UUID Generator

UUID generation enables unique identification, facilitates distributed systems, supports database primary keys, enables session management, and provides globally unique identifiers.

Benefits of UUIDs

• Uniqueness: Guaranteed unique identifiers
• Distributed Systems: Generate IDs without coordination
• Database Keys: Use as primary keys in databases
• Security: Hard to guess or enumerate
• Standards: Follow RFC 4122 standard

UUIDs come in different versions with different generation methods. Understanding versions helps you choose the right one.

UUID Versions

• UUID v4 (Random): Randomly generated UUIDs, most common and recommended
• UUID v1 (Time-based): Includes timestamp and MAC address

Understanding these facts helps you use UUIDs more effectively.

Key Statistics

• UUIDs are 128-bit identifiers
• UUIDs are represented as 32 hexadecimal digits in 5 groups
• Format: 8-4-4-4-12 (e.g., 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000)
• UUID v4 has 122 random bits (2^122 possible values)
• UUIDs are globally unique identifiers

Best Practices

Follow these guidelines for optimal UUID usage.

• Use UUID v4 for most applications
• Store UUIDs as strings or binary formats
• Use UUIDs for distributed system identifiers
• Consider performance implications for high-volume systems
• Use UUIDs when you need globally unique identifiers

Ideal Use Cases

• Database Primary Keys: Use UUIDs as primary keys in databases
• API Development: Generate unique identifiers for API resources
• Session Management: Create unique session identifiers
• Distributed Systems: Generate IDs without central coordination
• File Naming: Generate unique file names