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Performance vs. Predictability in Distributed Unique ID Generation

I've been evaluating different strategies for generating unique identifiers in a high-concurrency distributed system. While UUIDs (v4) offer excellent collision resistance, their randomness often leads to fragmentation in B-tree indexes, impacting database write performance.
On the other hand, sequential or "meaningful" numeric identifiers (like Snowflake-like IDs or curated numeric sequences) provide better spatial locality and human-readability but introduce concerns regarding predictability and security (e.g., ID scraping).
In systems where the identifier itself is a primary digital asset—similar to how telecommunication databases manage specific, non-random numbering ranges—how should we balance the trade-off between:
~~Index Efficiency: Maintaining write throughput and avoiding page splits.~~
~~Semantic Value: Whether the ID should contain metadata (like shards or timestamps) versus being purely opaque.~~
~~Collision Probability: Especially in decentralized environments without a global lock.~~
Are there established patterns for managing "curated" numeric blocks in a way that remains performant at scale while preserving the integrity of the specific number ranges?

I've been evaluating different strategies for generating unique identifiers in a high-concurrency distributed system. While UUIDs (v4) offer excellent collision resistance, their randomness often leads to fragmentation in B-tree indexes, impacting database write performance.
On the other hand, sequential or "meaningful" numeric identifiers (like Snowflake-like IDs or curated numeric sequences) provide better spatial locality and human-readability but introduce concerns regarding predictability and security (e.g., ID scraping).
In systems where the identifier itself is a primary digital asset—similar to how telecommunication databases manage specific, non-random numbering ranges—how should we balance the trade-off between:
- Index Efficiency: Maintaining write throughput and avoiding page splits.
- Semantic Value: Whether the ID should contain metadata (like shards or timestamps) versus being purely opaque.
- Collision Probability: Especially in decentralized environments without a global lock.
Are there established patterns for managing "curated" numeric blocks in a way that remains performant at scale while preserving the integrity of the specific number ranges?

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