Hi there,
We have deprecated and plan to remove the save param for anonymous_id_for_user (edx-platform/models.py at 80a4437f338b6dbe16bfd57a1477fc3ede6a24df · edx/edx-platform · GitHub) and unique_id_for_user. This is in support of easier rotation or replacement of secrets.
The behavior has already been changed to ignore the param and always save the new ID to the database. Based on how internal this function is and metrics showing how infrequently save=False is used in practice on edx.org, we do not believe this change will have any impact on community servers. This will first appear in the Lilac named release.
However, we are still opening a comment period before removing the code, since that will clear the path for future, less reversible changes to how anonymous user ID generation is performed.
We are targeting removal after 2021-04-23 or Lilac’s release, whichever is later.
Please read [DEPR-148] Cleanup: Remove last vestiges of save option from anonymous_id_for_user - JIRA for more information and to post any questions/comments. The proposed deadline for comments before acceptance is 2021-04-23 (same as acceptance date, in this case).
Thanks,
Tim McCormack