diff --git a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.Designer.cs b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.Designer.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bfa084a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.Designer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+// <auto-generated />
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Infrastructure;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ValueConversion;
+using Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL.Metadata;
+using barkmanapi;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
+{
+    [DbContext(typeof(BarkContext))]
+    [Migration("20260611002716_barcodestring")]
+    partial class barcodestring
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void BuildTargetModel(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
+        {
+#pragma warning disable 612, 618
+            modelBuilder
+                .HasAnnotation("ProductVersion", "9.0.1")
+                .HasAnnotation("Relational:MaxIdentifierLength", 63);
+
+            NpgsqlModelBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumns(modelBuilder);
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.InventoryItems", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<int>("Id")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("integer")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<int>("Id"));
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Barcode")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("barcode");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Brand")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("brand");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Name")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("name");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Notes")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("notes");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("RentalPrice")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("rental_price");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("ReplacementCost")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("replacement_cost");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("SerialNumber")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("serial_number");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("StatusId")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("status_id");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("Weight")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("weight");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id")
+                        .HasName("pk_inventory");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("StatusId")
+                        .HasDatabaseName("ix_inventory_status_id");
+
+                    b.ToTable("inventory", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.ItemStatus", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<string>("Id")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Name")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("name");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id")
+                        .HasName("pk_item_status");
+
+                    b.ToTable("item_status", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.InventoryItems", b =>
+                {
+                    b.HasOne("barkmanapi.ItemStatus", "Status")
+                        .WithMany()
+                        .HasForeignKey("StatusId")
+                        .HasConstraintName("fk_inventory_item_status_status_id");
+
+                    b.Navigation("Status");
+                });
+#pragma warning restore 612, 618
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.cs b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac51ff5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611002716_barcodestring.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
+{
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public partial class barcodestring : Migration
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Up(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            migrationBuilder.AlterColumn<string>(
+                name: "barcode",
+                table: "inventory",
+                type: "text",
+                nullable: false,
+                oldClrType: typeof(int),
+                oldType: "integer");
+        }
+
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Down(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            migrationBuilder.AlterColumn<int>(
+                name: "barcode",
+                table: "inventory",
+                type: "integer",
+                nullable: false,
+                oldClrType: typeof(string),
+                oldType: "text");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.Designer.cs b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.Designer.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..076d7ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.Designer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+// <auto-generated />
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Infrastructure;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ValueConversion;
+using Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreSQL.Metadata;
+using barkmanapi;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
+{
+    [DbContext(typeof(BarkContext))]
+    [Migration("20260611005912_barcodeisunique")]
+    partial class barcodeisunique
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void BuildTargetModel(ModelBuilder modelBuilder)
+        {
+#pragma warning disable 612, 618
+            modelBuilder
+                .HasAnnotation("ProductVersion", "9.0.1")
+                .HasAnnotation("Relational:MaxIdentifierLength", 63);
+
+            NpgsqlModelBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumns(modelBuilder);
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.InventoryItems", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<int>("Id")
+                        .ValueGeneratedOnAdd()
+                        .HasColumnType("integer")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<int>("Id"));
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Barcode")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("barcode");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Brand")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("brand");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Name")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("name");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Notes")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("notes");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("RentalPrice")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("rental_price");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("ReplacementCost")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("replacement_cost");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("SerialNumber")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("serial_number");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("StatusId")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("status_id");
+
+                    b.Property<float?>("Weight")
+                        .HasColumnType("real")
+                        .HasColumnName("weight");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id")
+                        .HasName("pk_inventory");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("Barcode")
+                        .IsUnique()
+                        .HasDatabaseName("ix_inventory_barcode");
+
+                    b.HasIndex("StatusId")
+                        .HasDatabaseName("ix_inventory_status_id");
+
+                    b.ToTable("inventory", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.ItemStatus", b =>
+                {
+                    b.Property<string>("Id")
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("id");
+
+                    b.Property<string>("Name")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
+                        .HasColumnName("name");
+
+                    b.HasKey("Id")
+                        .HasName("pk_item_status");
+
+                    b.ToTable("item_status", (string)null);
+                });
+
+            modelBuilder.Entity("barkmanapi.InventoryItems", b =>
+                {
+                    b.HasOne("barkmanapi.ItemStatus", "Status")
+                        .WithMany()
+                        .HasForeignKey("StatusId")
+                        .HasConstraintName("fk_inventory_item_status_status_id");
+
+                    b.Navigation("Status");
+                });
+#pragma warning restore 612, 618
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.cs b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd92898
--- /dev/null
+++ b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/20260611005912_barcodeisunique.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+using Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Migrations;
+
+#nullable disable
+
+namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
+{
+    /// <inheritdoc />
+    public partial class barcodeisunique : Migration
+    {
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Up(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            migrationBuilder.CreateIndex(
+                name: "ix_inventory_barcode",
+                table: "inventory",
+                column: "barcode",
+                unique: true);
+        }
+
+        /// <inheritdoc />
+        protected override void Down(MigrationBuilder migrationBuilder)
+        {
+            migrationBuilder.DropIndex(
+                name: "ix_inventory_barcode",
+                table: "inventory");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/BarkContextModelSnapshot.cs b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/BarkContextModelSnapshot.cs
index d3f1dee..15f4585 100644
--- a/barkmanAPI/Migrations/BarkContextModelSnapshot.cs
+++ b/barkmanAPI/Migrations/BarkContextModelSnapshot.cs
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
 
                     NpgsqlPropertyBuilderExtensions.UseIdentityByDefaultColumn(b.Property<int>("Id"));
 
-                    b.Property<int>("Barcode")
-                        .HasColumnType("integer")
+                    b.Property<string>("Barcode")
+                        .IsRequired()
+                        .HasColumnType("text")
                         .HasColumnName("barcode");
 
                     b.Property<string>("Brand")
@@ -71,6 +72,10 @@ namespace barkmanapi.Migrations
                     b.HasKey("Id")
                         .HasName("pk_inventory");
 
+                    b.HasIndex("Barcode")
+                        .IsUnique()
+                        .HasDatabaseName("ix_inventory_barcode");
+
                     b.HasIndex("StatusId")
                         .HasDatabaseName("ix_inventory_status_id");
 
diff --git a/barkmanAPI/barkDbModel.cs b/barkmanAPI/barkDbModel.cs
index 1decfb8..aac0a20 100644
--- a/barkmanAPI/barkDbModel.cs
+++ b/barkmanAPI/barkDbModel.cs
@@ -8,10 +8,11 @@ public class BarkContext(DbContextOptions<BarkContext> options) : DbContext(opti
     public DbSet<ItemStatus> ItemStatus { get; set; }
 }
 
+[Index(nameof(Barcode), IsUnique = true)]
 public class InventoryItems
 {
     public int Id {get; set;}
-    public int Barcode {get; set;}
+    public string Barcode {get; set;}
     public string Name { get; set; }
     public string Brand { get; set; }
     public string? SerialNumber { get; set; }