[[add-id]]
=== Generate an ID for an event

The `add_id` processor generates a unique ID for an event.

[source,yaml]
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processors:
 - add_id: ~
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The following settings are supported:

`target_field`:: (Optional) Field where the generated ID will be stored. Default is `@metadata._id`.

`type`:: (Optional) Type of ID to generate. Currently only `elasticsearch` is supported and is the default.
The `elasticsearch` type generates IDs using the same algorithm that Elasticsearch uses for auto-generating
document IDs.
