# Database identifiers shortened in v5

> Source: https://docs.strapi.io/cms/migration/v4-to-v5/breaking-changes/database-identifiers-shortened

Database identifiers are limited to 55 characters in Strapi v5; longer identifiers are automatically shortened with a hash suffix to prevent conflicts.

In Strapi 5, database identifiers can't be longer than 55 characters. 

This page is part of the [breaking changes database](/cms/migration/v4-to-v5/breaking-changes) and provides information about the breaking change and additional instructions to migrate from Strapi v4 to Strapi 5.

- Is this breaking change affecting plugins? Yes
- Is this breaking change automatically handled by a codemod? Yes
- (This breaking change is actually handled by a data migration script that runs when your Strapi project is upgraded to Strapi 5.)

## Breaking change description

**In Strapi v4**

Database identifiers could be longer than 55 characters, potentially causing issues with some databases.

**In Strapi 5**

Database identifiers can't be longer than 55 characters and will be shortened.

## Migration

This section regroups useful notes and procedures about the introduced breaking change.

### Notes

- A hashing key will be added when shortening database identifiers to avoid conflicts. It will consist in the first 6 characters of SHA-256. For example, `my_very_very_very_very_very_very_very_too_long_identifier_unique` will be shortened to `my_very_very_very_very_very_very_very_very_a2dx3_uq` in Strapi v5.
- Some suffixes will be used:

  | Suffix                 | Short version |
  | ---------------------- | ------------- |
  | `component_type_index` | `cmpix`       |
  | `component`            | `cmp`         |
  | `components`           | `cmps`        |
  | `entity_fk`            | `etfk`        |
  | `field_index`          | `flix`        |
  | `fk`                   | `fk`          |
  | `id_column_index`      | `idix`        |
  | `index`                | `idx`         |
  | `inv_fk`               | `ifk`         |
  | `links`                | `lnk`         |
  | `morphs`               | `mph`         |
  | `order_fk`             | `ofk`         |
  | `order_index`          | `oidx`        |
  | `order_inv_fk`         | `oifk`        |
  | `order`                | `ord`         |
  | `primary`              | `pk`          |
  | `unique`               | `uq`         |

### Manual procedure

Strapi should handle everything when starting the application in Strapi v5.

However, be aware that if you have hard-coded references to database tables or columns, you may need to manually update them.