UUIDs and TimeUUIDs

The database distributes data in a cluster based on the partition key. The uuid (universally unique id) type contains a unique value. Use a uuid as part of a partition key to uniquely identify a partition in a table. You can use the UUID() function to create a random uuid in a CQL statement.

Within a partition, the database orders rows by clustering columns. A timeuuid is a Type 1 UUID that includes the time of its generation. Order rows by time within a partition by using timeuuid values in clustering columns. You can use the now() function to generate a timeuuid in a CQL statement.

See the literal format for uuid and timeuuids in valid literals.