Identifying the same Web Elements with Selenium

I am an Automation Engineer, I am currently trying to create test cases for a webpage that are sustainable ( that I can run at a later time and have still pass)

Here is my problem:

I am trying to select multiple web buttons that have the same exact class name. There are a total of 7 buttons that I am trying to incorporate into my test. Now I can 'select' these buttons but these are only temporary x paths that are subject to change.

I need UNIQUE ID's (or some way of distinguishing them)for the same web elements. The only difference in the x paths are dealing with format.

I have talked to the Development team about this issue however they tell me that assigning Unique ID's to these web elements is a big no-no. Even if they did assign Unique Id's they tell me that they would have to strip them before the project can be sent to production. Which ultimately would render my tests useless...

I know come to Stack Overflow for help, everything I look up online cannot give me an answer, however this does seem to be a valid question between QA and Development departments.

is there a way to assign Id's to a web element so that a tester using selenium can identify them and yet it will not affect a Developers ability to use that element through an entire project?