids` sent to the variants endpoint.

:::caution[Identity must be stable]
Reusing or changing an object's identity breaks the link between the object and its
analytics history, ranking signals and recommendations. If a product's key changes in your
system, treat it as a delete plus a create — and expect its learned signals to start over.
:::

See [Types and IDs](/concepts/catalog-object-model/#types-and-ids) for the ingestion
rules, and [Object types and relationships](/concepts/object-types/) for what each type is
for.

## Credentials

Credentials are not entity identifiers, and they have their own formats.

| Credential | Prefix | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Publishable key | `pub_` | Browser integrations — safe to ship in page source |
| OAuth client ID | `lbk_` | Server-to-server integrations |
| OAuth client secret | `lbe_` | Server-to-server integrations — secret, never in a browser |

Both parts of a credential carry the environment and region they belong to, so a test key
cannot accidentally authenticate against production, and a European client cannot
authenticate in the US region. See [Authentication](/authentication/overview/).

## See also

- [Domain model](/concepts/domain-model/) — what these entities are and how they relate
- [Catalog object model](/concepts/catalog-object-model/) — the shape of an indexed object
- [Requests and responses](/api-basics/requests-and-responses/) — where each identifier goes in a call